Faster

Review by Bob Ignizio

Your first clue that Faster takes itself more seriously than the average action film is that the main characters don't have actual names, only enigmatic labels. Driver (Dwayne Johnson) is fresh out of prison and looking for revenge against the men who killed his brother. Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) is a junkie police detective just days from retirement who takes a peculiar interest in Driver's killing spree. Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) accepts a contract to put an end to Driver's vendetta not for the money but for the challenge, having just “beaten” yoga. Further fueling the sense that this is a movie with something to say are the religious broadcasts Driver listens to on his car radio. With their talk of vengeance and forgiveness, they seem to be speaking directly to him. Which, as it turns out, they are.  

Right out of the gate Director George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food, Notorious) delivers a visually exhilarating sequence that begins with Johnson impatiently walking back and forth in his cell and ends with the moment he puts a bullet through the head of his first victim. Tillman clearly has style to burn and a strong grasp on storytelling, as well. It's just that the story here never really comes together, and the deeper themes it's trying to get at never coalesce into a meaningful statement. 

Sure, I get it. Revenge is bad. We make our own Hell. Johnson does a good job showing his character's inner conflict, but at the end of the day he's just too likable for us not to view him as the hero. It's like his old wrestling days as “The Rock”. Even when he would play the heel, the fans still loved him. Tillman seems to know this, playing most of the scenes where Driver gets his violent payback as crowd pleasers. That only makes it harder to mentally shift gears when the movie suddenly asks us to ponder the morality of Driver's actions.

The film's mixed message is just one of its problems, though. The script is extremely untidy, feeling more like a first draft than a finished product. Minor plot threads dangle, and tangents like one involving Driver's ex-girlfriend serve little purpose. Then there's Killer's story arc, which feels like it's going somewhere only to fizzle out. There's also a supposed secret about Cop which the movie is so lackadaisical in hiding that it seems ridiculous to treat it as a revelation. And then there's the notion that someone who not only looks like Dwayne Johnson sporting a couple of prominent scars and multiple tattoos can repeatedly walk around in crowded public places without attracting attention, despite the fact that his face is seemingly on TV non-stop.

No doubt Johnson's charisma, combined with some well shot action scenes, will be enough to satisfy less discriminating action fans. But Johnson should be this generation's Schwarzenegger, making huge blockbuster action films that would go down as the Terminator 2 or Conan the Barbarian of their time. Heck, the guy looks about as close to a real life superhero as any human being can, and yet with all the comic book movies coming out, he hasn't been in one? Instead Johnson has been in one mediocre kiddie flick after another like The Tooth Fairy. This is his first action film since the 2005 clunker Doom. Someone get this man a new agent. 2 out of 4 stars.