While I always thought Dwayne Johnson (The Rock!) had potential as an actor, I thought his career choices have been pretty dismal since he left the world of wrestling. Whether throwaway crap like "The Scorpion King" or just plain embarrassing stuff like "The Tooth Fairy" (we get it Dwayne, you can laugh at yourself - how about getting down to business!), I just never felt compelled to see one of his movies. Until now.
I could tell from the trailer this one was going to be different.
Faster is a throwback to the merciless action flicks of the 1970s. Existential in tone. Ruthless in execution. It's kind of a cross between Death Wish and Vanishing Point. A pure, undiluted revenge drama that shows Dwayne Johnson really can walk the walk when he wants to. This isn't G-rated pabulum for the whole family. This is a leather glove across the chops, R-rated blast from the muzzle of a sawed-off shotgun. The plot isn't very complex, but the pacing is beautiful, as is the purity of this amazing movie.
Billy Bob Thornton does a great job too as The Cop, a lowlife drug addicted, slimy little lawman with 9 days to go before retirement and one last case to solve. And Oliver Jackson-Cohen is terrific as a yuppie hit-man with a personal score to settle.
If you like movies that are intent simply in kicking your ass for 90 minutes, you could do a lot worse than Faster. After all these years, I'm finally a Dwayne Johnson fan.
