Feb
09
Faster, a title with which one can wonder where this movie could go faster, make it to the pantheon of the film industry or crash down to the pit. I personally vote for the pit, but for anyone who likes watching a movie for the sake of having something to do, this movie can get four stars out of five rating, especially with the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson fans. Yes, in almost 10 years of acting work, Dwayne Johnson seems to be the man among the boys of the league of wrestlers-turned-actors when it comes to performance. Sorry Austin, Dwayne is better. But is it just me or is it that when Johnson offers an improved menu, his dishes get spoiled in lacklustre movies like The Game Plan or Race to Witch Mountain where he didn’t even fit? And I won’t even bother explaining Doom. So, is Faster an exception? I don’t think so. The title, the trailer, the posters, they all reek of tremendous action, sadly the movie doesn’t.
A lot can be said about this movie, most of them are a disaster. Faster is about three characters who share something in common, a search for new life. But mainly it revolves around Johnson who takes the character of the “Driver” who endured ten years behind bars because of a bungled bank robbery where his brother Gary died. Suspicions of a set up are around, and after finally getting out of prison, the Driver morphs into revenge itself in trying to track down those responsible for his brother’s death and killing them one by one. In the course of his justice search, he is tailed by an assassin called the “Killer” (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and a drug-drenched veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton). As the movie unfolds, things get entangled and muddled as the Driver’s swift vengeance comes to an unexpected pit stop.
So, three characters, three personal heavens and hells, one big mess, Faster failed to deliver a cohesion of these stories that it pummelled itself into a status of a half-cooked movie. To present three stories in an hour and 40 minutes time is something the director should give a lot of consideration, unfortunately, George Tillman Jr. (Director) failed in this. In the beginning, Driver gets on a killing spree after being released from the prison, and of course as a viewer, one would wonder why. Then, just before you can put that food in your mouth to go along with the watching, the reason is revealed. The reason for Driver’s agitation and actions is the fact that his brother died in the hands of an unknown group – a group which, I have to say, is weird in its composition considering it had two huge black men, a nerdy-looking middle-aged man, and an old man. It could have been better if the Driver’s motive was revealed at the near end of the movie.
Then there is the Killer, presented as a major character, but who in my honest opinion, didn’t have any real impact in the story of the movie – a character that the story could have gone through without. He is a hired assassin set to kill the Driver but at the same time is someone who is in search of his real life. It was a petty and useless attempt to add a subplot in this movie to portray the Killer as someone who wants to get married to his girlfriend. His story didn’t have any substance at all. He didn’t give any twist or catch in the story, so with that said, why bother giving out a glimpse of his life? The marriage thing is pointless because he still took the job of killing the Driver after that and fails in the end; it’s a complete waste of time. Maybe George Tillman wanted to portray someone who is bothered by his job of killing people and wants to move on with his life by getting into marriage, but I don’t think insisting to kill the Driver after getting married gives much justice to that. Yes, he finds new life but what good does it give the movie? So, gavel down, the Killer character was more of a filler role than a major one.
And third, the Cop. Billy Bob Thornton plays a veteran cop who has been reduced to a drug-induced addict. His offer in the film is his search for his own renaissance after having complications with his family due to his drug addiction. His character is a mix of the traditional good guy and the bad guy. He tries to get back to his family, pleading to his wife and all, promising to go to rehab and stuff, he gets a second chance from his wife, but then his story of renewal crashed down to nothing because he dies in the movie having been revealed as the main antagonist. So again, there goes another rather useless subplot. What’s it for? I understand George Tillman wanted to give a story to each major character so the viewers can have a slice of perspective for them, but they turned out to be stories for stories sake.
The lack of action in this movie, other than the shootout between the Driver and the Killer of course, made me think that its creators tried to deviate from the traditional car chases, gun fights and explosions by putting subplots and giving each main character a story and development – a movie run about by twists and catches. However, the movie didn’t have enough to sell itself, and that’s not in any way a good thing. The cast was great, the attempt to do away with customary action was good, the performance of the actors were convincing, but the plots and the ending were predictable, and I think George Tillman Jr. must be thinking of something to redeem himself.
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