This 'Fast' crew starts their engines once again

The franchise that has a knack for glorifying the ecstasy of street racing returns for a gas-guzzling fifth installment. Just like its predecessors, it ignores all the rules of the road that we wish we could. The Fast and the Furious movies display racing on a grand scale, and place us in the passenger's seat of these speed demons. Fast Five, directed by Justin Lin, is put into drive with its 100-mile-per-hour action and the adrenaline rush that is the sustenance for the characters.

The film begins right where the fourth entry ended, with Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) on his way to prison. When his friends, including former FBI agent Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and Dom's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), break him out, they head to the exotic Rio de Janeiro to hide from the authorities. Before Dom and his team leave the city for good to begin a new life, they decide to plan one last job: taking down a malicious businessman, Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida), and stealing his money from a heavily-guarded bank vault. At the same time, Dom and his friends are being tracked by a squad of U.S. DSS agents, led by Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson).

The cast is an enjoyable reunion of the diverse group of car aficionados from every other installment, including Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and Tyrese Gibson from 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Sung Kang from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, with each person having a special talent for a successful heist. After the original, Walker and Diesel weren't together in any of the other films until the fourth entry, Fast and Furious. This above-the-rules duo of tough guys is a major part of the appeal to these movies, and that's why the first, fourth and fifth street racing escapades are superior to the second and third films. Dwayne Johnson's role as the hardnosed DSS agent is one that fits him like a glove. He finds an equally unyielding persona in Dom, and the two fight each other like rock-'em-sock-'em robots. There are some brief times of serviceable drama among the characters; but given that we've been through five movies with them, there should be some more of those moments.

Fast Five doesn't have as much racing as the previous four movies; but that provides it with a chance to focus on its heist story, which gives the movie a feel of Ocean's 11 with tricked-out cars. Although the street racing in these movies have become routine with a been-there-done-that vibe, the climactic car chase through the streets of Rio de Janeiro will satisfy the appetite of any action-movie fan who has a taste for destruction in their summer movie entertainment. There is a post-credits scene with a plot twist that sets up the franchise for a sixth movie. Although this might be a little much to ask from a Fast and Furious movie, but let's hope that the next film has more of a new car smell.

Final grade: B