MovieChat Forums > Faster (2010) Discussion > Why this movie failed

Why this movie failed

posted 12 years ago by filmklassik
11 replies | jump to latest

It failed because it lacked an opponent who was worthy of the hero...someone who could give "Driver" even a semblance of a good fight throughout the movie.

As it is, Driver is simply the toughest badass in North America who goes around dispatching evildoers in a matter of seconds. One-two-three DEAD.

Yawn.

Now you might say, "Dude, that wasn't the point. It wasn't ABOUT Driver having a worthy opponent. It was about his thirst for revenge and the toll that was taking on him and blah blah blah blah." Whatever. Even if that's true (and it might be true) it doesn't matter.

Because once you know that your main guy's pretty much superhuman and that no one in the world can defeat him in a fair fight, it kills the experience. There's no tension anymore. All you've got is a walking, talking, justice-dispensing God who can't be stopped by man or beast. And where's the fun in that?

[–] Dogbreath00 12 years ago

This movie was never meant to succeed so your point is?

[–] Dogbreath00 12 years ago

You take this *beep* too
seriously.

[–] hank_saiia 12 years ago

Spoilers:

I think you missed the point. He had a very worthy opponent - his conscience. This movie was less about fighting an external foe than fighting your own demons.

Driver - Revenge
Killer - Arrogance
Cop - Past, Drugs (which arguably were an attempt to fight his demons)
Marina - Drugs
Preacher - Sin in many forms

Even Carla Cugina's character was initally seeking some fame and glory, then relented her ill-will towards Cop and eventually protected his reputation and family.

Killer was meant to show Driver's toughness and determination (even greater than Killer's own in overcoming a dibillitating childhoold disease), but the real battle in the story was the fight for Driver's soul.

[–] koffeenkreame41-1 12 years ago

^^This!!! He got it right on the money, great post! That's what the film was about, Driver realizes that he couldn't live his life like that anymore. Preacher had changed in a good way and showed him the right path to go on.

"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.

[–] keyvenx 12 years ago

TC needs to watch more movies. Not every action movie is about balls-to-the-wall gritty realism.

You could draw an allegory to the Rambo series where the hero is gung-ho and cares little about his life. He charges, guns-blazing into an army camp and emerges victorious.

Where his opponents fear for their life, Driver does not. He is living simply for revenge, so he not afraid to die. He almost expects and welcomes it.

The audiences knows The Rock is not going to die from a stray bullet, so why even pretend he is in any form of danger?

[–] Alfabeta 12 years ago

That annoying p.o.s. poser killer was suppose to fill in those shoes. Epic fail on writers' part.

[–] TheBeardedWonder 12 years ago

Agreed, they never gave him an interesting opponent so there was never any real tension. We got some formerly crippled software engineer assassin (WTF?!) and a doped out cop, oh boy. Neither are needed for the film if it really is about his conscience being the villain. If that's true than these are useless characters in every sense of the word.

That's why it failed to me anyway. All the subplots and lame ass characters we could care less about. Anytime the rock wasn't on screen, the movie's not even worth watching. I don't care about the villains home life with his woman, I don't care about Billy Bob's loser kid or his bitch ex wife, none of that mattered because I thought I was watching an action revenge flick.

Instead it's half that and half soap opera...

"What? Do you wanna just sit around and be wrong?" - Liz Lemon

[–] Alfabeta 12 years ago

Actually, the BBT's home life part was suppose to build the character as a down on his luck creep who was just trying to do one "good" deed and protect his wife (the supposed woman from the gang) which was all suppose to deceive the viewer and make the final plot twist more effective.

Although there's plenty to hate in this movie, I in the end liked it for what it was trying to do, but it's undeniably sloppy and irritating too often and I completely understand people who had no patience for its abundance of bs moments (and characters).

[–] TheBeardedWonder 12 years ago

Yeah you can build up the character all you want, if he's boring or not needed in the movie than it's all for naught. What's the point if he could have just been removed, it would have changed nothing really. I got what they were going for, doesn't mean they achieved it. Also having the big final showdown in an empty tent didn't help anything either.

There was definitely an abundance of bs moments, it's true!

"What? Do you wanna just sit around and be wrong?" - Liz Lemon

[–] keyvenx 12 years ago

I'm guessing many of the complainers were born just before or after 2000, considering this was a great throwback to the 80s hero era.

Long before flawed heroes needed complicated back-stories to qualify their existence. I thought DJ brought sufficient pathos to his man-of-few-words angel of vengeance role.

The entire Killer sub-plot was melodramatic, but that's the point of this kind of movie

[–] Rena_Mahone 10 years ago

This movie failed for several reasons.
But I agree with you.

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