Furious 7 travels familiar roads

Fans flock to the Fast and the Furious franchise to see over-the-top driving sequences. Furious 7 (rated PG-13 for prolonged, frenetic sequences of violence, action, and mayhem, suggestive content, and brief strong language) does not disappoint in that department. Cars (and cameras—bring your Dramamine) tumble down mountainsides and plummet from a plane. A $3.4 million Lykan Hypersport launches from one skyscraper through a second and into a third. That particular stunt was CGI, but it’s been reported that only 10 percent of the film’s action sequences were computer generated. Some 230 cars reportedly were damaged during filming. And true to franchise form, multiple scenes include scantily clad women emerging from water or writhing to music—in slow motion, of course. Puerile pit stops, presumably, from the high-speed pandemonium.

Although close-ups of clutch pedals outnumber compound sentences, the film has just enough story to necessitate the cast memorizing a few lines. (“Did you bring the cavalry?” “Woman, I am the cavalry.”) Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), a former British special forces assassin gone bad, seeks revenge on Dom (Vin Diesel), Brian (the late Paul Walker), Hobbs (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson), and the rest of the crew for putting his younger brother in the hospital at the end of Fast and Furious 6. Shadowy government agent Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) shows up asking for help retrieving a piece of software called “God’s Eye” that can tap into any digital device, promising Dom’s crew can use it to catch the illusive Shaw. The search stretches from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi and back.

The first Fast and the Furious came out in 2001, almost overnight spawning a generation of souped-up, 4-cylinder hatchbacks. Few film franchises have survived to the seventh installment, much less gained in popularity with each release. The first six films grossed more than $2.3 billion worldwide. And with the introduction of Shaw, fans can expect the franchise to take several more laps.

In the minutes before the credits roll, through several flashbacks to the previous movies, Furious 7 says goodbye to Brian. Paul Walker died in a fiery car crash in November 2013 at the age of 40, before Furious 7 filming was completed. It was reported widely after he died that years earlier he left Mormonism and became a Christian. Perhaps the producers will be inspired to take Furious 8 on a joyride down the narrow road.