While the firstFast and Furiousmovie has aged well due to its grounded approach to action and storytelling, as well as its focus on car racing as the primary form of action, the franchise has moved far away from its roots in more recent years. It has evolved into a mega-action blockbuster franchise with an ever-growing ensemble of stars.
Even thoughmovies likeF9went too far, the franchise still performs well at the box office due to its large-scale, outlandish sequences and its stacked roster of the biggest names in the action genre. ThemodernFast and Furiousmovie is a who’s who of Hollywood, with cameos by celebrities from all fields, including Ronda Rousey and Cardi B.
The growing list ofFast and Furiousmovie plot holesis frustrating, but we’re all eagerly awaiting the final entry in the franchise,Fast X: Part II. Among other factors, there’s major excitement about Dwayne Johnson’s return to the franchise. While he has the perfect introduction in the franchise, an earlier role of his proved he was the perfect fit.
Faster Is A Dwayne Johnson Hidden Gem
It Is Tonally Different To Most Of His Films
A year beforeFast Five, which saved the franchiseby changing it forever, George Tillman Jr. directed Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in a movie that could’ve been aFast & Furiousprequel if not for plot details. 2010’sFasterfollows The Rock as a criminal released from prison after a decade inside, hell-bent on killing those who put him there.
Fasterhas failed to impress critics, who gave it a meager 41% on Rotten Tomatoes, even though audiences gave it a 52%.
While he frequently portrays the same over-the-top, corny, and borderline funny hero who performs unbelievable stunts and fight maneuvers to save the day,Fastersees Johnson deliver a more nuanced performance. As a brooding thriller with a heavy side of gore, it lets The Rock shine in one of his few serious roles ever.
The lack of typical tongue-in-cheek humor and snappy one-liners may surprise viewers acquainted with the actor’s current style, butit proves that Johnson has more range than his most popular movies suggest. With little dialogue, he plays the character with a clinical precision suitable for his approach to his revenge plan. Johnson shines as the stoic killer with a cause.
The Action In Faster Showed Johnson Was Perfect For Fast & Furious
The Rock Showcased How He’s Suitable For That Kind Of Action
While Dwayne Johnson’s character Luke Hobbs is a law enforcement official in theFast and Furiousmovies,Faster’s tonal and narrative similarities cue up the actor’s filmography perfectly for his entry in the franchise. Johnson’s Jimmy Cullen even drives a classic General Motors car, the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle. The chase scene is right out of aFast and Furiousmovie.
Cullen is a gun-toting, car-racing, cold-blooded killer whose single-minded focus is on his revenge. He may remind viewers of Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw fromFurious7, who The Rock would later join for their spinoff movie,Hobbs & Shaw. The scenes of confrontation inFasterproved thatJohnson was perfect as the major antagonist opposite Vin Diesel.
The car action, the moments of revenge, and the intense fight scenes showed that Dwayne Johnson had what the franchise needed in its new cast addition.
The most notable characteristic of Cullen, which one can see glimpses of inFast & Furious' Hobbs, is his seriousness. He doesn’t talk often, has almost no sense of humor, and is nearly impossible to beat in combat. The car action, the moments of revenge, and the intense fight scenes inFastershowed that Dwayne Johnson had what the franchise needed in its new cast addition.
Faster
After being released from prison, James ‘Jimmy’ Cullen seeks out vengeance as a corrupt cop pursues him, along with a hitman hired to kill Jimmy. Dwayne Johnson stars as Jimmy Cullen alongside Billy Bob Thorton as Detective Slade Humphries. Released in 2010, Faster got mixed to negative reviews but managed to make over $10 million at the box office.
