Need for Speed

By no means is Need For Speed anything that would be mistaken for high art, but if you go into it with the right expectations it can be a lot of fun. If you go in expecting a lot of high octane, crazy stunts pulled off by equally insane characters and a plot that is designed to hang said stunts on, it's a blast. If you're expecting anything deeper than that, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. The film is an adaptation of the EA games series and is for the most part a successful transition, pulled off with mainly practical effects, a refreshing change from the CGI overkill we are usually exposed to. 

The film centers on Tobey Marshall (played by Aaron Paul), who is released from a two year prison sentence seeking revenge on wealthy ex-partner Dino Brewster (played by Dominic Cooper) who is responsible for the death of their mutual friend, Pete (played by Harrison Gilbertson) and set up Tobey for the crime by fleeing the scene. After he gets out, Tobey gets his crew together to head across country to a major street race he knows Dino will be at. His crew includes Finn (played by Rami Malek) and Joe (played by Ramon Rodriguez) tailing him in truck outfitted with all kinds of tools as well as the ability to fuel cars while they're still driving (which is demonstrated in a fairly hair-raising stunt piece) as well as Benny keeping an eye out from the sky in his Cessna plane. For his cross country journey, Tobey borrows a silver Mustang from a friend, but it comes with a hitch in Julia Maddon (played by Imogen Poots), who is to go along on the journey to ensure the car is returned once the adventure is over. 

The middle portion of the film, as the gang is going cross country, attracting attention of law enforcement and then trying to dodge them as well reminded me a lot of the 1978 car stunt classic Smokey and the Bandit, and the movie seems aware of this too, especially in the interplay between Paul and Poots in the Mustang. I love that movie and because of that, I probably enjoyed this more than some others might. Among the highlights in this section is a lengthy chase through downtown Detroit between Tobey and the Detroit PD and a scene in Monument Valley with the Mustang dangling from a large helicopter. Is this realistic? No, probably not. Is it spectacular? Yes, very much so. If you can appreciate such ridiculous stunts in a movie, you're going to have fun with this. If not, this may not be for you.

Of course, the film ends with the climactic race and showdown between Tobey and Dino. This really isn't a spoiler since we all knew it was going to end up like this. The film throws in a few little curve balls to make things more difficult for Tobey and company, between Law Enforcement and Dino's goons. But we know all too well where this film will wind up. The most surprising thing about it is while this film is similar to the Fast and the Furious films, it never feels like it's full on ripping them off. At least not to me. Yes, both films take place in the world of underground street racing, but that's where the similarities really both begin and end for me, aside from having some similar plot elements to the fourth film Fast and Furious, where an argument could be made, perhaps. But even the execution is way different between the two films. 

Overall, I would say Need For Speed is a fun time if you're looking for some fun over the top action. If you can go in expecting to see some cool car stunts populated with some colorful characters I think you'll get your money's worth. It's not deep, but it's fun and you know what, I don't see anything wrong with that.