Movie Review: Furious 6

I know it is the latest installment of The Fast and The Furious. But I am not sure what is the name of the movie. Is it Fast 6 or Furious 6? I remember seeing Furious 6 when the credits came out at the end. What is in a name? With the 5th installment Fast 5, the series had undergone a major revamp. Now, this is not only about spectacular car chases but a bunch of action heroes thrashing everything that comes in their way. On top of it, the location of action changes. The last outing was set in Brazil. This time, the location moves to Britain and then Spain.

When the movie starts, Dominic Toretto(Vin Diesel) is forced to bring back him team consisting of Brian O'Conner(Paul Walker), Roman Pearce(Tyrese Gibson), Tej Parker(Ludacris), Han Seoul-Oh(Sung Kang) and Gisele(Gal Gadot). Letty Ortiz(Michelle Rodriguez), Dominic's former girlfriend, turns up alive and is working for a former SAS agent turned mercenary Owen Shaw(Luke Evans). They have been creating trouble for Luke Hobbs(Dwayne Johnson). So Hobbs decides to turn to his previous foe who had temporarily helped in during Fast 5. As you can see, it is about family this time. Thankfully for us, the characters don't waste time to cry about the familial ties and virtues of big joint family. Instead they start to do what they are good at. Start chasing the bad guys in mean machines and engage in hand-to-hand combats.

The movie is directed by Justin Lin. This also marks the fourth collaboration for the director with respect to this series. In Fast 5, Justin Lin showed remarkable maturity in handling an action movie. The term maturity might sound silly while talking about an action movie. For an action movie, the director should be able to make us forget the silly or even non-existent plot line with stunt sequences that involves a good amount of suspension of disbelief. In this area, Justin Lin excels. In order to show the prowess of his bulky leading men, he pits them against a bulky villain. The final sequence when both of them literally join to thrash the villain is fun to watch. That is exactly what we look forward in an action movie. It is not only the men, the women also are thrashing each other! You can find Gina Carano and Michelle Rodrigeuz punching and clawing each other! There are car chases, the one on the freeway in Spain is noteworthy even though the ending of the chase makes you guffaw. The final sequence when they take down the aircraft is also a pleasure to watch. To hell with logic. We just want to watch some explosions!

I never look for performances while watching an action movie. It is not worth it. The performance matters when the genre is thriller. When you have a cast like this, there are some men who has to look menacing and the others  are there for comic relief. You get all of this. Unfortunately, the girls take a back stage because they are less in number. The Bristish actor Luke Evans is a formidable foe for the protagonists. He is able to match up to the huge star cast primarily with his performance. He is the only one standing out if you are analyzing the performances.

Go for it. You will like the stunts even though you might not always believe what is unfolding on the screen. If you think this is the end of the series, guess who turns up in a cameo just before the credits roll. Hold you breath. It is Jason Statham! Are you now looking forward to the next in the series? To be truthful, I am.

Language: English

Genre: Action

Rating: ***

For trailer, click here.

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Movie Review: Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani

An young director who writes sensitive script. An young actor who has not only great histrionic capabilities but also a handsome face. A production house which gives great emphasis on picture perfect frames. What do you expect when all these three combine together? If you say a great movie, then I will correct you. I expect only an entertainer. That is exactly what we get when all these three factors converge in the movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Dewaani. Forget the numerological play on the title. This is the same team which gave us Wake Up Sid. Although the end product is not as artistic as the first outing, this movie ends up being much ahead of the glossy trash we are subjected very often, if not every week.

Wake Up Sid was as much about breaking away as it was about growing up. This time around too, Ayan Mujerkji scripts and directs a theme which is about growing up even though we are not sure about whose growing up is he attempting to tackle until we have sailed comfortably into the movie well after the intermission. Is it about the studious Naina(Deepika Padukone) who is yearning to break the shackles of parental pressure or the adventurous Bunny(Ranbir Kapoor) who loves to push the envelope to enjoy a fast paced life. They are different as chalk and cheese. Yet the chalk is head over heels for the cheese. Is this going to work out?

It will be an insult to the director (who is also the script writer) to classify this as a love story, regular or different. It is not a love story although he falters in clearly defining the perspective to tell the story. Although the focus is on Bunny, he meanders from this perspective in the first half. With an excellent sense for melodrama and a penchant for great dialogues, Ayan Mukerji underplays the drama to achieve the opposite effect. His characters stay in our mind. Not all of the plots are necessarily happy endings as per conventional cinema wisdom but they are indeed giving hope for a happy ending. The writer in him succeeds in creating an array of supporting characters who behaves straight from life yet looks extraordinary. Ayan knows when to place a song in the movie. He places his songs with an intention to give us a boost and not to bore us to death. In this respect, the songs by Pritam helps too. Displaying a good ear for music, Ayan has worked on the background score also. Although a good attempt, it falls flat at times.

Ayan Mukerji's trump card is his leading man, Ranbir Kapoor. He is handsome. He can shake a leg. Sometimes, especially during the dance sequences, he is inspired by the same actor who inspired his grandfather. Yes, I am talking about Charlie Chaplin. Most of the time, he rises up to the script. Sometimes, even about it for instance when he walks away after the wedding torn between Naina and his future plans.  When he confronts Naina's photographer friend, the brat in him is for full display making us chuckle and sit up. This is one guy who can carry a movie. Be it Madhuri Dixit in a minuscule role or Kalki Koechlin, Aditya Roy Kapur and Deepika Padukone, he can outshine all of them.

The biggest winner in this enterprise is Dharma Productions not only in terms of money but also for quality cinema. This movie is much different from the superficial themes they have been regularly feeding us.

Go for it. This is the perfect recipe for viewing in a movie hall.

Language: Hindi

Genre: Drama

Rating: ****

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