“Faster” – 2010. Dir. George Tillman, Jr.

With Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Carla Gugino, Xander Berkeley, and Tom Berenger

“Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?”

“I can’t.”

“Faster” is a generic revenge flick. Driver (Dwayne Johnson) gets out of prison and is on a mission to kill the men who killed his brother. Cop (Billy Bob Thornton) is the cliché washed up, drug addicted burnout cop who has a week to go before he retires. Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is an egotistical contract killer who is hired by the unknown ringleader of the band of killers who killed Dwayne Jonhson’s brother.

This film is generic and average at best, but what sets this film apart from the rest of the shit that gets produced for the masses is that the film is shot really well. There are three storylines, the Drivers story is he gets released from prison and is out for blood, the Cops story is that his a burn out drug user who is trying to fix his broken relationship with his wife and child, and the Killers story arc revolves around he chasing Driver and deciding that he wants to marry his girlfriend.

The Rock, who loses his nickname for this film, is very effective as the Lee Marvin-esq killer who is shooting people and not asking any questions. He knows who he needs to kill, and kills them. I’m not saying that the Rock is a great actor, but he gives a very good performance, the best of his career.

Billy Bob Thornton just has one of those faces that harbors so much emotion and so much character. While watching the film, you’ll be able to discover what his character’s importance is to the plot, and yes he a terribly cliché, but Thornton plays the part with much grace that shows it pure talent.

This film is supposed to be a B film, and it works with its stylized filming, it’s homage to “Point Blank” and “Vanishing Point”. But what it lacks is what made “The Expendables” and “Machete” so great – the filmmakers set out to make a great B film by bringing their A game. I know doing “throwback” films is as big of a fad as 3D – but it works in this film.

There is too much bullshit in “Faster”; there are small and big story arcs that you just don’t care about. The story arc of the Killer is really boring and takes away from the pure adrenaline of the rest of the film.

That being said, this is still a very fun and charged action film. For what it’s worth, this is the best Rock film, and it also gives us his best performance. Billy Bob Thornton’s performance is well worth the price of admission. Plus, the Rock is pretty badass driving a 70′s muscle car and shooting a big shiny gun.

Rating: 6.5/10

Tags: Billy Bob Thornton, Dwayne Johnson, Faster, George Tillman, Jr., The Rock