Racing into cinemas as the summer season's last big blockbuster is a franchise spin-off: Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw centres around Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw, both of whom were introduced in the series as it was transitioning from smaller-scale street-racing to balls-to-the-wall blockbuster filmmaking that continually pushes the envelope in terms of ridiculous action set pieces. Is the Hobbs and Shaw spin-off a detour worth taking? Or have we finally run out of road for this franchise?
When Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby) is framed as a traitor of MI6 after injecting herself with a deadly virus in order to prevent it reaching a terrorist organisation led by Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), Deckard Shaw (Statham) and Luke Hobbs (Johnson) are assigned to track her down. Needing to put their simmering hatred to one side to save the world, Hobbs and Shaw become partners on their biggest mission yet. Directed by Atomic Blonde director David Leitch, Hobbs & Shaw is exactly the film you expect it to be, with a big budget to burn through and plenty of cars to crash.
Fast and furious in name and stunts alone, Hobbs & Shaw could operate entirely separate to the franchise that birthed it with very few changes required; it exists, purely and simply, as an excuse for two of the biggest, most beloved action stars to go bloody fist to bloody fist. While Shaw's murderous backstory gives the characters' pairing a major obstacle that isn't too convincingly overcome, it neither weights the film down too much - possibly because it barely wastes a second of its 135-minute revving into the action set pieces. If you've come for plot, you've been misdirected and poorly advised: this is a vehicle for stunts, explosions and, to paraphrase Mr. Johnson, a whole lot of ass-whooping.
While its tale may be derivative and very familiar to anyone who has ever watched an action film before, director David Leitch asserts his own filmmaking style competently throughout. It's no John Wick - which Leitch co-directed - but the sleekly-executed and well-choreographed sequences are thrilling to watch and packed with energy and entertainment value. A London-set chase sequence is a highlight and the Samoa finale has its moments (including a slow-motion rainy showdown), even if it occurs after a little lull in the adrenaline levels that robs it of some power.
It is rather well-paced film on the whole, and only begins to show it extensive runtime during that final stretch. Bringing the film closer to the two-hour mark would have done it the world of good, but the main chunk of the film is driven forward at a fairly impressive rate. With more than a handful of mid-credit scenes varying in their effectiveness, the film can seem needlessly padded because of an inability to restraint itself, mainly reflected in the prolonged "cameos" - but it's so relentlessly entertaining that we can forgive those detours and diversions.
Otherwise, Hobbs & Shaw knows exactly what it is - and why the audience is there. Most of the work put into the screenplay (from Chris Morgan and Hotel Artemis helmer Drew Pearce) is centred around the zingers - and boy, oh boy are their plenty. Squabbling to their heart's content, the film lands on some terrific one-liners that are delivered more than capably by the leads. Statham and Johnson bounce off each other effortlessly, cultivating a chemistry and dynamic the film's entire success rests on. Because of their individual reputations, there was never any doubt that these two were a safe pair of hands to lead this franchise-in-a-franchise and their instant rapport affirms that -- it's not worth thinking about what this film would be without them.
However, although she isn't the Shaw namechecked in the title, the real star of the show is Vanessa Kirby's Hattie, who gives the film a little bit of heart in the process. She's effortlessly charming, thick Cockney accent and all, and feels like the tonic this franchise offshoot requires. Her hard-as-nails swagger is undoubtedly in check, as evidenced in her various action beats (including one featuring a lovely jacket) - but there's a slight vulnerability that provides her journey with a little more substance. Again, it's hardly her most superlative work but Kirby brings heart to Hattie and it does them both the world of good. Idris Elba is a fantastic presence too, intimidating as the terror-minded Brixton Lore.
When Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby) is framed as a traitor of MI6 after injecting herself with a deadly virus in order to prevent it reaching a terrorist organisation led by Brixton Lore (Idris Elba), Deckard Shaw (Statham) and Luke Hobbs (Johnson) are assigned to track her down. Needing to put their simmering hatred to one side to save the world, Hobbs and Shaw become partners on their biggest mission yet. Directed by Atomic Blonde director David Leitch, Hobbs & Shaw is exactly the film you expect it to be, with a big budget to burn through and plenty of cars to crash.
