“Need For Speed” opens in theaters this Friday, March 14t and was directed by Scott Waugh and written by George Gatins. The DreamWorks and Touchstone Pictures film stars Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Kid Cudi aka Scott Mescudi, Rami Malek, Ramón Rodríguez, Harrison Gilbertson, Dakota Johnson, Stevie Ray Dallimore, and Michael Keaton.
Going into the movie, I was skeptical due to its promotion making it seem too similar to other street-racing movies. My main questions were: “Would it be another ‘Fast and Furious’ type of film?” and “Would the fact that it is based on an Electronic Arts video game affect it all?” Nevertheless, “Need For Speed” was a thoroughly enjoyable tale of rivalry and retribution.
“Need For Speed” opens up telling the tale of Tobey Marshall (Paul), a mechanic whom owns a garage and competitively street races to help pay off the mortgage loan. However, soon after bank collectors come looking for the money for the loan, Dino Brewster (Cooper) – an old rival of Tobey Marshall’s – enters the scene and reveals that if Tobey and his friends (Mescudi, Malek, Rodríguez, and Gilbertson) build and work on a car for him to sell, he will give them a quarter of the profit, which would pay off the loan entirely. They, despite their reluctance, take the deal and quickly construct the car that would turn out to be worth a couple million dollars.
Unsurprisingly, it is when the newly made car is sold that Dino Brewster decides to up the ante and wager that if Tobey can beat him in a race – using one of Dino’s cars – he would give him 75% of the sell. It is a tempting offer that Tobey eventually accepts. It is when the race is nearing the end and it seems that Tobey will be victorious that tragedy strikes. Dino ends up being the winner and leaves his rival to deal with the mess that was his fault. It is this that lands Tobey jail for two years after falsely being accused of manslaughter.
When he is released, Tobey is a new man with a new vendetta. He plans to prove his innocence and beat Dino in the famous De Leon street-racing tournament. The obvious subplot here is that racers get invited to the race instead of just showing up which essentially means that Tobey has to have a plan to make himself so widely known that he appears on the head of De Leon’s radar. This is when Julia Maddon (Poots) makes her true grand appearance and becomes a sidekick of sorts in addition to a potential love interest. She is an interesting add to the mix of characters the film has already and adds a touch of vivaciousness to whatever scene she is in. It is Julia that keeps Tobey sharp on his toes while also bringing out a softer side that he had not previously displayed. The banter between the two is definitely something viewers will take pleasure in.
In relation to this talk of characters and what they bring to the table is the excellent character development that can be seen in Aaron Paul’s Tobey. It is not typical for a street-racing movie to place much focus (or any at all) on the evolving emotions and thoughts of its characters. But this film does its characters justice in that every action, every feeling has rational reasoning behind it – especially in Tobey. As formerly mentioned, he never truly showed a soft side to anyone, not even to his close friends. He was standoffish in some ways and although he showed thoughtful consideration to other people, his grudges began to get in the way of what truly mattered. But as the movie unfolded, Tobey’s character grew and there was a realization that while justice in his position was undeniably deserved, he had to take the high road in certain situations.
Despite all of this, here is a warning: if the audience is not careful, they will miss that the most important plot of the movie is Tobey getting to the race instead of about the race itself. Besides the excessive use of the car shots with only grunting and engine noises for sound, the main grating thing about “Need For Speed” is the unnecessary emphasis that it places on the De Leon tournament – when the race itself is merely a plot device used to move the story and its characters forward. Other than that, it is simply wise to pay more attention to what happens between Tobey getting out of jail and him arriving in San Francisco.
Although the movie itself is not too heavy in its depth, audience members will definitely find themselves taking delight in the comedic relief provided by the characters portrayed by the supporting cast members. “Need For Speed” is an adrenaline-pumping film and it will have you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next.
-Aryana Azari
