Faster tries to play the campy action revenge card but in the end stays typical and sometimes boring. Dwayne Johnson returns to the adult action film ring but still plays the typical character though throughout. He does have some funny kills and ways of acting but outside that it's not much. Billy Bob Thornton is decent though his character's turmoil becomes predictable near the film's last turn. Just a typical, been there done that act. *1/2

Thought the best part of this pretty average movie were the scenes with the guy that he didn't kill.

And the other guy's son on the cell phone.

And the worst scene had to be the ex screaming very predictably, I hope you kill them all.

With just the right touch of incomprehensibility, the screenplay of Faster establishes an old school action movie vibe. I'm talkin' 60's/70's chit, man!

Dwayne Johnson douses his incredible charm for once, and crosses over to the darkness as "Driver" - - he's great here in Terminator mode - - but then he's always great (why, oh why has he not been crowned our new action king?!?).

The direction here by George Tillman Jr. is top notch - - I love the dispassion.

Two supporting actors were seriously hilarious: Oliver Jackson-Cohen as "Killer" and Maggie Grace as his fiancée "Lily". That whole subplot is a small masterpiece of inspired lunacy. Then of course, Billy Bob Thornton as "Cop" playing it slyly on the skids (his specialty!) turns in yet another superlative performance. And Carla Gugino plays her part (too small for her greatness, just right for the story) of "Cicero" with eminent grace.

Faster is yet another well made b-movie that doesn't pander to the homogenized megaplex crowd and therefore suffers at the box office. Modern audiences aren't able to "get" this kind of movie in first run, but then end up seeing it a couple of dozen times on DVD and TV in the next 20 years, and finally wake up and say, Aha!". The lean mean big screen genre treats of yore are fading from living memory, so it is essential that movies like Faster pick up that torch and carry the spirit of the 60's/70's action movie onward into the future.

The King is dead, long live the King!


19 out of 5.

Sorry but this movie doesn't compare to the great movies of the 60/70s, especially all the great Burt Reynolds or Clint Eastwood revenge type movies.

And there is no way I will watch this movie a dozen times over 20 years.
Don't think I will even watch it 2 times again over 20 years.

Get back to me in 2030.

Boring.

5/10 -> C-

It's serviceable as an action movie. Johnson didn't really manage to pull of this character. Some of his lines ended up looking very trashy and campy in an otherwise pretty straightforward revenge movie.

It's a lot better than you'd think, although the "hitman and his girlfriend" subplot feels totally extraneous.