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FASTER (2010)Movie Reviews
Action thriller about a recently released ex-convict who seeks to avenge his brother's murder, which took place during the botched robbery that resulted in his incarceration. Cast:Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Maggie Grace, Carla Gugino, Moon BloodgoodDirector:George Tillman, Jr.Release Date:November 24, 2010DVD Release:March 8, 2011From:CBS FilmsRating:RLength:1 hr 35 min
Faster (2010) played to weak reviews. Reviews were mixed. • Robert Koehler wrote in Daily Variety, "...doesn't get much more basic than 1+1+1=3..." • Stephen Whitty wrote in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, "...big dumb fun for a while..." • And Bruce DeMara wrote in the Toronto Star, "...creates a sombre, moody landscape in which the action unfolds... in the end, it is what it is." More Reviews Below...
Jake Coyle, Associated Press: POOR(cg) "It keeps a good 'Speed,' accelerates with 'Torque,' as if propelled by 'Crank,' all without the benefit of being 'Armored.' Let's just hope there isn't a 'Crash.' "(See all of Jake Coyle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 644 words, 11/23/10
Adam Markovitz, Entertainment Weekly: POOR(cg) "The Rock has spent so many years undercutting his own tough-guy image (see: 'Tooth Fairy,' 'The Game Plan'), you half expect him to wink every time he pulls the trigger."(See all of Adam Markovitz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 129 words, 11/24/10
Claudia Puig, USA Today: MODERATE(cg) "...pretty predictable, familiar stuff.... Johnson is always watchable, and, given his hulking physicality, is a natural action hero."(See all of Claudia Puig's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 11/24/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a pure thriller, all blood, no frills... it doesn't pause for fine touches and efficiently delivers action for an audience that likes one-course meals."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 681 words, 11/23/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...more interested in delving into the dark parts of the human soul than delivering carefully modulated doses of adrenaline and testosterone.... moody, melancholy..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 802 words, 11/23/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (11 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "...turgid, ultraviolent... as muscle-bound as its monosyllabic antihero, Driver (Dwayne Johnson), an indestructible human Superman with a metal plate in his head."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 11/24/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "...after an initial burst of energy, things trudge along... it seems the once and future Rock needed to remind moviegoers he can do gunplay as well as child's play."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 429 words, 11/24/10
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times/Chicago Tribune: FAIR "...an overpacked suitcase disguised as a movie... isn't really a vehicle for Johnson; it's more of a three-headed narrative that keeps knocking heads.... a decent time-waster..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 392 words, 11/24/10
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: POOR(cg) "Many bullets are expended and much rubber is burned... one of those movies where the characters have convoluted back stories that are often unintentionally funny."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 271 words, 11/24/10
Rafer Guzman, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "...arguably the best straight-up action film of the year.... so mean, cold and angry that you'll be surprised it came from Hollywood."(See all of Rafer Guzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 306 words, 11/24/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a pure thriller, all blood, no frills... it doesn't pause for fine touches and efficiently delivers action for an audience that likes one-course meals."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 681 words, 11/23/10
Nick Pinkerton, LA Weekly: WEAK "...a glossy B movie made from three twining bad-men stories... we learn more about each than is necessarily desirable, downshifting the momentum the title promises..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 222 words, 11/25/10
Bruce DeMara, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "...creates a sombre, moody landscape in which the action unfolds, using dark rhythmic music and some interestingly quirky camera angles. But in the end, it is what it is."(See all of Bruce DeMara's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 446 words, 11/24/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a grim, lean piece of work that feels like it crawled out of a 1978 double feature. And that's a good thing.... it does what it does just fine."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 11/25/10
KEY CITIES (12 Reviews)
Dan Kois, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "By the end of this underwritten wanna-B movie, only the black-and-white muscle car is left standing with its dignity intact.... awfully simple-minded."(See all of Dan Kois's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 414 words, 11/24/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: WEAK(cg) "...gauche, tasteless, clueless... treats us to the sight of our hero blowing away defenseless people..."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 486 words, 11/24/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: WEAK(cg) "...designed to re-invent the kid-friendly ex-wrestler The Rock... a poor George Tillman imitation of the early blood and Biblical imagery shoot-em-ups of John Woo."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 649 words, 11/24/10
