Director Louis Leterrier’s Fast X is big, stupid, and fun. Bold, charismatic Jason Momoa (Aquaman), who plays supervillain Dante Reyes, saves Fast X. This is the 10th installment of the Fast Saga. Neither will this be the last, as previously thought. Just saying.
Fast X opens ten years ago in Fast 5 with Dom, played by Vin Diesel, and Brian, played by the late Paul Walker, racing down the highway in Brazil dragging a vault with $1 billion. Herman Reyes, played by Joaquim de Almeida, owns that vault. His son is Jason’s Dante. In the aftermath, Reyes is dead and Dante sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Mastermind sociopath Dante sets up Dom’s team led by Roman, played by funny Tyrese Gibson, on an unsanctioned mission in Rome to exact his vengeance upon Dom. Amidst the havoc, Dante unleashes a rolling spherical megaton bomb through the streets of Rome. Yeah, stupid.
Dante, with his long-maned hair and cool shades, orchestrates from the nearby rooftop. Jason’s Dante says, “Whoa. The Vatican? Bet you guys are going to hell.” He’s ironically hysterical. Dan Muzeau and Justin Lin’s thin erratic screenplay has its moments. Jason Momoa’s authentic swag elevates those moments.
Before the Rome mission, back-from-the-dead Han, played by quiet strong Sung Kang, and Vin Diesel’s introspective Dom have a poignant conversation. Dom teaches his son Little Brian, played by innocent Leo Abelo Perry, to drive his race car. Proud father, Dom tells his boy, “You’re going to be better than me.” Dom and Han talk about family and legacy. Dom says, “Each generation better than the last.” Profound sentiment. Yet, that gets lost in Louis Leterrier’s spectacular Law of Physics, defying stunts and mindless carnage.
A lot of Fast X doesn’t work because the story is just stupid. Dante drags two bodies into the high-tech lair of computer-savant Cipher, played by sublime badass Charlize Theron. Dante skillfully kills Cipher’s guards with a knife and jacks the weaponized God’s Eye device from Fast 9. He sends his soldiers to kill Cipher. However, Charlize’s Cipher dispatches his men with her tight Atomic Blonde martial arts skills.
Mortally wounded Cipher warns Dom that Dante is coming to kill him. Dom has no love for Cipher, who murdered Little Brian’s mother in Fast 8. Dom and his wife Letty, played by smart, strong Michelle Rodriguez, are expecting their first child.
In Rome, Dom meets Tess, played by strong, beautiful Brie Larson. Tess warns Dom that the mission is a setup. Tess is the daughter of Mr. Nobody, played by Kurt Russell, who went missing in a plane crash in Fast 9. Tess works for her father’s duplicitous successor Aimes, played by confident Alan Ritchson. Now, both Dom and Tess work for Aimes in the Agency.
Dom’s sister Mia, played by powerful, pretty Jordana Brewster, looks after Little Brian at the Toretto home. Everything goes awry when Dante’s men attack. Dom’s brother Jakob, played by hysterically charismatic John Cena, saves Mia and Brian. Jakob and Little Brian bond as they meet up with Dom at the mission rendezvous point.
Deserved flowers to Fast X: The women leads are kick ass. Although sometimes amongst themselves. In the showcase narrative arc, Letty and Cipher go full MMA on each other in a secret laboratory. Charlize and Michelle are total badasses. Just saying.
Still watching Dom drive his car out of the flying cargo plane, then later racing down the exploding Hoover Dam made me laugh out loud. Not necessarily in a good way. Director Leterrier purposely leaves a lot of narrative threads open, like Jason Statham’s Shaw saving his mother Queenie, played by regal Helen Mirren, from Dante. Unfortunately, Leterrier didn’t leverage more of Jason Statham’s dangerous presence in Fast X. After all, Statham is a Bad Man.
Fast X is big, stupid, and just fun. Vin Diesel and Charlize Theron crank up their attitude and charisma. In the end, Jason Momoa’s movie star swag saves the day, and Fast X. Just saying.
—
Watch the official trailer here:
***
Support The Good Men Project on Patreon to help us build a better, more inclusive world for all.
***
Photo credit: Shutterstock, modified
