I feel like the Fast and Furious movies found their footing with Fast Five, and with Fast and Furious 6, they were able to use that newfound knowledge and make a movie that tied the universe together and sent the audience on a very fun ride. While most Fast and Furious rankings would put the fifth and seventh installments on the top, I’d make the argument that the sixth movie is the best one so far (the jury is still out on seven). Overall, I really, really enjoyed watching the ensemble shine in this wicked fun and action-packed movie.
I Loved All The Unexpected Duos In Fast And Furious 6
Arguably the best thing about Fast and Furious 6 is the ensemble cast. We got to see a bit of the crew's eclectic chemistry in Fast Five, but in this movie they actually capitalized on the talent of the supporting cast, and paired them up in unexpected ways, making for a super fun movie.
My first favorite unexpected duo was Han and Rome, who were supporting Giselle as they tried to find Shaw, and in the other, we had Hobbs and Tej trying to buy cars in London. Both duos were hilarious, chaotic and provided levity for the film, while also advancing the plot. I never thought I’d say Ludacris and The Rock have great chemistry, but they do, and their scene dealing with an uppity car dealer was easily one of my favorite moments in the movie. The same goes for the scene between Han and Rome; talk about a chaotic duo.
Overall, I’m just glad the writers finally decided to let these actors shine, and pair them in ways that were unexpected and hilarious.
Michelle Rodriguez Was The Best Part Of This Movie
Following the death of Letty, and the news that she was alive, which surprised Michelle Rodriguez and me, I was a bit concerned about how they’d work her back into the story. So, I was pleasantly surprised when they not only brought her back but gave her the most interesting storyline in Fast and Furious 6. Hands down, the best part of this movie was Rodriguez’s performance as she re-discovered that she was part of the family and slowly turned from a bad guy back into a good one.
It was also so refreshing to see a woman as one of the leads of the movie, and she was on an equal playing field with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. She got to be just as in the action as both of them, and she had the most interesting story out of everyone. Overall, I’m so happy they brought Letty back, and they proved to all of us once again that Michelle Rodriguez is a powerhouse.
They Finally Gave Ludacris The Screen Time He Deserves
Tej has been one of my favorite characters since he was introduced in 2 Fast 2 Furious, and ever since I’ve felt like they’ve never really given Ludacris his time to shine. However, as the last point stated, one of my favorite things about this movie is the unexpected duos and the amped-up screen time for all the beloved side characters, including Tej.
I’ve always thought that he was one of the most interesting characters in the franchise. He’s not the biggest fan of driving, all he wants is to open a garage and he’s the crew’s tech guy in five and six. Ludacris’ character is unlike any of the others, and it seems like the rapper/actor really, really enjoys playing him. I mean the spit-take at the end of six is enough to make him one of the best cast members of the movie, but he really shined through the entire action-packed adventure.
We Need To Talk About The Elephant – Or Tank, In This Case – In The Room
To quote Rome: “I’m sorry, did somebody just say a tank?” Oh yes, they did say tank, and that was not a CGI tank either, it was a real one. While this scene is wild to watch the first time, when you learn how they did it, it becomes even crazier. Dennis McCarthy, the car coordinator on the film, told New York Daily News that they had two tanks and mock-ups on set. He said they had ten Dodge Chargers on set that day, to play the two shown in the movie, and explained that many of the crashes we saw really happened. McCarthy said:
I can tell you all the actual crash and destruction of vehicles is real. That's very rare. And I think that's what keeps the Fast & Furious franchise above all the others, they keep it real. I think that it would disappoint a lot of fans if they didn't.
I agree; the times I’ve been able to notice the CGI in these movies I’m always a bit disappointed. However, in Fast and Furious 6 that was not the case, I was impressed the whole time, especially when it comes to this crazy tank scene.
I Appreciated How They Tied In The Events From Past Films
The writers for movies two through five must have been in a silly-goofy mood when they told their stories, and because of it Fast and Furious 6 had to do a lot of course correcting when it came to the Fast and Furious timeline and various plot lines, and I greatly appreciated it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still extremely convoluted, but they were trying to fix things in this movie, and that’s what really matters. It’s the thought that counts.
There were two major points where I noticed, and liked, how they tied six in with past events. The first came when they brought Braga back, tying the events of Fast and Furious and Letty’s death directly to Fast and Furious 6, as well as the entire timeline. By making Brian face Braga in jail, we learned how the events of the fourth movie played into the greater Fast universe, and it made it clear that we were watching one (relatively) cohesive story.
The second connection came at the very end of the movie. Our boy Han is the biggest reason for the wacky timeline, and following the death of Gisele, he decides to head to Japan, implying that the events of Tokyo Drift are finally going to come into play.
So…Jason Statham Is The Reason Han Dies In Tokyo Drift?
I’ve been wondering how Jason Statham was going to make his entrance into the Fast franchise, and the way he was introduced was extremely unexpected. Early on in the movie, when Shaw (Luke Evans) was introduced, I figured he was related to Statham’s Shaw. I’m aware of the Hobbs and Shaw movie, and I’ve seen enough of the trailers to know that the older Shaw we were introduced to at the end of this movie will eventually become part of the family.
Due to this ever-so-slight knowledge of what comes next, the last thing I was expecting was Jason Statham’s involvement in Fast and Furious 6 to be related to Han's death. Since the end of Tokyo Drift, I’ve been wondering who was behind the mysterious death of this fan-favorite character, and I’m very curious to see how Shaw’s involvement in the “death” (I know he’s not really dead…I think) of Han impacts the events of Furious 7.
Other Thoughts
- Why was Rita Ora there?
- The movie should have been named Fast and Furi6.
- It’s a real bummer that they describe things as “fast” all the time, but never as “fast and furious.”
- Luke Evans’ character was scary and gross.
- Who gave Dom and Hobbs superhuman jumping abilities?
Overall, I feel like Fast and Furious 6 was the first movie where it really felt like everyone making the movie knew exactly what they were doing, and wanted to tell a story that allowed the franchise to be one big cohesive thing. So, with Fast X furiously approaching on the 2023 movie schedule, I’m fascinated to see how the franchise grows, and how this giant story continues to develop.
