Faster (2010)

This movie was simply awesome, to put it in a few words. The Rock has been in some pretty terrible Disney films in the past, everyone thought he had sold out. This movie just proves, Dwayne Johnson, isn't a sell out. This was simply his best film yet. You know lots of people also thought, that a man from WWE who wanted to see if he could act, would not make it big. Well you were all wrong, he is a pretty descent actor, he is not terrible and not bad, he is excellent.

The movie storyline, is a revenge plot. After a bank robbery, Dwayne Johnson's character, "Driver", loses his brother in gang like activity, so he seeks his revenge on all those responsible, for his brothers death. In his way is Billy Bob Thorton, a cop looking to put Driver down.

I love that in the movie there are really no full names, Dwayne's character, is named only Driver. Billy Bob Throton's character is only titled as "Cop". I thought this movie was well thought out, well designed, and well acted. I honestly had thought this film was just a movie that you see once, and probably don't see it again, but, I probably will get this movie on blu ray when it is released on blu ray and DVD. So this movie is a 9 out of 10 for me.

Fmovies: Driver (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) has just completed a dime in the slammer and is looking for revenge against those who not only put him there, but also killed his brother. With a hit list in hand he driver through the desert of Nevada in search of his targets while also being pursued by a contract killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and a veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton).

The Rock isn't as strong an actor as he is built. Physically he's imposing, but much of the film leaves him short on spoken material. I'd call this a good call given that his most dramatic scenes aren't believable. Making up for his silence are the creatively named Cop and Killer who both explore relationships and contemplate the bookends of careers.

From a genre-free perspective Faster has the needed pieces to make for some compelling cinema. Unfortunate for the ticket buyer, a likely action connoisseur, Faster has very little action. Driver's checklist is a breeze; most of his prospective victims put up zero fight whatsoever. When the bad guys aren't even trying it's difficult for me to get excited. I've had tougher times finishing grocery lists.

Then there's the story involving Killer. Whatever stoic, forceful appeal Driver displays is contrasted by the arrogance of Killer. This is fine by most measures but Killer never lives up to the hype painted around him. It seems that the title comes from his exclamation that Driver is a faster draw with a pistol, but it would have been just as descriptive to call him inaccurate. This man of adventure is willing to concede that a getaway driver betters him with a gun; I'd rather not tell that to my concerned girlfriend if I were him. I never got the feeling of the game between the two and a highflying car stunt from the trailer, which was absent from the finished product, could hint at a more involving struggle between the characters.

Faster is directed by George Tillman Jr. with high energy. The general look of the film is a slightly more colorized, bleach bypass film look of many recent grungy movies. The editing is crisp and CGI use is limited to being tastefully unobtrusive. Jokes and gags are few in number but every once in a while one crops up to lighten the mood. Overall, very strong pacing with some well incorporated flashbacks and slow motion.

The lack of a classical showdown really hurts Faster, which otherwise measures up as one of the best action/revenge films of recent years. It's getting late in his career for Dwayne to be learning the ropes of what should be his bread and butter, but it's good to see him try.

I thought The Rock had abandoned us for Disney movies until I went to an early screening of Faster hosted by our local Rock station.

No spoiler alert necessary because I'll keep this short. This movie is action packed from the opening scene but has two twist, one a whodunit, the other about a character's origin, not even hinted at in the previews.

The plot starts simply enough. The Rock walks or rather runs out of prison after 10 years and starts hunting down the guys responsible for killing his brother. Things get complicated when the cops (Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino) and a playboy-assassin (Oliver Cohen) and his girlfriend (Maggie Grace, LOST!) start hunting him. There are great supporting actors like Mike Epps, Moon Bloodgood and Mr. Eko from LOST along the way.

I enjoyed it, my wife enjoyed it and we are going with her family to see it again after Thanksgiving lunch.

Faster fmovies. This was the first movie our family went to in a long time, and it was so worth it! My boys said it was excellent.

The plot was simple enough, bad guy wants revenge for the murder of a loved one. In all honesty, it didn't seem to need a wide range of acting from Dwayne Johnson (aka, The Rock). I should rephrase that; it wasn't so much the dialog, but his mannerisms and facial expressions that said it all!

The movie wasn't just about revenge, it also looked into how he got to be the way he was... the way he was treated growing up. It talked about forgiveness & redemption.

I say it's about time The Rock (I will always know him as that!) got back to what he does best, Action/Adventure. Like The Rundown he did with Sean Scott.

All in All, I would give this movie a B++

I went expecting a basic action film. I did not get it.

What we got was a man's movie - and in this reviewer's opinion one of the best in recent memory.

This it is not yet another film about revenge - it is a film about vengeance, and that's another animal entirely. If the true essence of great story-telling and myth is that it takes us on a journey that is on the surface almost simplistic, but leaves the audience more by the end; then Faster succeeds and succeeds way beyond expectations.

In side-stepping the current vogue for mindless action it does hark back to the 70s - and the look and feel are very true to those roots. Finally, we might be leaving aside the lowbrow sarcastic sadism that has ruled action films for a decade now and getting to action film that engages rather than kills to entertain.

Director George Tillman keeps the speech sparse and the direction too. While the film overhypes the testosterone levels through the hardware and the subplots there is an overall spareness to this that lifts the film. Finally, it doesn't establish that there may be a world beyond vengeance too soon. In the dialog between a truly excellent Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Johnson the film goes from one level to another entirely. For this reviewer, the Gaytons have written in that exchange one of the most iconic scenes on film in recent memory. And if this sounds like raving, then it is because it deserves it: brilliant writing and stone-hard action combine to give the audience an experience to remember.

This is a film that needed a star to really work, and in Dwayne Johnson it has found one. He creates a character that is the closest I've seen to the uncompromising spirit of Clint Eastwood in Unforgiven and Dirty Harry in quite a while. Here, there is genuine steel in the eye. This is tough without the token quips and ironic smiles. This is tough, mean tough, gutsy, down to business, get the job done, film-making for men, tough.

Without a doubt a man's film - and one of the best in recent memory - and while Johnson's clowning may have been a strength in some previous films the uncompromising hardness he shows here has the potential to make him a real A-lister.

Go be surprised as we were.

(Synopsis) After serving 10 years in prison for bank robbery, Driver (Dwayne Johnson) has only one mission in life, to avenge the murder of his older brother who was killed when they were double-crossed after the heist. Now a free man with the names and addresses in hand, there is nothing on earth that can stop him from killing all of them. However, two people are in the hunt to stop him, veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton) only days from retiring, and a young hit man (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), both on Driver's trail. The race is on, and there can be only one winner.

(My Comment) The story is simple and straight to the point, Driver wants revenge. Driver gets out of prison after 10 years, and he starts hunting down the criminals who were responsible for killing his brother. However, things get complicated when a hit man comes after him. Not only does he have to avoid the cops, but now he is also a target. Physically, the Rock is imposing in this film, but he only speaks about 2 dozen words in the whole movie. The Rock does not have much dialog, but his tough mannerisms and cold blooded killer facial expressions are enough. Billy Bob Thornton's performance as the sleazy cop is excellent. If you want to see an action packed revenge flick, this is a good one to see. (CBS Films, Run Time 1:35, Rated R)(8/10)