Super Frat

Finally! The Rock gets a movie that makes sense for him. Enough of this Tooth Fairy, Escape from Witch Mountain bullshit. (Did Disney execs like their kids cast their friggin’ movies?) The Rock is much more believable as a hardened criminal looking to get revenge for his dead brother.

Initially, the movie seems to be a pretty standard and well-paced revenge flick. The filmmakers try to expand it a little by adding Billy Bob Thorton as a drug-addicted cop and Oliver Jackson-Cohen as a Mark Zuckerberg-type millionaire turned hired killer out of boredom.

From there, it gets a little too comic booky, but the Gayton brothers who wrote the screenplay, wisely pull back on the stick and keep the movie (mostly) in reality. The third act is probably the weakest, as there is a moment that is foreshadowed a bit too directly. Kind of makes for an ending you see coming a mile away. However, there’s a moment in the movie which I love where Oliver is taking about how the Rock is just so “pure” in his instinct to kill and that somehow gives him an edge.

The Rock has a surprising range in this movie, mostly because (again) it’s a part that makes sense for him to play. There’s a really good scene where he confronts his mother and family baggage just comes pouring out. Billy Bob gives a subdued performance, which I like. He’s been so over the top with some of his roles of late. This character seems more a challenge for him to play.

As long as you’re not expecting too much at the end, I think you’ll really enjoy Faster for what it is. A pretty decent revenge flick that doesn’t leave the confines of that, but does stretch the boundaries of that kind of movie just a little. Really nicely paced. Worth seeing and a definite rental. I give it 7 keggers out of 10.