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Parents' Guide to

Fast Five

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

High-octane heist sequel is violent but exciting.

Movie PG-13 2011 130 minutes
Fast Five Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 13+

Based on 18 parent reviews

Matthew A.
Matthew A. Parent of 14-year-old
January 15, 2023
age 9+
Watch out for too much violence

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
doctora
doctora Parent of 6-year-old
August 19, 2022
age 14+

Bombastic, silly and over the top, but still entertaining

I mean what do you say...it's over the top, bombastic, silly, contrived and straight up bonkers. But it's fun where it counts and it is entertaining and the actors light up the screen. Johnson is a welcome addition and it is always a treat to see Kang be cool, this time in Rio de Janeiro. The script is not strong and the stunts are preposterous, but no one is tuning in to these films for realism. Moving into heist territory is bold and there are many other films that do this genre better, but the personalities are fun to watch and the chase scenes are silly, but there I am glued to the tv wanting to see how it all shakes out.
See all 18 parent reviews

What's the Story?

After the events of Fast & Furious, Dominic (Vin Diesel) is arrested and sent to prison in FAST FIVE. So his sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), and her ex-cop boyfriend, Brian (Paul Walker), break him out and hightail it to Rio to hide out. There, they get involved in a car robbery that goes badly; to avenge themselves and earn enough money to clear their tarnished reputations, they assemble a team and plan to steal a fortune from a local gangster (Joaquim de Almeida). Unfortunately, this involves breaking into police headquarters. Worse, a gung-ho cop (Dwayne Johnson) is after them and won't stop until they're caught.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (18 ):
Kids say (57 ):

Despite the movie's overlong feel (it clocks in at 130 minutes) and its general lack of originality or responsibility, it has enough slam-bang, popcorn-munching action to keep most fans happy. After practically sinking the series with the terrible The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), director Justin Lin refreshed things by changing the series from testosterone-fueled car racing action to Ocean's Eleven- and Italian Job-style heists. Fast Five, like the previous films, still objectifies women and features lots of car chases, but at least it also has some clever stunts and amazing set pieces.

In particular, there's a great bungled robbery in which the thieves try to steal three cars from a moving train; and then, at the climax, we get a has-to-be-seen-to-be-believed robbery involving two supercharged cars. These moments are beautifully handled, more so than the more typical shaky fight scenes.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Fast Five's violence. How did it affect you? Does it seem at all realistic? How does that change its impact?

  • How does the movie treat women? Do you think they're included because of who they are or how they look? What effect does this have on a female audience's body image? What effect does it have on a male audience?

  • What makes these characters sympathetic -- even heroic -- even though they steal and destroy things? Can you think of other movies where "bad guys" are the heroes?

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