Film Review | Pain & Gain
★★★★☆
Towards the end of the latest offering from film critics’ favourite punching bag Michael Bay, a character states: “The truth is stranger than fiction.” It is a particularly apt idiom for Pain & Gain. A docu-drama masquerading as an action-comedy, it’s easily one of the craziest films of the year. Unexpectedly, it’s also one of the funniest.
Read the rest of this review at Flicks and the City here.
Film Review | Snitch
Through course of association, the merest reference to former wrestling superstar Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson automatically brings to mind testosterone-filled actioners, and for good reason; this year alone the actor has starred in the enjoyable Fast & Furious 6 and the not-so-enjoyable G.I. Joe: Retaliation. With Snitch (2013), however, Johnson’s machismo is dialled down in favour of a more nuanced character study (in addition to a commentary on drug laws). As a result, what could have easily been yet another unintelligent explosion-fest turns out to be a likeable thriller – and audiences are all the better for it.
Film Review | Fast & Furious 6
With Fast Five (2011), director Justin Lin – with a little help from Dwayne Johnson’s likeable Agent Hobbs – managed to reinvigorate the then-ailing Fast & Furious franchise. Racing to $626 million at the global box office, it’s no surprise that everyone is back for another round of vehicular warfare. Offering more of the high-octane action that the series is famous for, Lin’s Fast & Furious 6 (2013) is easily the most ridiculous blockbuster of 2013 thus far; and also one of the most enjoyable.
