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Faster does not try to be anything it's not. It is a fast paced action flick with plausible performances from all round.

I've always liked Thornton as he is very good at playing a drugged out low life. He is perfect for this role. Forget Thornton though, nothing fits better than the role "The Rock" played. A cold mean*** man with big muscles looking for revenge. That's exactly who the Rock is and I could easily say there was no better man for the job! Oliver Jackson-Cohen as the hit-man also played a decent role and I really liked the addition to his role of being "challenged." Maybe I'm not expressing myself very well, but what I think I'm trying to say is that Faster didn't feel corny in any scenes. Like most action films go waaaaaay overboard or some try to mix too much drama into it when it's supposed to be an action flick. I didn't feel any negative element like that linger around in Faster. It's solid action that's believable and although it does have some drama in it, it's woven in quite well, but in any case, the action overpowers any other element the movie may have to offer.

Throughout the movie I was actually gripped with tension and it also has a good twist at the end, though the smarter movie goer would probably pick it up early on.

I really can't say anything bad about this film besides the fact it's just an action movie, and that's not a negative because that's what it set out to be and that's what it is. No academy performances, no sensational script (but much better than other actions movies because like I said no corny scenes, all plausible), no dodgy romance scenes.

By the way, without giving too much of a spoiler, I also really enjoyed the fact how Faster developed a scenario where I expected at least one character's life to turned to ruins, but instead, an unexpected but easily believable resolution was found. Everyone got what they deserved, which is great, and I also got what I deserved: enjoyable action! By the way, this movie no where near deserves a 6.7 rating on IMDb. I know action titles aren't given too much credit, but Faster deserves to be at least 7, probably about 7.2.

Driver (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) has just completed a dime in the slammer and is looking for revenge against those who not only put him there, but also killed his brother. With a hit list in hand he driver through the desert of Nevada in search of his targets while also being pursued by a contract killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and a veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton).

The Rock isn't as strong an actor as he is built. Physically he's imposing, but much of the film leaves him short on spoken material. I'd call this a good call given that his most dramatic scenes aren't believable. Making up for his silence are the creatively named Cop and Killer who both explore relationships and contemplate the bookends of careers.

From a genre-free perspective Faster has the needed pieces to make for some compelling cinema. Unfortunate for the ticket buyer, a likely action connoisseur, Faster has very little action. Driver's checklist is a breeze; most of his prospective victims put up zero fight whatsoever. When the bad guys aren't even trying it's difficult for me to get excited. I've had tougher times finishing grocery lists.

Then there's the story involving Killer. Whatever stoic, forceful appeal Driver displays is contrasted by the arrogance of Killer. This is fine by most measures but Killer never lives up to the hype painted around him. It seems that the title comes from his exclamation that Driver is a faster draw with a pistol, but it would have been just as descriptive to call him inaccurate. This man of adventure is willing to concede that a getaway driver betters him with a gun; I'd rather not tell that to my concerned girlfriend if I were him. I never got the feeling of the game between the two and a highflying car stunt from the trailer, which was absent from the finished product, could hint at a more involving struggle between the characters.

Faster is directed by George Tillman Jr. with high energy. The general look of the film is a slightly more colorized, bleach bypass film look of many recent grungy movies. The editing is crisp and CGI use is limited to being tastefully unobtrusive. Jokes and gags are few in number but every once in a while one crops up to lighten the mood. Overall, very strong pacing with some well incorporated flashbacks and slow motion.

The lack of a classical showdown really hurts Faster, which otherwise measures up as one of the best action/revenge films of recent years. It's getting late in his career for Dwayne to be learning the ropes of what should be his bread and butter, but it's good to see him try.

(Synopsis) After serving 10 years in prison for bank robbery, Driver (Dwayne Johnson) has only one mission in life, to avenge the murder of his older brother who was killed when they were double-crossed after the heist. Now a free man with the names and addresses in hand, there is nothing on earth that can stop him from killing all of them. However, two people are in the hunt to stop him, veteran cop (Billy Bob Thornton) only days from retiring, and a young hit man (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), both on Driver's trail. The race is on, and there can be only one winner.

(My Comment) The story is simple and straight to the point, Driver wants revenge. Driver gets out of prison after 10 years, and he starts hunting down the criminals who were responsible for killing his brother. However, things get complicated when a hit man comes after him. Not only does he have to avoid the cops, but now he is also a target. Physically, the Rock is imposing in this film, but he only speaks about 2 dozen words in the whole movie. The Rock does not have much dialog, but his tough mannerisms and cold blooded killer facial expressions are enough. Billy Bob Thornton's performance as the sleazy cop is excellent. If you want to see an action packed revenge flick, this is a good one to see. (CBS Films, Run Time 1:35, Rated R)(8/10)

It's the Rock's performance that makes this movie watchable. Otherwise it's a standard revenge driven action move that doesn't add anything to the genre. Also, I usually have issue when movie characters are underdeveloped, but in this case the assassin and his girlfriend were way too overdeveloped and I just didn't need to know that much about his character - not only did it not add anything to the story, it actually detracted from it.

This is a great movie with a wonderful cast. Dwayne The Rock Johnson is awesome. He is determined to dispatch the people who did him wrong and ultimately sent him to prison. Some of them have mended their ways and become fairly decent people. Some not so much. It was sad to see some of the characters fall so far and give up. The one story line that distracted me the most was that the movie was supposed to take place in Clark County, Nevada. Clark County is where Las Vegas and Henderson lie. I lived there. The scenery was nothing like Nevada. And for me, that was just too distracting. Although I did watch the whole movie. It IS worth watching.