Regardless of what you may think about the rest of Furious 7, the final ten minutes will make you cry. They made me cry and, before I saw Furious 7, I wasnÔÇÖt even really a fan of the franchise. ItÔÇÖs not a spoiler to tell you that Furious 7 ends with a tribute to both the character Brian OÔÇÖConnor and the actor who played him, Paul Walker. While Dominic Toretto (played, of course, by Vin Diesel) says goodbye to Brian, we see a montage of clips of Brian throughout the previous Fast and Furious Films and itÔÇÖs so poignant to see how Paul Walker transformed over the course of the series, going from being a somewhat bland teen heart throb to becoming a genuinely charismatic leading man. Watching the montage, you can see that Paul Walker was still growing as an actor and youÔÇÖre reminded of just what a shock it was when we first heard the news of his death in 2013.
And, of course, weÔÇÖre very aware that, as Dominic is saying goodbye to Brian and weÔÇÖre saying goodbye to the actor who played him, Vin Diesel is saying goodbye to his friend. That Diesel and Walker were friends on-screen and off is no secret. In fact, that friendship has always been one of the big appeals of the Fast and Furious franchise. The films are about a group of people (mostly men) who care about each other and who arenÔÇÖt ashamed to admit it. When Dominic delivers the filmÔÇÖs final monologue, itÔÇÖs really all about Vin saying goodbye to Paul. By the time the words ÔÇ£For PaulÔÇØ appeared on the screen, there was not a dry eye in the theater.
The death of Paul Walker adds an undeniable poignancy to Furious 7 and itÔÇÖs sometimes hard to separate the real-life tragedy from what weÔÇÖre watching on screen. But hereÔÇÖs the thing ÔÇö Furious 7 works as both a heartfelt tribute to Paul Walker and as a wonderfully over-the-top and fun action movie. Furious 7 is a burst of pure adrenaline and style that epitomizes everything that you could possibly want out of an action movie.
Jason Statham plays Deckard Shaw, a former government assassin who has a personal vendetta against Dom, Brian, and practically everyone else who has ever been a Fast and Furious movie. Statham isnÔÇÖt in a lot of scenes but whenever he shows up, he kicks ass and watching Furious 7 was probably the first time that IÔÇÖve ever truly understood StathamÔÇÖs appeal. How impressive is Jason Statham in this film? He puts Dwayne Johnson in the hospital, thatÔÇÖs how impressive he is. And whatÔÇÖs amazing is that after watching their fight scene, you totally believe that Jason Statham could put Dwayne Johnson in the hospital.
Another government agent, Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell, having a great time), offers to help Dom take out Deckard but first, Dom and his crew have to do a favor for Mr. Nobody. They have to rescue a hacker (Nathalie Emmanuel) from an African warlord (Djimon Honsou) who is obviously based on Joseph Kony. That hacker knows about the location of a device that will allow the government to track down Deckard but the device has already been sold to a billionaire who lives in Abu Dhabi.
Ultimately, the exact specifics and logic of it all doesnÔÇÖt matter. What does matter is that Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Chris Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, and Dwayne Johnson are all back and theyÔÇÖre all a lot of fun to watch. What matters is that the cars look good and the stunt work is just as amazing as you were hoping. What matters is that the film features things that you never thought youÔÇÖd see ÔÇö like cars parachuting down to a mountain road and jumping from skyscraper to skyscraper.
This is an exciting film. ItÔÇÖs a fun film. ItÔÇÖs an entertaining film. ItÔÇÖs a stylish film. And, ultimately, itÔÇÖs a film that will make you cry.
What more can you ask for?