Need for Speed is a 2014 action thriller film directed and co-edited by Scott Waugh and written by George and John Gatins, based on the video game series by Electronic Arts. The film stars Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Scott Mescudi, Ramón Rodríguez, Rami Malek, and Michael Keaton. It tells the story of street racer Tobey Marshall, who sets off to race cross-country as a way of avenging his friend's death at the hands of a rival racer, Dino Brewster.

Need for Speed was released by Touchstone Pictures on March 14, 2014, in 3D, IMAX 3D, and conventional theaters. The film received a negative critical reception and grossed $203 million worldwide.

• 5Reception
• 6Soundtrack

Plot[edit]

Tobey is a former race car driver who owns his late father's garage, Marshall Performance Motors, in Mount Kisco, New York where he and his friends tune performance cars. Struggling to make ends meet, he and his crew participate in street races after hours. After a race, Tobey's former rival Dino Brewster conscripts them into completing the build of a rare Ford Shelby Mustang worked on by the late Carroll Shelby, in exchange for 25% of the car's estimated selling price of $3 million. The completed Mustang is displayed for auction at a party in New York City. Tobey and Dino meet Julia, an English car broker whose client, Bill Ingram, wants to purchase the car if they can prove it will drive over 230 mph as Tobey claims. Despite Dino's objections, Tobey takes the Mustang to a local race track and successfully drives it at 234 mph, convincing Ingram to purchase it for $2.7 million.

Dino, enraged that Tobey disobeyed his order, challenges Tobey and his friend Pete to a race after Pete flatly tells Dino that everyone knows Tobey is a better driver than him. Dino offers to relinquish his entire share of the Mustang sale if Tobey wins, otherwise Tobey will have to forfeit his share. The three race on the interstate in three illegally imported Koenigsegg Agera R's. On the home stretch, Dino, realizing he will lose, intentionally bumps Pete's car, sending it down a ravine and killing Pete when it bursts into flames. Dino disappears from the scene, and Tobey serves two years in jail for involuntary manslaughter, unable to prove that Dino was there.

Upon his release on parole, Tobey sets out to avenge Pete's death. He borrows Ingram's Mustang to enter the De Leon, a winner-takes-all supercar race organized by the mysterious Monarch. As a condition, Ingram requires Julia to accompany Tobey while Tobey is driving the Mustang. The pair have to reach San Francisco before the race starts in 45 hours. In Detroit, they cause an interstate chase with the Michigan State Police and upload the footage, leading Monarch to offer the invitation for the De Leon. Dino offers his rare Lamborghini Sesto Elemento to anyone who can stop Tobey from entering the race, causing a group of truckers to go after the Mustang as well.

The truckers ambush Tobey and Julia in Utah, forcing them off the road. Maverick, a member of Tobey's crew, appears in a US Army helicopter stolen from the National Guard, and tows the Mustang mid-air to Tobey's crew at the Bonneville Salt Flats, getting himself arrested in the process. Tobey and Julia reach San Francisco's Mark Hopkins Hotel in time to register for the race, but on Nob Hill, a tow truck smashes into the Mustang, injuring Julia and leaving Tobey without a car for the race. Desperate, Tobey meets Dino's fiancé Anita, his ex-girlfriend and Pete's sister. Having discovered Dino's involvement in Pete's death, Anita gives Tobey the location of Dino's Koenigsegg, which Tobey and crew member Joe extract. Tobey meets Julia at a San Francisco hospital, and confesses his feelings for her with a kiss, letting her know that he has a 'fast' car, and that this is for Pete.

The next morning, Tobey surprises Dino by showing up in the Koenigsegg and giving him Anita's engagement ring, informing him that she is through with him. The race is gruelling, with racers and cops alike getting wrecked one by one, eventually leaving Dino and Tobey racing side-by-side along the Pacific Coast Highway. Dino attempts to ram Tobey off the road, but Tobey slams his brakes, causing Dino's car to crash. Near the finish line, Tobey turns around to pull Dino from the burning wreckage before winning the race (mirroring a vision Pete claimed he had before dying). Both are consequently arrested by the California Highway Patrol; the police prove the Koenigsegg belonged to Dino and use that evidence to incarcerate him for killing Pete. After serving 178 days in jail for illegal street racing, Tobey is released and Julia meets him at the prison gates in a 2015 Ford Mustang. The couple has five hours to reach a prison in Utah, where Maverick is getting released early for good behavior.

