Need For Speed

Need For Speed
PG-13
Running time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Director: Scott Waugh
Cast: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Dakota Johnson, Ramón Rodríguez, Michael Keaton, Scott Mescudi.

Synopsis: The story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country race against time-one that begins as a mission for revenge, but proves to be one of redemption. In a last attempt to save his struggling garage, blue-collar mechanic Tobey Marshall-who with his team skillfully builds and races muscle cars on the side-reluctantly partners with wealthy, arrogant ex-NASCAR driver Dino Brewster. Just as a major sale to car broker Julia Bonet looks like it will save the business, a disastrous, unsanctioned race results in Dino framing Tobey for manslaughter.

Review: Based on the phenomenal EA racing series, 'Need For Speed' turns to Aaron Paul a.k.a. Breaking Bad's pothead Jesse to take on his first leading role in a major motion picture. The result is a somehow bland, if not formulaic effort in breathing new life to the street-race genre. While the script is an insufferable mess, shots of racing sequence remain top-notch in order to generate that video-game vibe. Wide panning and deliberate zooming were among the methods of cinematography implemented to capture that sense of exhilaration behind the wheels. High marks were given for the bold move of substituting cinematic score with raw, revved-up engine roars, which makes all the racing act realistic and tense. Paul's portrayal of the uber-cool protagonist seeking revenge is neither ground-breaking nor memorable. As exotic cars and pimped out cop patrols were included to emanate the 'Most Wanted' edition, the story is generic and lacks seriousness and self-explanation (unnecessary..). After all, it's just a race movie. Overall, the movie plays out as a middling yet at times boring revenge thriller that, due to limited budget, falls flat on substance but high on adrenaline-charged racing action that'd be poised to put you on the edge of your seat.

Rating: 1/5 Stars