Quick Review: Need For Speed (2014)

March 15, 2014 / Leave a Comment

NEED FOR SPEED

BY CHRISTOPHER HASKELL
MARCH 15, 2014

2014’s answer to the first “The Fast and the Furious” film, following the same underground street racing lifestyle, along with high-level emotions coinciding with very little substantial dialogue, “Need For Speed” runs a little hot, at over two hours long. Suffering from dead-end plot points, elements that exist to only serve the plot, and the overuse of Michael Keaton’s character as the internet mogul putting on the “secret” race, there’s very little substance beyond the asphalt in this film. Aaron Paul, however, does prove he’s not just a supporting player from “Breaking Bad”, delivering the most spot-on emotions of loss, remorse, and revenge. Dominic Cooper and Imogen Poots offer some of the film’s better-supporting roles, as the villain and love interest, respectably, while the cars like the new Shelby Mustang and the rare Koenigsegg Ageras run front and center next to Paul. With these cars and these performances, paired with some above-average cinematography and several nicely shot, edge-of-your-seat racing sequences, this video game adaptation reaches beyond my very low expectations and entertains as much as an action film should. Of course, standards for action fare such as this should remain low, and even in this day and age where action films can be some of the best films of the year, this one reminds that sometimes you just want to escape from everyday life by watching fast-moving cars.