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Thursday, April 25, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD FASTER
EDITOR'S PICK
Rating: **1/2
If "Faster" was a book, it would fare miserably.
The reason is a shoddy start. However, since it`s a film, where the audience is
likely to be locked in for two hours, and the fact that it gets better after the
initial hiccups, its fate is saved. Or maybe not.
The story is about a man known only as the `Driver` (Dwayne Johnson). He was
shot in the head and left for dead after his brother was killed before his eyes
by a double cross during a heist ten years ago. Sadly for the double crossers,
he not only survived the bullet, but also attempts on his life in prison.
Released, he is now seeking vengeance.
However, it will be easier said than done with an egocentric hitman (Oliver
Jackson-Cohen) and a determined cop (Billy Bob Thornton) hot on his trail.
"Faster" is a vengeance movie modelled on the lines of "Kill
Bill". Despite its best intentions and some sparks of brilliance with some
well conceived scenes and moments of contemplation, overall it fails to raise
the stakes.
The casting of Dwayne Johnson as the man with a vendetta is apt. As a
stone-hearted man with a plastic face, there isn`t much acting required from
him. Billy Bob Thornton as the drug addict cop who wants to do one last job and
Oliver Jackson-Cohen as the geek who becomes a hitman for pleasure, do a decent
job and give the film some of its best moments.
Despite some very good characterisation and handling of some key moments - like
when the `Driver` contemplates killing a repentant man - overall, the many jerks
in the screenplay mar what could otherwise have been a really good film.
Director George Tillman Jr., who made the commendable biopic of America`s first
black diver Carl Brashear in "Men of Honor", could have done with some
tighter writing and editing.
Yet, for fans of the ex-WWF star `The Rock` Dwayne Johnson, this one is a must
watch as it turns out to be his best outing as an actor. Of course, for others,
his best may not be good enough. It sure isn`t for the film.
After 10 years in prison, Driver (Dwayne Johnson) has a singular focus - to avenge the murder of his brother during the botched bank robbery that led to his imprisonment. Now a free man with a deadly to-do list in hand, he’s finally on his mission…but with two men on his trail – a veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton) just days from retirement, and a young egocentric hitman (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) with a flair for the art of killing and a newfound worthy opponent. The hunter is also the hunted. It’s a do or die race to the list’s finish as the mystery surrounding his brother’s murder deepens, and new details emerge along the way hinting that Driver’s list may be incomplete.
