And when it comes to high-octane action
spectacles, few are better suited to the task
than The Rock and Statham, who both make
up with brawn and charisma what they lack in
hair. In the “Fast & Furious” franchise, which now
numbers eight films and more than $5 billion in
box office, they’ve found a comfortable home
— aside any headaches for Johnson caused by
co-star Vin Diesel.
That friction between Johnson and Diesel was
reportedly part of the benefit of this pit stop,
without the whole gang, in between continuing
“Fast & Furious” adventures. But those off-
camera tiffs are also perfect for the speedy
but soapy “Fast & Furious” world, where family
squabbles and questions of loyalty play out in
between death-defying automotive stunts.
If “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” has
a hard road to travel, it’s because the franchise
has consistently ratcheted up its stunt game.
One of the real pleasures of the last decade’s
blockbuster parade has been to watch the “Fast
& Furious” movies morph from a more simple
L.A. street-racing tale into an increasingly absurd
and over-the-top action extravaganza of muscle
cars and muscle, where hot rods don’t just go
fast but occasionally leap between buildings
and parachute from the sky. “Hobbs & Shaw”
seeks to answer that age-old question: What do
you do for your next act after you’ve blown up a
submarine with a Dodge?
“Hobbs & Shaw” has some nifty moves (in
one scene, a Chevy flies a helicopter like a
kite), but it’s slightly disappointing in terms of
sheer ridiculousness. It earns some points for
a centerpiece showdown, seemingly designed