Cast[edit]

• Aaron Paul as Tobey Marshall: a blue-collar mechanic and skilled former race car driver from Mount Kisco, New York who is framed for a federal crime he didn't commit.
• Dominic Cooper as Dino Brewster: a former Indy racer and Tobey's fierce rival.
• Imogen Poots as Julia Bonet: a savvy exotic car broker, who becomes Tobey's love interest.
• Scott Mescudi as Benny Jackson: a member of Tobey's crew. He is a pilot, able to fly small airplanes and helicopters, and is often called 'Liar One' because fellow crew members don't believe he can fly a military helicopter, which he later proves. He owns a Cessna plane.
• Ramon Rodriguez as Joe Peck: a member of Tobey's crew. He is the crew's professional mechanic, and drives a modified 2011 Ford F-450 called 'The Beast'.
• Rami Malek as Finn: a member of Tobey's crew. He serves as the crew's computer expert, monitoring cameras to record races.
• Michael Keaton as Monarch: a reclusive and eccentric host of an 'underground'supercar race competition, De Leon. He operates from a lighthouse on a small farm where he lives.
• Dakota Johnson as Anita Coleman: Pete's older sister, Tobey's former girlfriend and Dino's fiancée.
• Harrison Gilbertson as Pete Coleman: Anita's younger brother and Tobey's protégé and friend.

Production[edit]

In July 2012, DreamWorks Studios was committed to a film based on the Need for Speed series of video games by Electronic Arts, initially with a release date of February 7, 2014, and later March 14, 2014.^[4] Brothers George and John Gatins had written a script that was being shopped to studios by April of that year.^[5]Taylor Kitsch was offered the lead role in July 2012,^[6] though the role eventually went to Aaron Paul that October.^[7] Paul had originally auditioned for the role of Dino Brewster, although director Scott Waugh and DreamWorks head Steven Spielberg decided against that and cast him as the lead.^[8] The same month, Imogen Poots was cast as the female lead.^[9] In January 2013, Dominic Cooper, Scott Mescudi, Ramón Rodríguez, Rami Malek and Harrison Gilbertson were cast in the film.^[10]Michael Keaton was cast in February 2013.^[11]

Principal photography began in Macon, Georgia, in mid-April 2013.^[12] Other filming locations include Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, on May 12, 2013,^[13] the 13th Street Bridge in Columbus, Georgia and Phenix City, Alabama, and Campus Martius in Detroit, Michigan, beginning on June 1, 2013.^[14][15] Other production locations include sections of California's Highway 1 north of Point Arena, California, the Point Arena Lighthouse, and Highway 253 between Boonville, California and Ukiah, California; and also Highway 128, between the town of Navarro and the Navarro Bridge linking Highway 128 North to Highway 1 South to Point Arena, California.^{[citation needed]}

For the film's chase sequences, the filmmakers decided against the use of computer-generated imagery, instead employing practical effects, which required the cast to receive extensive driving lessons.^[8][16] All of the exotic cars seen in the film (with the exception of the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren 722 roadster) were kit car replicas.

Release[edit]

On September 25, 2013, a trailer for the film was released on iTunes.^[17]Disney and DreamWorks announced the film's post-production conversion to 3D on February 5, 2014.^[18]Need for Speed held its world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre on March 7, 2014.^[19] The film was released by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through the Touchstone Pictures banner on March 14, 2014, in selected 3D, IMAX, and conventional 2D theaters.^{[citation needed]} It was also released worldwide by Disney, except for territories in Europe, Africa and Middle East, where the rights are sold by Mister Smith Entertainment to other industries. Reliance Entertainment had released the film in India, while Entertainment One Films released it in the United Kingdom.

