"Need for Speed", More Like Need for Plausibility

What can be said about Need for Speed, the new action car racing movie. Well I guess the best way to start is to talk about the premise. Aaron Paul plays Tobey Marshall, a street race car driver who is framed for the murder of one of his best friends at the hands of his rival Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). And the way to avenge his friend is not to sue Dino in court, not to gather evidence that Dino killed his best friend, heck Tobey does not even want to go out an murder the guy. The plan for avenging his friend's death is to compete and win against Tobey in a grand illegal car race! YES PEOPLE, it's that kind of movie! It's that kind of overblown, over the top, fast-paced action, cheesy, corny, nonsensical, Rocky IV fun fest you come to expect! So let's not waste any time, let's rush on in!



If you watch Breaking Bad, I'm assuming most of you do (hopefully), you know that Aaron Paul is a terrific actor. And though he doesn't pull anything Oscar worthy here, he still does a decent job. He is into his role, he seems to know what he's doing, and he does have a clear understanding of his character. Dominic Cooper as the villain Dino Brewster is also enjoyable to how he plays this 80s cheese/saturday morning cartoon-type villain. The type of villain who pretends to be threatening, but you know even you can take this guy. Imogen Potts as Julia, the female companion, also seems to be likable. She shares decent chemistry with Paul and has an enjoyable personality. Michael Keaton as The Monarch, they guy who runs all these illegal street races, is so enjoyably over the top. You swear that most at least half of his lines were completely improvised. Keaton is just into this character and having a blast with it. Then there are some characters I couldn't care less about. Kid Cudi plays a very annoying and unfunny comic relief, there's a character played by Rami Malek that is also not funny and has a supposedly "comedic" scene that went on for just too long. But most of the characters seemed to be fine.



I could definitely say the action and racing scenes are fun. At some points, some of the stunts can get a little to repetitive but you got to respect the amount of effort put into these effects and stunts. Fun fact, did you know that absolutely no CG was used in this film. Every effect and stunt you see is 100% real! I totally respect that the filmmakers decided to go a more practical route. That is truly something to admire. 


The story is all sorts of stupid and silliness, which makes it so hard not to laugh at. That is where the real entertainment comes from. The story kickstarts when Tobey is released from jail, and instead of finding enough evidence to show to the police, he decides that he is going to avenge the death of one of his best friends by competing in an illegal car race. That is SUCH a Saturday morning cartoon plot, but you know what I enjoy the corniness of this. I enjoy that any sense of reality, logic, and common sense is nowhere to be present in this film. In my Top 13 Films of 2013 list, I stated that Pacific Rim treated its self seriously by giving us a well presented fun sci-fi action movie, and in the audience itself treats that way. With this film I am not sure if it is treating itself seriously, but most likely. But it does backfire, in a good way though. In a way that the audience will have no trouble laughing and having fun with it. It is considered to  be just a guilty pleasure film to sit down, watch with your friends, and have a fun time! Though I am giving the film an average grade at most, there is no denying there is still a good amount of fun, effort, entertainment, and yes even enjoyable cheesiness to bask in! 

GRADE: AP