Inspired by the
long-running video-game series of the same name, “Need for Speed” is the first
major-studio starring role for actor Aaron Paul in his post-“Breaking Bad”
career. After award-winning work on that series and strong performances in a number
of smaller indie films, Paul is no doubt being flooded with offers for work.
With that in mind, it’s unclear as to what drew him to this dim-witted action
flick, which does nothing to improve the dismal track record of video-game-based
films.
Paul stars as Tobey
Marshall, a former race-car driver whose body shop faces foreclosure. That forces
him to accept an offer from a past rival, Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), to
help him build a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang. After selling the car for a cool
$2.7 million, Dino challenges Tobey, along with their third business partner,
Little Pete, to a drag race, which ends in Little Pete’s fiery death. Dino
frames Tobey for Pete’s death, sending him to jail for two years, and allowing Dino
to make off with the money. We flash forward two years as Tobey gets released
from prison, with nothing but revenge on his mind. For some reason, he decides
the best payback would be to compete against Dino in the DeLeon,
a winner-takes-all, illegal street race staged annually by a wealthy organizer
known as Monarch (Michael Keaton). Tobey drives across the country to reach the
race’s starting point, with a car aficionado love interest (played by British
actress Imogen Poots) by his side. The stage is set
for high-octane vengeance.
That’s infinitely
more story than a film of this type requires, and unsurprisingly, the car
chases are where “Need for Speed” truly shifts into gear. Aside from a rather
mean-spirited disdain for pedestrians and bicyclists, the races themselves are
excitingly staged by director Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor”). So it is mystifying
that screenwriter George Gatins chooses to spend so
much time away from the action, with every moment of supposed drama slamming on
the brakes, and allowing the audience time to ponder how stupid it all is. (Not
to mention questioning the morality of staging high-speed races in residential
areas.)
The actors mostly
seem stranded with their cardboard characters, forced to speak in nothing but
clichés. Paul feels miscast as the supposedly Steve McQueen-esque
Tobey. What made the actor so compelling on “Breaking Bad” was the way he conveyed
a deep vulnerability masked by a tough-guy exterior. His skills don’t translate
as well to this “strong and silent” type of character.
The practical car
stunts are undeniably impressive, but recent installments of the “Fast and
Furious” series have raising the bar for brainless car-related mayhem. The
comparatively dull “Need for Speed” just can’t keep up.
This article appears in Mar 12-18, 2014.