Need for Speed was released by Touchstone Home Entertainment on Blu-ray Disc, DVD and 3D Blu-ray on August 5, 2014.^[20]

Reception[edit]

Box office[edit]

Need for Speed earned $43,577,636in North America and $159,700,000 in other countries, as of May 19, 2014, for a worldwide total of $203,277,636.^[3] In North America, it topped the box office with $6.7 million on its opening Friday, March 14, 2014.^[21] However, the film finished in third place over the three-day weekend (Friday-to-Sunday) with $17.8 million.^[22][23] Outside North America, the film debuted in first place with $45.6 million on the same weekend as its North America release.^[24] It remained in first place for a second weekend.^[25] Overall, the film's largest territory is China, where both the film's opening weekend ($21.1 million)^[26] and its total earnings ($66.2 million)^[27] are higher than in North America. Following these two territories in total earnings is Russia and the CIS with $13.8 million.^[28]

Critical response[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 22% based on 180 reviews and an average rating of 4.34/10. The site's critical consensus reads, 'With stock characters and a preposterous plot, this noisily diverting video game adaptation fulfills a Need for Speed and little else.'^[29] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 39 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating 'generally unfavorable reviews'.^[30] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of 'B+' on an A+ to F scale.^[31]

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, remarking that 'Paul has talent, though the actor's idea of simmering intensity in the context of Need for Speed comes off more like serial killer in the making. Cooper, by contrast, seems to be having some fun playing a dashing, dastardly, sexy beast.' Phillips added, 'At its occasional best, the thrills in the film recall the delirious fun of the Fast & Furious franchise.'^[32] Betsy Sharkey of Los Angeles Times felt similarly, writing 'In trying for the vicarious varoom of the street-racing video game that inspired it, and no doubt dreaming of Fast success, Speed clocks in at a long two-plus hours and falls painfully short.'^[33] Jason Torchinsky of the automotive blog Jalopnik decried the movie for insulting gearheads with its far-reaching suspension of disbelief on many plot points and tropes and stated the film was nothing more than a glorified car commercial for the 2015 Ford Mustang.^[34]

Danny Korecki of automotive outlet The Drive discussed the thought that the Need for Speed film could have been better had it been a TV series. ^[35]

A.O. Scott of The New York Times gave a more positive review, praising the film's car chase sequences, while declaring the overall film 'an energetic, unpretentious B movie'.^[36]

Soundtrack[edit]

The film's soundtrack, composed by Nathan Furst, was released by Varèse Sarabande on March 14, 2014. Interscope Records released a separate EP on April 8, 2014, which featured four songs; 'Fortunate Son' and 'Back in the Saddle' by Aloe Blacc, 'All Along the Watchtower' by Jamie N Commons, and 'Hero' by Kid Cudi and Skylar Grey. Linkin Park's song 'Roads Untraveled' from their 2012 album Living Things was also featured in the film.Score performed by a 77-piece The Angel City Studio Orchestra: 60-piece string orchestra conducted by Tim Davis and 17 musicians on brass section consists 8 French horns, 3 trumpets, 5 trombones and 1 tuba conducted by Suise Benchasil Seiter.

Track listing[edit]

Sequel[edit]

China Movie Channel, Jiaflix Enterprises and 1905 Pictures are teaming up with EA Games to develop a sequel with the film to be set and shot in China.^[37]

References[edit]

