Fast Five

The wheels are still rolling on the durable, high-octane Fast & Furious franchise in this fifth installment, which begins at a breakneck pace with Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) and his pregnant girlfriend Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) springing her brother Dominic (Vin Diesel) from a 25-year jail sentence by forcing the prison transport van in which he's riding to careen off the highway. (For the uninitiated, undercover LAPD officer Brian and rebellious street racer/auto mechanic Dominic were mortal enemies in Los Angeles, but then Brian was disgraced and began dating Mia.) The trio flee to Rio de Janeiro, where Dom's friend Vince (Matt Schulze) has a job set up for them that involves stealing from reigning drug lord Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). With macho federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and his team in relentless pursuit, Brian, Dom, and Mia quickly make a mortal enemy of Reyes; so Dom calls in his most reliable helpers (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang, and Gal Gadot) for “one last job,” which is worth at least $100 million. Justin Lin helms this mindless but fun thrill ride, which boasts plenty of fast-paced, testosterone-propelled action. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include both the theatrical and extended cut versions of the film, audio commentary by director Justin Lin, the character featurettes “Brian O'Conner: From Fed to Con” on Paul Walker (6 min.), “Enter Federal Agent Hobbs” on Dwayne Johnson (6 min.), and “Dom's Journey” on Vin Diesel (5 min.), a gag reel (4 min.), deleted scenes (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a picture-in-picture “U-Control” viewing option with various interviews and featurettes, a “Second Screen” interactive viewing option, the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Inside the Vault Chase” (10 min.), “A New Set of Wheels” (10 min.), “On Set with Director Justin Lin (9 min.), “Dom vs. Hobbs” (8 min.), “The Big Train Heist” (8 min.), “Tyrese TV” (7 min.), and “Reuniting the Team” on the cast (5 min.), bonus DVD and digital copies of the film, and the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a fine extras package for the latest entry in this popular franchise.] (S. Granger)