movies movies 20 | EXPRESS | 04.14.2017 | WEEKEND
Still fast, still furious The franchise’s eighth film has all the action, but it’s starting to run out of gas FILM REVIEW “The Fate of the Furious” doesn’t need your stinkin’ laws. Speed limits? Optional. Ditto, gravity. Only one unwritten commandment of action moviemaking — thou shalt not exceed two hours — goes unheeded. As usual with this unstoppable franchise, it all works somehow. It’s been 16 years since car-obsessed thief/mechanic Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) first revved an engine on-screen, and a lot has changed since then. Dom is finished with his criminal ways. But soon enough, Dom is being recruited by the evil computer
hacker Cipher (Charlize Theron). In a sign that the “Furious” franchise is taking tips from Marvel, the sadistic supervillain seeks world domination. Although Dom has perfectly noble reasons for joining forces with her, the character’s inner turmoil means that Diesel gets to flex his acting muscles for a change. That’s not always a good thing. In one scene, he cries pearlsize tears, inspiring less compassion than curiosity: Could there be a correlation between the size of his tear ducts and his biceps? But back to the action: Cipher must be stopped, and there’s only
‘The Fate of the Furious’ (PG-13, 136 min.) DIRECTOR: F. Gary Gray
STARS: Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson IN A NUTSHELL: The eighth film in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise has Vin Diesel’s Dom coerced into teaming with an evil tech hacker.
one group to do it. Enigmatic special agent Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) recruits Dom’s old crew, including Dom’s longtime love Letty (Michelle Rodriguez); former federal agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson); hilariously histrionic Roman (Tyrese Gibson); computer nerds Tej and Ramsey (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and
Nathalie Emmanuel); and a few new allies: onetime villain Deckard (Jason Statham) and Mr. Nobody’s rube of an underling (Scott Eastwood), who’s an easy target for the team’s jokes. Of course, nobody comes to the “Furious” franchise looking for jokes. It’s all about action, which doesn’t disappoint. As usual, the chases are gorgeously choreographed and utterly nonsensical. On top of the clunky dialogue and absurd plot twists, such moments suggest that the franchise — which already has two more installments planned — peaked three movies ago. Even so, “Fate” gives fans exactly what they want, provided they can ditch logic as easily as the movie does. STEPHANIE MERRY (THE WASHINGTON POST)
CASTING
Expect another big Bale transformation
Christian Bale confirmed that he will play Dick Cheney in a biopic of the former vice president from “The Big Short” writer-director Adam McKay. ”In the same way as it was a journey of discovery with ‘The Big Short,’ Adam was able to take a story that most people would go comatose listening to,” Bale told The Associated Press. Steve Carell will co-star as former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Amy Adams will play Cheney’s wife, Lynne. (AP) “Don’t Breathe” director Fede Alvarez to helm sequel to “Labyrinth,” 1986 film starring David Bowie
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ALSO OPENING
‘Tommy’s Honour’ PG, 117 min.
This biopic tells the story of 19th-century Scottish golfer Tom Morris Jr. — Tommy, or Young Tom, as he was known, to distinguish him from his father, Old Tom Morris. The film charts Tommy’s ascendancy in the sport, and the gradual decline of his father’s influence. It’s a mildly stirring and quietly tragic tale — but at best it invites a smattering of polite applause, not an upturned barrel of Gatorade. MICHAEL O’SULLIVAN (TWP)
‘Graduation’ R, 128 min.
“Graduation” offers a close study of post-Soviet Romanian life while observing the relationship between a father and daughter. What emerges is a portrait of idealism tempered by cynical experience in this post-communist country, where an entire invisible economy has blossomed on the strength of favors, obligations and status. ANN HORNADAY (TWP)
VH1 renews “RuPaul’s Drag Race” for Season 10, premiering March 2018