1. ^'Need for Speed (12A)'. British Board of Film Classification. February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
2. ^'Need for Speed (2014)'. British Film Institute. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
3. ^ ^abc'Need for Speed (2014)'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
4. ^'Disney Sets 'Need For Speed' Release For Feb. 7, 2014'. Deadline Hollywood. July 10, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
5. ^Graser, Marc; Jeff Snider (April 12, 2012). 'EA feeling the 'Need for Speed' movie'. Variety. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
6. ^MacKenzie, Carina Adly (July 19, 2012). 'Taylor Kitsch offered 'Need For Speed' lead role: Can he launch the racing film franchise?'. Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
7. ^''Breaking Bad' Star Aaron Paul Lands DreamWorks' 'Need for Speed''. The Hollywood Reporter. October 15, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
8. ^ ^abIto, Robert (March 5, 2014). 'Hitting High Velocity Without the Meth'. The New York Times. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
9. ^Siegel, Tatiana; Kit, Borys (October 31, 2012). 'Imogen Poots to Star in DreamWorks' 'Need for Speed''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
10. ^Fleming, Mike, Jr. (January 14, 2013). 'DreamWorks Revs 'Need For Speed'; Rap Producer Scott 'Kid Cudi' Mescudi Cast'. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
11. ^Kit, Borys (February 5, 2013). 'Michael Keaton Joins DreamWorks' 'Need for Speed' (Exclusive)'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
12. ^McAllister, Cameron (March 20, 2013). 'Scott Waugh's 'Need for Speed' to film in Macon'. Reel Georgia. Retrieved March 20, 2013.
13. ^'Filming Locations in NYC, L.A., Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit & more including How To Catch A Monster, Divergent, The Walking Dead, Paranoia, & Girls'. OnLocationVacations.com. May 12, 2013. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
14. ^Sorich, Sonya (May 29, 2013). ''Need for Speed' filming: Temporary closure of 13th Street Bridge likely to impact thousands'. Ledger-Enquirer. Retrieved September 3, 2013.
15. ^'Filming Locations in NYC, L.A., Atlanta, Detroit & more including The Newsroom, Spider-Man 2, Castle, & Anchorman 2'. OnLocationVacations.com. April 24, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
16. ^Verrier, Richard (March 15, 2014). ''Need for Speed' director Scott Waugh's need for reality'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
17. ^Ford, Rebecca (September 25, 2013). 'First 'Need for Speed' Trailer: Aaron Paul Is Out for Revenge'. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
18. ^''Need For Speed' Getting 3D Release'. Deadline Hollywood. February 5, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
19. ^Bacardi, Francesca (March 7, 2014). 'Aaron Paul's Car Overheats at 'Need for Speed' Premiere (VIDEO)'. Variety. Retrieved March 15, 2014.
20. ^'Need for Speed (Blu-ray + Digital HD)'. Amazon.com. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
21. ^'Need for Speed (2014) - Daily Box Office Results'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 3, 2014.
22. ^Khatchatourian, Maane (March 16, 2014). 'Box Office: 'Mr. Peabody and Sherman' Bites Into Top Spot, 'Need for Speed' in Third'. Variety. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
23. ^Mendelson, Scott (March 16, 2014). 'Weekend Box Office: 'Veronica Mars' Earns $2M, 'Mr. Peabody And Sherman' Tops'. Forbes. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
24. ^Subers, Ray (March 16, 2014). 'Weekend Report: 'Mr. Peabody' Races Past 'Need for Speed''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
25. ^Subers, Ray (March 23, 2014). 'Weekend Report: 'Divergent' Dominates, 'Muppets' Misses, 'God' Lives'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
26. ^'China Box Office, March 10–16, 2014'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
27. ^Coonan, Clifford (April 1, 2014). 'China Box Office: 'Need for Speed' Races to $60 Million'. The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 1, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
28. ^'Need for Speed (2014) - International Box Office Results'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
29. ^'Need For Speed (2014)'. Rotten Tomatoes.
30. ^'Need For Speed Reviews'. Metacritic.
31. ^'Cinemascore'. cinemascore.com.
32. ^Phillips, Michael (March 13, 2014). 'REVIEW: 'Need for Speed''. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
33. ^Sharkey, Betsy (March 13, 2014). 'Review: Next to 'Fast & Furious,' 'Need for Speed' stalls out'. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
34. ^Torchinsky, Jason (March 12, 2014). 'The Need For Speed Movie Proves Hollywood Thinks Gearheads Are Idiots'. Jalopnik. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
35. ^Korecki, Danny (September 24, 2017). 'Need For Speed Would Be Better As a TV Series Than a Movie'. The Drive. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
36. ^Scott, A.O. (March 13, 2014). 'Fast Cars, and Racing for Revenge'. The New York Times. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
37. ^Rainey, James (April 8, 2015). ''Need for Speed' Sequel in the Works With EA, Chinese Partners'. Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved October 31, 2016.

