SUE’S REVIEWS: NEED FOR SPEED “Need for Speed” is a 130 minute, PG-13 rated Action film directed by Scott Waugh starring Aaron Paul (Tobey Marshall), Dominic Cooper (Dino Brewster), Imogen Poots (Julia Maddon), Michael Keaton (Monarch) and Scott Mescudi (Benny). “Need for Speed” is adapted from a series of video games with the same name. Street-car racer, Tobey Marshall, owns the best custom auto- body shop in Mt. Kisco, NY. He is framed by his one-time racing partner, a shady, wealthy ex-Nascar racer, Dino, and wrongly implicated in the death of his best friend. After he is released from prison 2 years later, Tobey seeks revenge by entering the most prestigious undercover street race in the country. When Dino finds out, however, he places a large bounty on Tobey’s head before the race even begins. I love this movie! It is a mindless action film but what it lacks in script it makes up for in spectacular thrills. Scott Waugh also directed the extraordinary underrated 2012 film, “Act of Valor” and he knows how to bring action to the big screen. “Need for Speed” incredibly uses no CGI and relies exclusively on real -live stunts for its amazing daredevil scenes including airborne cars and an Apache helicopter transporting a Mustang Shelby over canyons suspended by cables. It is great to see Michael Keaton, again, in his second movie of the year. He has a small but very funny role as Monarch, the “phantom” race car mogul who coordinates the extraordinary race at the end. He also has the best line of the movie: “Racers should race- and cops should eat donuts” which he exclaims as the authorities take off in hot pursuit. There is great chemistry between Tobey and his love interest, Julia. It is hard to find a movie where the sayings “success is the best revenge” and “don’t get beaten by your own game” are more in play than in this film. But what I like most about “Need for Speed” is the respect it pays to the blue-collar world of auto body-mechanics. As a young girl, I grew up in that world, watching and “helping” my father, an ace auto mechanic and body and fender repairman, work on cars every weekend in our backyard in Queens. For 130 minutes, I was transported back in time which, after all, is the magic of movies. I do not expect to see “Need for Speed” nominated for an Academy Award but it will do great at the box office with its targeted audience. I never once felt like I was playing or watching a video game. I give “Need for Speed” a 7.5 on the ABBONDANZOMETER (Scale of 1-10).
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 17:53:58 +0000
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