It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the ‘Fast and the Furious’ movies – I’ve even written about them before on Netcars.
The cars, the races, the chases, the unnecessary destruction of property, all tied up in a neat little ‘forget - where - you – left - your - brain - for - two - hours’ package. It’s not ‘Hamlet’, but it is mindless fun.
Needless to say, I was excited to hear that Vin Diesel and co are set to make a return in summer 2013, with yet another ludicrously titled and chronologically confused instalment. Entitled ‘Fast and Furious Six’, director Justin Lin gave audiences their first sneak peak of his newest brain child during the ad breaks for the Super Bowl. Colour me impressed. The minute -long TV spot has been doing the rounds of YouTube and automotive websites ever since, spreading like wildfire amongst those who remain fans of the films - despite their shift from cultural expose to heist flicks. In order to commemorate the occasion, I thought that Netcars should have its own breakdown of the trailer to see what we can really expect come May 24th. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
0:01 – The Universal logo pops up and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s gruff tones begin bringing the audience up to speed with what’s going on. Long story short his character, Federal Agent Hobbs, knows about some drivers who do bad things. He’s taken exception to their behaviour. Things can only go well.
0:02 – Is this the trailer for ‘The Sweeney’ again? London, usually depicted as a vast urban sprawl populated with black cabs, red buses and grey smog, is given the American treatment and reinvigorated into a glittering backdrop for the events to come.
0:04 – Four seconds in and already we have the obligatory pedal shot. ‘The Sweeney’ this is not. We are definitely in ‘F&F’ territory now, since no other franchise has such an obsession with shifting gears. Also featured in less than a second is a shot of some strange Go Kart contraptions barrelling through a tunnel, with a rather average looking Renault Clio travelling in the opposite direction to give the scene some realism. Ahem.
0:09 – I know, I know - it’s a military four wheel drive doing a flip after driving into a wire. Those familiar with the franchise will know that this is pretty much standard fare, but each time Justin Lin gets his second unit to pull off something like this it has a certain grace and style to it that makes it entertaining to watch. It wouldn’t be out of place in a film with more critical resonance - ‘Mission Impossible’, for example – even if it isn’t given as much credit solely because it’s a car movie.
0:11 – After Johnson finishes his dialogue he asks Vin Diesel’s character, Dom Toretto, for help and we get a glimpse of the man himself in that all too familiar guise; the white vest and furrowed brows are straight from 2001. Some things will never change!
0:13 – The next shot proves beyond doubt that the film will take place in more exotic locales than London. I wonder who the Ferrari belongs to? Milliseconds later we get our first introduction to Paul Walker’s character, cop – turned – vigilante Brian O’Connor, but I very much doubt that he would drive a car from Maranello. He’s much more suited to Japanese vehicles (and the GT-R has already been confirmed as a returning vehicle). Perhaps Tyrese’s character, Roman Pearce, will be the one to pilot it (given his love of all things expensive and exclusive)?
0:14 – 0:17 – Quick successive shots of Roman, Giselle, Han and Tej are followed by a final hero shot of the entire team, bringing the audience back up to speed with the ones who have made it along for the ride. I do have one reservation, however - if Tego Calderon and Don Omar aren’t back I’ll be outraged, since they were responsible for some of the funniest scenes and interactions in ‘Fast Five’ and are more than worthy of their places within the ensemble.
0:18 – Not long before the Super Bowl, Universal Pictures released a publicity picture of Vin Diesel with Dom’s new ride; a 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona, the car that started an era in some respects. In this night time shot we see its first appearance in the trailer, cruising up to a car meet with many attractive yet impractically dressed women ready to greet it (along with a couple of dudes, one of whom has an awesome hat but has been forced to look away from the Charger before he breaks down with sheer joy).
0:19 – Ken Block obviously hasn’t had enough gymkhana, as he is surely the only person who would decide to put a Subaru Impreza on two wheels without first getting it covered in mud. Like the scantily clad women and muscle bound men, dancing cars are unnecessary yet highly important to secure ticket sales. Don’t try this at home though; your mum’s Mondeo cannot do this. On a more serious note, it’s interesting to see that there are quite a few exotics and unmodified cars in this movie, unlike those which populated the previous instalments. As this is the first scene that showcases the background cars to any great extent, it’s really all we have to go on at the minute to gauge what the overall ‘tone’ of the film will be.