External links[edit]

• Need for Speed on IMDb
• Need for Speed at Rotten Tomatoes

The eight-movie, 16-year history of the “Fast and the Furious” franchise is nothing less than the story of Hollywood filmmaking in the 21st century. As a scrappy, overachieving summer blockbuster has exploded into a series of bi-annual box office behemoths, the continuing adventures of Dominic Toretto have come to serve as an incredibly lucid chronicle of the transition from analog action to digital spectacle, and of how a hyper-localized star system gave way to our internationally focused age of branding. No other series in recent memory has taken so many sharp turns over the years, and no other series has been able to survive so many flat tires thanks to the sheer power of family.

With “The Fate of the Furious” ready to roll into theaters, we’ve decided to place the film in its proper context by ranking each installment of the saga from worst to best. Buckle up.

8. “The Fate of the Furious” (2017)

Woof. “The Fate of the Furious” is the “Die Another Day” of its franchise — an empty, generic shell of its former self that disrespects its own proud heritage at every turn. How did the great F. Gary Gray, whose surprisingly strong remake of “The Italian Job” displayed a tremendous flair for comedic vehicular mayhem, waste the biggest budget of his career on such boring smash-ups? How does Charlize Theron (Furiosa!) sink this into a half-assed story of cyber-terrorism? How did Diesel and co. manage to learn all of the wrong lessons from the last two movies, delivering an episode where everything feels so fake that even the “family” matters seem forced?

It’s nice that Paul Walker gets to live on through these movies — his unseen character is still chilling on a beach somewhere — but the actor’s death has eliminated the last remaining failsafes that were preventing this franchise from forgetting what it’s all about, and “F8” sends the entire enterprise careening towards a full-blown identity crisis.

7. “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003)

In truth, the saga’s first sequel is probably not as fun as the one that’s currently in theaters (though mileage may vary), but “2 Fast 2 Furious” gets the edge over “The Fate of the Furious” because — dumb as it is — it isn’t damaging to the series as a whole. In fact, John Singleton’s benign, goofy sequel (how goofy? Cole Hauser is the main bad guy, and the movie ends with the destruction of a precious yacht) is responsible for adding a few franchise cornerstones, as it introduces Roman and Tej into the mythology and gives them both enough background to coast through their long futures as comedic relief.

Still, this boring and benign chapter is rightly remembered more for its all-time stupid title than anything else, and it taught the world a very valuable lesson: A “Fast and Furious” movie without Vin Diesel is isn’t really a “Fast and Furious” movie. It’s barely even a movie, at all.

6. “Fast and Furious” (2009)

If Michael Mann had directed a “Fast and Furious” movie, it would have been this one. Regrettably, Michael Mann has not directed a “Fast and Furious” movie. The most forgettable and confusingly titled chapter of Vin Diesel’s magnum opus (or of anything else, for that matter), the series’ fourth film takes such a hardboiled, back-to-basics approach that it effectively functions like a soft reboot. Refocusing the story on the tension between Brian and Dom, the grim and gritty “Fast and Furious” dutifully lays the groundwork for everything that’s come since, working much better as a prequel to “Fast Five” than it does as a sequel to the original (you can practically hear director Justin Lin switching the franchise’s gears, even if most of this installment is stuck in neutral).

But credit where it’s due: “Fast and Furious” has the good sense to recognize that cars are more fun to watch when you care about where they’re going. Also, it lets Dom call Brian “buster” again, which is just the most adorable thing.

5. “Fast & Furious 6” (2013)

Justin Lin was never going to top “Fast Five,” and it’s kind of a shame that he even tried. Revving up the franchise into full blockbuster mode, “Fast & Furious 6” explodes a colorful action series into a full-blown soap opera, complete with narratively convenient bouts of amnesia, dramatic character deaths, and so much family intrigue that it stretches into the end credits. Saddled with way too many lovable characters, screenwriter Chris Morgan deals with his self-created mess as best he can, but the movie never finds the spine it needs to connect all of its parts together (and the Shaw brothers sure ain’t the solution — it’s a good thing that the “Fast and Furious” movies don’t really rely on having strong villains, because yikes).

