Heist Week: Five Fantastic Things About Fast Five

Fast Five

I have proclaimed my unabashed love for The Fast and the Furious series before and I will do it again anytime someone asks me what my cinematic guilty pleasure is. Now I will admit that the fourth instalment, Fast and Furious, had me thinking that the series had run its course. Fortunately, director Justin Lin has proven once again that you can still make lemonade from used lemons. The latest edition in the franchise, is an outlandish action film that takes more than a few cues from Ocean’s Eleven series and I loved every minute of it! Here are five reasons why I love Fast Five:

1. The train heist scene wonderfully sets the tone for the gleeful absurdity that is Fast Five. It is hard enough believing that Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) could survive a truck crashing into a moving train, let alone the fact that he hangs on to said truck as it catches on fire. The minute Brian and Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) drive the car off the cliff, my brain officially closed up shop for the day and I was able to thoroughly enjoy the over-the-top goodness.

2. Bringing back old favourites means less onscreen time for Mia (Jordana Brewster). Look, I am sure Jordana Brewster is a great person in real life, but her character Mia is just not that interesting. Fortunately with the likes of Sung Kang, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson and Eva Mendes making an appearance in the film, Brewster can just fade into the background.

3. Setting the film in Rio de Janeiro really helped to breathe new life into the series. The perceived lawlessness of the land, not to mention the overall corruption in the police force, gives everyone from the villain Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) to Toretto a false sense of confidence. Where else in the world could Toretto and his team, the most wanted individuals in the entire world, openly defy Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and his team of commando by hanging out in plain sight at a street race.

4. Speaking of Hobbs, Dwayne Johnson was a much needed addition. One of the main problems with the franchise has always been the lack of a proper villain. Every villain has been rather forgettable. While Hobbs is not a villain per say, he does provide Toretto with an adversary who match him in both the brains and the brawn category.

5. The laws of physics be damned I say! The final action sequence, which features Toretto and O’Connor, dragging a giant safe through the centre of Rio de Janeiro is both ridiculous and exhilarating at the same time. The logical part of my brain states that there is no way that the sequence can occur without a single civilian getting hurt. However, the fun side of my brain loved every minute of it. There is something thoroughly satisfying about watching the carnage that ensues as the safe flings across the street like a tetherball.

Hollywood actress Eva Mendes|Hollywood celebrity Eva Mendes

Lieutenant’s Bad Habits Good for Caged Prisoner

The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

In my brief time on this earth, I have seen 43 films starring, featuring, or directed by Nicolas Cage. I am not bragging, in fact, I am ashamed to admit this. The majority of those 43 films have been infuriatingly bad, yet I always find myself going back for one more round of Cage. If this was a marriage, it would surely be an abusive one. After 43 films, and thanks in part to The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, I think I have finally figured him out.

Nicolas Cage, similar to Hollywood stars such as Halle Berry, needs an outstanding director to work with, one who knows how to navigate his rocky terrain in order to find gold. Left in the hands of anyone else, the results can be disastrous beyond belief. When I look back at all of Nicolas Cage’s finest performances, the thing which standouts most about those films is who was behind the lens. If you can overlook Michael Bay’s inclusion on the list, ten of Cage’s top eleven works were directed by the likes of: John Dahl, The Coen Brothers, David Lynch, Mike Figgis, Norman Jewison, Martin Scorsese, Spike Jonze, Ridley Scott, John Woo and Werner Herzog.

Although Werner Herzog has been working for years, I was first introduced to his films through Grizzly Man. I was not too fond of the film, but I absolutely loved Herzog’s film Encounters at the End of the World which he made a few years later. In many ways, the sly, and at times absurd, wit that Herzog displays in Encounters is good preparation for the craziness that he throws at the audience in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans

Loosely based on the 1992 film, Bad Lieutenant, directed by Abel Ferrara and staring Harvey Keitel, Port of Call New Orleans looks at the year in the life of corrupt detective, Terrence McDounaugh (Nicolas Cage). Pill-popping Terrence is trying to solve a homicide case, but keeps getting distracted by his many vices. When he is not hanging out with his prostitute girlfriend, Frank (Eva Mendes), he spends his days stealing drugs from club goers and avoiding his bookie persistent whom he owes a lot of money. As Terrence spirals out of control, the line between good and evil become increasingly blurred. Soon Terrence finds himself partnering up with drug kingpin Baby Fate (Xzibit), who happens to be the lead suspect in the murder case McDounaugh is investigating.

Although similar in theme to the original Bad Lieutenant, Werner Herzog’s version is different in practically every way. I found that Herzog’s version was much lighter in tone, almost boarding on farce in several occasions. The off-kilter humour, coupled with Nicolas Cage’s wildly creative performance, makes for an oddly entertaining film. Herzog really does a great job of not only bring you into Terrence’s drug hazed world, but making it all seem natural.

While not quite as strong as Bad Lieutenant, Port of Call has its own unique charm that allows it to co-exist nicely with the 1992 film. The film tends to lag in a few parts, but really, it is not that noticeable. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans is one wild ride that was far more entertaining than it really should be.