Review: Faster

I didn't know what to expect going into this film. The trailers looked promising; but the premise was a huge unknown. What unfolded on the theater screen was something altogether unexpected.

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Billy Bob Thornton and Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Faster is a fast-paced thrill ride that is long on action, short on dialogue. Once it starts, there is no let up until the final scene.

Director George Tillman, Jr. (Notorious, Soul Food, Men of Honor) takes you on a ride of discovery throughout the film. He refuses to spoon feed the audience any of the plot. As the film progresses, so does our understanding of the motivations of 'Driver,' and the back story that precipitates all of the subsequent events we see unfold on screen.

It is well acted by Johnson and Gugino (one of my favorite actresses), with terrific support from Thornton and Jackson-Cohen. All actors seem comfortable in their roles, and come off as quite believable.

Now, any time I don't guess the ending less that one third of the way into the film, then the director and screenwriter have done a terrific job. With Faster, I didn't even see the end of the story until I had viewed about three fourths of the movie. To have that happen was quite satisfying. Like I stated early in this review, the ending was quite unexpected.

This movie is rated R for explicit violence, drug use and language. As far as I can recall, there was no nudity or even excessive swearing.

Faster is a far better film than I expected. I'm glad I went to see it.

Will I see it again? Probably not--but only because of the other films coming out. I'll most likely buy this one on DVD when it's released, though.

Go see it. You won't be disappointed.