A wildly uneven experience that skids between some of the saga’s best setpieces (tank on a highway!) and some of its worst (that endless runway sequence, which is made all the more exasperating by Lin’s decision to shoot it in the dead of night), “Fast and Furious 6” was the first indication that these films may not have quite enough horsepower to sustain the size of their new chassis. And this should go without saying, but Han and Gisele deserved better fates. They always will. #JusticeForHan.

4. “Furious 7” (2015)

Cars parachuting out of airplanes, people driving between Middle Eastern skyscrapers, The Rock flexing his way out of a cast, Kurt Russell slicking his hair all the way back… “Furious 7” truly has everything, and that proves to be way too much (the lifeless climactic firefight is long enough for the film to stall out seven times over). The movie is wall-to-wall full of the cartoon craziness that fans supposedly want to see, but its flair for the absurd doesn’t always sit well with the family-driven revenge plot that keeps the story tethered to the series’ roots.

Of course, Paul Walker’s death helps galvanize the whole thing together, and director James Wan manufactures a touching send-off in difficult circumstances — for a movie that loses its soul in a mess of CG, it ends with a well-earned wallop of emotion that reminds you why you care (huge assist to my boys Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa).

3. “The Fast and the Furious” (2001)

This thing holds up. Sure, it’s barely recognizable when compared to “The Fate of the Furious,” which feels like it was cut together with footage leftover from the latest “XXX,” but that’s part of its charm. In hindsight, it’s pretty incredible how fully formed these characters were right out of the gate — Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner were never going to fit into a Kenneth Lonnergan movie or anything (which is a shame, considering how big that guy is on car crashes), but they oozed personality from the start, as Diesel and Walker instantly added a fresh coat of paint to some very rusty archetypes.

It helps that they were given some immortal dialogue. From the infamous “tuna” scene to Dom’s “You never had me — you never had your car,” “The Fast and the Furious” established a well-oiled philosophy strong enough to power at least seven additional adventures. In these movies, a car is only as good as its driver, and a driver is only as good as the people they’re racing for.

2. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” (2006)

There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who understand the genius of “Tokyo Drift,” and those who immediately need to re-watch “Tokyo Drift” if they want to be friends with the first kind of people. The franchise’s most polarizing installment, Justin Lin’s first contribution to the “Fast & Fur-iverse” is an acquired taste, driven more by personality than by pyrotechnics (though the Shibuya chase is still unimpeachable). But these movies have always been at their best when they’ve hit the brakes, parked in a single location, and allowed the cars to serve as a universal language.

A fish out of water story with a hero who’s way too dopey to be confused for a white savior, “Tokyo Drift” leans hard into its absurdities, forcing everyone from Bow Wow to Sonny Chiba to match the heightened tone set by Lucas Black’s super duper Southern accent. It’s Sung Kang, however, who steals the show, his performance harkening back to nihilist yakuza classics like “Pale Flower” as Han crystallizes the series’ warrior-poet ethos into something real. And no movie in the history of cinema has ever had such a perfect amount of Vin Diesel.

1. “Fast Five” (2011)

“The family just got bigger” Dom says when he learns that Mia is pregnant, but no one knew just how much bigger the family was about to get. Opening with the steely, straight-faced gravitas of a Christopher Nolan movie before settling into a hyper-violent (yet strangely huggable) riff on “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Fast Five” is the one shining moment where everything came together. The stakes are high from the start, as Dom’s crew is scattered across South America and running on fumes, but the breathless train heist that brings them back together makes it clear just how much they need each other — it’s got nothing on the climactic chase through the streets of Rio, but it’s an early highlight of a film in which every action scene has a clear shape to it.

That being said, the real secret to “Fast Five” is how every character manages to make the whole cast feel like more of a family. From series stalwarts who face their fates (RIP Vince), to familiar faces who find their purpose (Han and Gisele share such intense chemistry that it should require sanctions), and newcomers like Hobbs whose presence refuels Dom’s precious code of conduct, the film is powered by a palpable sense of togetherness, and topped off with the most charming “where are they now?” montage you’ll ever see.

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