Writer: Lai Swee Wei

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Watch this if you liked: Racing movies

Taiwanese director Justin Lin continues to direct the "Fast And Furious" franchise after filming "The Fast And Furious: Tokyo Drift". This time however, we see the four original cast members from the very first movie reuniting in another adrenalin pumping action after eight years: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez.

From the illegal underground street racing in Los Angeles, and money laundering in Miami, to drifts on customised rides across perilous Tokyo courses, this film now takes us back to the original location where the initial movie began - Mexico. Ex-con Dominic Toretto (Diesel) is on the run from the authorities together with his girlfriend Letty (Rodriguez). But when a tragic death of someone he loves brings him back to L.A, Dom reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner (Walker) as they are forced to confront a shared enemy - Braga, a drug kingpin who is flooding the U.S. with lethal products.

In the opening scene itself, tyres burn and roads blaze when we see Dom and his gang in a fuel-tanker heist in the Dominican Republic. We get to watch him doing what he does best - robbing things in fast motion. It has the right nail biting moments that will engage your attention, making it a thrill ride to remember. The audience will be chasing through the streets of L.A. across the Mexican desert and into smugglers' tunnels.

Hats off to all main cast members of the film, as they did justice to their characters, delivering intensity and emotion. The film sees stunning newcomer Gal Gadot (who oddly looks like Deborah Henry, Miss Malaysia 2007), an Israeli native who makes her feature film debut here playing the role of Gisele, a liaison to Dom and Brian in tracking down Braga's empire.

Bearing themes of family loyalty and sacrifice, the movie should best be enjoyed for what it is and not be compared to the earlier films, as it does give what it came to deliver - hard pumping action stunts. This reviewer will also tell you that the ending to the film does suggest that this isn't the last we've seen of the Paul Walker and Vin Diesel in a racing flick.

Cinema Online, 01 April 2009