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'Furious 7' brings the action and gives closure to Paul Walker's era.

Furious 7- movie poster

(Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures)


You have to appreciate the consistency of the “Furious” film series, and even respect its longevity. They've gone from race wars to heist movies in locales across the globe while keeping up the action.

The latest, “Furious 7,” is now out, and despite a few bits of hokey acting and a dumb plot, it somehow manages to keep things grounded amidst the action, serving as a fitting send off for the late Paul Walker.

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew find themselves hunted by Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), who’s out for revenge for his brother Owen (Luke Evans), who was crippled after the events of “6.” They find themselves employed by the government to track down a hacker (Nathalie Emmanuel) who has the means to find Shaw.

It’s a simple plot, handled with the usual fast pace and comedic tone that the series is known for. Callbacks and references of past films frame ways to close Han’s (Sung Kang) death and to flesh out Letty’s (Michelle Rodriguez) amnesia from “6.” Brian O’Connor (Walker) finds himself struggling to adapt to life as a parent while Mia (Jordanna Brewster) keeps news of another baby from him.

“He misses the bullets,” she says to Dominic in an early scene.

While that’s all well and good, my biggest gripe with the story is the “finding Shaw” bit, namely that he seemed to want to be found. He’s there at Han’s funeral, and even there when the crew is in the middle of a car chase to find the person that can help find him. It’s a train-sized plot hole.

Redeeming the story, however, is the consistent and unashamed action. There are enough knock-down drag-out fights, big explosions and physics-defying driving for any action junkie in “7,”even though you’ll most likely roll your eyes at a few sequences and wonder how he or she isn’t dead.

The scenes are surprisingly tense however, each one with enough variables for things to go wrong. Walker’s bus sequence comes to mind -- a leap off the falling vehicle to catch a car spoiler is a seat-edging moment, even if it’s nearly unbelievable. Then there’s the three-building car jump which speaks for itself.

The fight scenes are well structured and brutal, with one giving the criminally underused Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) some screen time against Shaw. Ultimate Fighting Championship star Rhonda Rousey also makes a cameo appearance in an excellent (and long) fight versus Letty.

Beyond the bombast and loud noises, the acting manages to keep things grounded. Walker gives us a believable performance as a dad who misses the action, but still does what he does best when things are heated.

Tej (Chris Bridges) and Roman’s (Tyrese Gibson) bromance continues from past iterations and as always, it was fun to watch the two personalities repeatedly bounce off one another for comedic effect. And as someone who’s known for (and still maintains) her tough-girl persona in the series, hearing Letty’s voice crack during her more emotional scenes was a well-done shift in her character.

Statham still does Statham, but it’s less “former bad guy out for redemption,” and more plain “bad guy,” as the calm and psychological Shaw.

Kurt Russel makes his first entry into the series as government agent “Mr. Nobody” (seriously) who backs Toretto’s team, and handles it with as much swagger and cheeky cockiness as possible. Tony Jaa makes his Hollywood debut as terrorist and mercenary Kiet.  While he doesn’t talk much, he handles his stunts and fights with his usual flair.

“Furious 7” maintains the brash, constant action of the previous iterations, but manages to keep it all from flying too far off the rails with some surprisingly great acting that gives a fitting end to Walker’s chapter. It thankfully doesn’t let itself get marred by the story and is definitely a treat for action fans all around.

Contact the reporter at damionjrohman@gmail.com, or on twitter @legendpenguin.

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