Movie Review: Faster

Were you anticipating this movie in the theater but just didn't get the chance to watch it?  Are you anxiously awaiting for it to come out on dvd/blu ray March 1st?  If so, then I was in the same boat as you!  I had considered watching this in the theater but decided to save the moolah for another time.  I really thought it was weird to release this film on Thanksgiving weekend anyways.  Usually over the holiday you spend time with your family and you expect to go watch family holiday Christmas films ushering in the season.  Not shoot em up revenge films.  The big question is, can Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson hold his own?

This is a revenge film.  The equation is fairly simple here folks.  Dwayne Johnson plays a fugitive, named "Driver", that is released from prison after spending 10 years locked up for being a getaway driver for a group of bank robbers.  Before he is caught he is set up along with the thieves and his brother is brutally murdered in front of him and himself left for dead shot execution style but miraculously survives.  It is now his mission to hunt down and kill each member of the deadly group that killed his brother and thought to have assassinated him.  There you go.  It doesn't get much deeper than that.  Through out this film I am often reminded of other films with the same formula but pull it off so much better.  It brings to mind Kill Bill.  If you are looking for a real revenge film with an amazing story and awesome actors then stop reading this, go to your video store and rent it!  You will not be disappointed!

Their is not much to really spoil for you here.  The Rock spends 100% of the movie doing one thing.  KILLING.  He doesn't even have that many speaking lines.  He is a mindless robot that shows little emotion up until the climax of the film.  Arnie portrayed more emotion in T2.  In fact it looks like Johnson is wearing the exact leather get up from T2.  Following Johnson is Billy Bob Thornton, "Cop", as a low life detective with a heroin addiction with 10 days left to retire on his last case.  His partner is the beautiful Carla Cugino.  Thrown into all of this is narcissistic hit man, "Killer", played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen.  He spends half the movie on his phone with his therapist and taking his life to the real extreme of proposing to his girlfriend and marrying her.  Real extreme man.  More extreme thank killing people for a living?  In the end Johnson is forced to choose to reap the pain he endured on other innocent people or forgive those that hurt him.

I'm afraid to say that The Rock doesn't live up to the standards that he should with this movie.  As a fan of Johnson personally and as an actor I thought this was a poor choice for him.  He hardly talks!  He just stands there and blows peoples heads off.  We know he can do better than this. Does he read the script and think "easy money" and not care what he looks like on screen?  Billy Bob still acts?  Has this guy had a good movie in ages?  I don't follow his films, never have, and not really interested in doing so either.  The climax of the film was the best 5 minutes and you know half way through who is being double crossed and set up.  It is a no brainer film and really makes the viewer feel dumb after watching it.

I have high hopes for Johnson.  I really do.  He was amazing and one of the most electrifying wrestlers in sports entertainment.  I think he has had bit parts in films that show he has the potential to be a big star.  I even enjoyed the goofy action movie The Rundown.  Watch that before you watch this!  Johnson stars in the upcoming newest Fast and the Furious film, Fast Five, and I hope it is going to be his break out film!  As for Faster, you couldn't run faster from this film!