Fast and furious in name and stunts alone, Hobbs & Shaw could operate entirely separate to the franchise that birthed it with very few changes required; it exists, purely and simply, as an excuse for two of the biggest, most beloved action stars to go bloody fist to bloody fist. While Shaw's murderous backstory gives the characters' pairing a major obstacle that isn't too convincingly overcome, it neither weights the film down too much - possibly because it barely wastes a second of its 135-minute revving into the action set pieces. If you've come for plot, you've been misdirected and poorly advised: this is a vehicle for stunts, explosions and, to paraphrase Mr. Johnson, a whole lot of ass-whooping.
While its tale may be derivative and very familiar to anyone who has ever watched an action film before, director David Leitch asserts his own filmmaking style competently throughout. It's no John Wick - which Leitch co-directed - but the sleekly-executed and well-choreographed sequences are thrilling to watch and packed with energy and entertainment value. A London-set chase sequence is a highlight and the Samoa finale has its moments (including a slow-motion rainy showdown), even if it occurs after a little lull in the adrenaline levels that robs it of some power.
It is rather well-paced film on the whole, and only begins to show it extensive runtime during that final stretch. Bringing the film closer to the two-hour mark would have done it the world of good, but the main chunk of the film is driven forward at a fairly impressive rate. With more than a handful of mid-credit scenes varying in their effectiveness, the film can seem needlessly padded because of an inability to restraint itself, mainly reflected in the prolonged "cameos" - but it's so relentlessly entertaining that we can forgive those detours and diversions.
Otherwise, Hobbs & Shaw knows exactly what it is - and why the audience is there. Most of the work put into the screenplay (from Chris Morgan and Hotel Artemis helmer Drew Pearce) is centred around the zingers - and boy, oh boy are their plenty. Squabbling to their heart's content, the film lands on some terrific one-liners that are delivered more than capably by the leads. Statham and Johnson bounce off each other effortlessly, cultivating a chemistry and dynamic the film's entire success rests on. Because of their individual reputations, there was never any doubt that these two were a safe pair of hands to lead this franchise-in-a-franchise and their instant rapport affirms that -- it's not worth thinking about what this film would be without them.
However, although she isn't the Shaw namechecked in the title, the real star of the show is Vanessa Kirby's Hattie, who gives the film a little bit of heart in the process. She's effortlessly charming, thick Cockney accent and all, and feels like the tonic this franchise offshoot requires. Her hard-as-nails swagger is undoubtedly in check, as evidenced in her various action beats (including one featuring a lovely jacket) - but there's a slight vulnerability that provides her journey with a little more substance. Again, it's hardly her most superlative work but Kirby brings heart to Hattie and it does them both the world of good. Idris Elba is a fantastic presence too, intimidating as the terror-minded Brixton Lore.
Hobbs & Shaw is exactly the movie you expected, and the film knows what it is too -- big, dumb and fun. Nobody's coming to this for plot and if they do, they'll be disappointed: it's derivative and far from creative but doesn't try to convince you otherwise. Leitch brings the style, the writers supply the zingers, and the cast delivers them energetically; everybody knows the film they're in and want to make it as fun as possible. Vin and family will be back in the driving seat next though, when Fast and Furious 9 speeds into cinemas in 2020 - over to you, Diesel: can you hold a chain of cars and a helicopter together with your brute strength?
7/10
Summary: The engine is revved up, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and scene-stealer Vanessa Kirby are ready to go bloody fist to bloody fist and as long as you've not come for the plot, you'll find plenty to enjoy in Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
7/10
Summary: The engine is revved up, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham and scene-stealer Vanessa Kirby are ready to go bloody fist to bloody fist and as long as you've not come for the plot, you'll find plenty to enjoy in Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.