Tom Horgen, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...frantic, stylized action.... playing a juiced-up superhero who 'refused to die' seems to always result in the same thing for Johnson. It's simply adequate."(See all of Tom Horgen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 449 words, 11/24/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a stripped-down affair, from title to characters to plot. It never strives to be more, instead concentrating on making the most of its self-imposed limitations."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 504 words, 11/24/10
Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a throwback to the gritty, low-budget revenge flicks of the '70s and early '80s, a lean and mean revenge thriller in the mold of Hill's 'The Driver' or Boorman's 'Point Blank.' "(See all of Gary Dowell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 11/24/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...surprisingly compelling... You'll see the big twist coming from far off, but 'Faster'' offers compensatory B-flick stylishness on the way..."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 412 words, 11/24/10
Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...big dumb fun for a while... Johnson is a stoic presence -- really, his lines can't have taken up more than a few index cards..."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 522 words, 11/24/10
Rick Bentley, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...screenwriters Joe and Tony Gayton had three good ideas for movies... Too bad they tried to put all three in one film."(See all of Rick Bentley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 388 words, 11/26/10
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (6 Reviews)
Nick Pinkerton, LA Weekly: WEAK "...a glossy B movie made from three twining bad-men stories... we learn more about each than is necessarily desirable, downshifting the momentum the title promises..."(See all of Nick Pinkerton's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 222 words, 11/25/10
Josh Tyler, Cinema Blend: MODERATE(cg) "...isn't so much an action movie, rather it's more of a character study, about a lead character without much of a personality."(See all of Josh Tyler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 11/24/10
Unattributed, Boston Phoenix: POOR(cg) "...long before the uninspired-twist climax are nauseatingly edited chase scenes and plot holes large enough to drive a Mustang through."(See all of Unattributed's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 157 words, 12/02/10
Keith Phipps, AV Club: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Johnson, muscle cars, and grim expressions go great together. It isn't the most artful combination of elements, but the purity is admirable."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 374 words, 11/23/10
Simon Abrams, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "Tilman is more interested in the thug-life image of his characters than in either fleshing out their moral crises or choreographing some thoughtful set pieces..."(See all of Simon Abrams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 741 words, 11/24/10
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a grim, lean piece of work that feels like it crawled out of a 1978 double feature. And that's a good thing.... it does what it does just fine."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 231 words, 11/25/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "...turgid, ultraviolent... as muscle-bound as its monosyllabic antihero, Driver (Dwayne Johnson), an indestructible human Superman with a metal plate in his head."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 11/24/10
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...an overpacked suitcase disguised as a movie... isn't really a vehicle for Johnson; it's more of a three-headed narrative that keeps knocking heads.... a decent time-waster..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 392 words, 11/24/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Robert Koehler, Daily Variety: POOR "...a movie distracted by itself, and struggles to find any particular tone or groove outside Driver's man-on-a-mission single-mindedness."(See all of Robert Koehler's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 531 words, 11/23/10
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...stripped for action without a moment wasted on unnecessary dialogue, exposition or nuances.... puts a refreshing emphasis on actual stunts..."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 924 words, 11/23/10
Michael Phillips, Los Angeles Times: FAIR "...an overpacked suitcase disguised as a movie... isn't really a vehicle for Johnson; it's more of a three-headed narrative that keeps knocking heads.... a decent time-waster..."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 392 words, 11/24/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: POOR "...turgid, ultraviolent... as muscle-bound as its monosyllabic antihero, Driver (Dwayne Johnson), an indestructible human Superman with a metal plate in his head."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 567 words, 11/24/10
19.9 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Faster (2010)'s reviews are separated by an average 19.9 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Faster (2010) (33 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Faster (2010)'s reviews cover 44.8% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 15,801 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 479 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 2.7 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Faster (2010)'s reviews on average broke 2.7 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Faster (2010)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Faster (2010) (33 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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