0:24 – There are three things which you may notice about the shot at the twenty four second mark. Firstly, there’s a collapsing bridge. Secondly, there’s a flying Ford Escort. Thirdly, there’s a tank driving into a Mustang. I was going to play down most of this and leave one of the features last for comic effect, but in the end I realised that there’s so much testosterone here that the task was impossible. Blending the sedate car cruise segments and high intensity action has become a trademark of this franchise, demonstrated by the switch from one to the other in less than five seconds. From here on out the action gets bigger and better, so here we go...
0:26 – Since the plot revolves around Dom’s crew taking on another group of ne’er-do-wells (I assume the ones driving the Go Karts from earlier) it seems logical that the two will come to blows throughout the duration of the movie. Rumours suggest that the opposing team of drivers use E60 BMW M5s as their vehicles of choice when they’re trying to keep a low profile (outside of the Thunderdome), so this likely represents the ‘coming to blows’ aspect of their interaction with the main cast. A tenner says Tyrese caused this particular mess (he denies it in the voice over but that’s because he’s guilty as hell).
0:30 – In case anybody missed the tank earlier, it gets to take a turn in the foreground at this point, readily busying itself by crushing things. The style of action here is reminiscent of the safe – towing bridge scene in ‘Fast Five’, so hopefully Lin will produce the same visceral feel that he did then with this new excursion.
0:32 – Once again we see the Daytona, this time in attempting to escape the tank. Since Chargers have such a strong connection to Dom’s character it would be cool to see one being built once in a while rather than them simply being destroyed each time, but perhaps in this movie audiences will get that chance. After all, given that the rear windows are different between Daytonas and conventional Chargers, and that this one definitely uses the former, it will be difficult for the script to explain away the appearance of the car as it being the same one ‘rebuilt’ for the umpteenth time (although after ‘Fast Five’ I’m sure that it won’t stop them trying it).
0:37 – I never thought I’d see the day when the likes of Dom and Brian were chased by Astras. It undeniably points to a decent chase though London, although it’s anybody’s guess as to whether this will be an attention – grabbing opening or a show - stopping centrepiece. Either way it’ll be great to witness something shot in the UK given the big budget treatment usually reserved for the US. In addition, this shot also contains a voice over from the antagonist, who declares that he has the power to ‘break’ people if he so desires. The riposte from Dom is little more than a trademark smirk, basically telling his adversary to come get some. Good times.
0:38 – As if to prove his point, we then see another fight scene featuring Hobbs and Dom, albeit this time working together to ruin some poor henchman’s day. There’s a nice matte green Mercedes in the background too – maybe one of Hobbs’ backup cars? I didn’t spot the armoured truck from ‘Fast Five’ throughout the trailer, but I would assume that it will be back at some stage or another. After all, what better vehicle is there for Hobbs?
0:40 – 0:49 – To prevent the audience getting dizzy from the sheer number of cuts and edits, the trailer allows its viewers a good few seconds to savour its finale. Han and Giselle, in what appears to be one of the new Dodge Chargers, and Mia and Brian, in a new Alfa Romeo 8C with British number plates, take down a plane using the tried and tested technique deployed on trucks in the original ‘The Fast and the Furious’. They snag it with ropes and somehow bring it down, probably using the same physics as those used on the prison bus in the last movie!
0:50 – Another ‘F&F’ trademark, we see that the obligatory shifting of gears shot is back with a vengeance in the new film, first in the Alfa and then in what appears to be a touring – spec Ford of some description (likely the Escort).
0:52 – Cue huge explosions! A new Charger exits the plane in a somewhat unconventional fashion before doing an inexplicable barrel roll. I have a feeling that the shot of the gear shift and the one of the car aren’t from the same scene, so it’ll be interesting to see whether the sequence of events outlined in the trailer play out that way in the full movie.
0:56 - After the ‘Fast and Furious Six’ logo pops up and the sound of The Prodigy’s ‘Breathe’ disappears, you would think that the trailer is over. Not so, as a final confrontation shows Dom facing off with his old flame, Letty. To make the point that they’re in London, she’s driving a Jensen Interceptor; very cliché, but it marks a welcome temporary deviation from Italian, Japanese or American vehicles. Also, the fact that she is still alive negates the entire point of the fourth film, but we won’t worry about that now because she STARTS SHOOTING AT DOM! Surely she can’t hate him that much?!
0:58 – With the appearance of the film’s logo the trailer comes to an abrupt but satisfying end. Suffice to say, the new movie certainly looks like it has all the ingredients to be one hell of a ride! Don’t forget to comment with your thoughts and let us know what you think!