Faster (2010 film)
Faster | |
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Directed by | George Tillman Jr. |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Michael Grady |
Edited by | Dirk Westervelt |
Music by | Clint Mansell |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | CBS Films[1] (United States/Canada) Sony Pictures Releasing[3] (International) |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $24 million[4] |
Box office | $35.6 million[5] |
Faster is a 2010 American action thriller film[5] directed by George Tillman Jr. Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton star as a criminal seeking vengeance and the corrupt cop who pursue him, respectively. Tom Berenger, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Carla Gugino also appear. Faster was released on November 24, 2010, and grossed $35 million against production budget of $24 million.
Plot[]
Upon leaving prison, James "Jimmy" Cullen retrieves his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, a gun, and a list of names before heading to an office in Bakersfield, California and killing a man. He then visits Roy Grone, who gave him the car and gun, and forces him to give him more names. Meanwhile, Cullen is tracked by detectives Cicero and Humphries, and a hitman known as “Killer” is also hired to kill Cullen.
Cullen locates the second person on his list, Kenneth Tyson, who films his own personal snuff films. After finding and killing Tyson, Cullen gets into a gunfight with Killer in the hallway, but manages to escape. This affects Killer philosophically, and after proposing to his girlfriend, begins to take the task personally. Humphries and Cicero investigate Cullen’s past and discover he was double crossed during a robbery. Cicero remembers him from a video of his older half-brother Gary's death filmed by Tyson, which depicts an unidentified man shooting Cullen in the head; he narrowly survives, and has a metal plate surgically implanted in his skull.
Cullen visits his old girlfriend, who knows he is killing those involved in the video, and after revealing she aborted their unborn child and has begun a new life, wishes him well. At a strip club in Nevada, Cullen stabs bouncer Hovis Nixon for his role in Gary’s death, but he manages to survive. Soon, both Humphries and Killer get word that Nixon is in the hospital. Knowing Cullen will go back to finish him off, they converge there.
Cullen enters the hospital and kills Nixon while he is in surgery. Humphries attempts to unsuccessfully bring down Cullen, but is spared when the latter sees his badge. While driving away from the hospital, Cullen encounters Killer where they get into a high-speed chase on the freeway culminating in Killer shooting Cullen in the neck.
Eventually, Cullen comes to believe that his father arranged to have him and Gary killed after they refused to share the money they stole in a bank robbery. However, Cullen finds out his father died years before, and realises that it was Gary’s girlfriend who sold them out. The last man on the list is a traveling evangelist named Alexander Jerrod; after concluding his service, he is confronted by Cullen, but is spared after revealing that he has turned his life around and begging for forgiveness. Cullen is then confronted by Killer.
Cicero eventually learns the true identity of the man who shot Cullen, and she hurries to the church where Humphries is already on the scene. As Killer and Cullen confront each other, Humphries walks in and shoots Cullen in the head, revealing it was he who shot him in the video. He offers Killer the money for the job, but Killer declines, telling Humphries to never contact him again.
Humphries calls his wife who is revealed to have been his informant while she was still Gary's girlfriend. Suddenly, he is shot by Cullen, who survived due to his metal plate. Cicero arrives on the scene after Cullen leaves, and she covers up Humphries’ involvement.
Cullen scatters Gary's ashes in the sea and drives off into the sunset; simultaneously, Jerrod begins a sermon on forgiveness.
Cast[]
- Dwayne Johnson as Jimmy Cullen / Driver, a small-time criminal who avenges his brother's death.
- Billy Bob Thornton as Detective Slade Humphries / Cop, a corrupt police detective who was responsible for the robbery and murder of Driver's brother.
- Maggie Grace as Lily, The Killer's girlfriend. Later, The Killer's wife
- Oliver Jackson-Cohen as The Killer, a hired hit-man who was hired by Slade to kill Driver.
- Carla Gugino as Detective Cicero, a police detective who works with Cop.
- Moon Bloodgood as Marina Humphries
- Courtney Gains as Prescott Ashton / Telemarketer
- John Cirigliano as Kenneth Tyson / Old Guy
- Lester Speight as Hovis Nixon / Baphomet
- Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Alexander Jarod / Evangelist, a former criminal who is now a priest.
- Tom Berenger as Warden
- Mike Epps as Roy Grone
- Xander Berkeley as Sergeant Mallory
- Matt Gerald as Gary Cullen
- Annie Corley as Mrs. Cullen
- Jennifer Carpenter as Nan Porterman
- Michael Irby as Vaquero
Production[]
Variety reported in May 2009 that Dwayne Johnson was in final negotiations for his role and that Phil Joanou would be directing.[6] That September it was reported that Joanou had dropped out and George Tillman Jr. would direct.[7] Salma Hayek was considered for the role of Cicero, but a week before filming was started she dropped out due to "scheduling issues".[8] Hayek was replaced by Carla Gugino.[9] Principal photography began on February 8, 2010, in Los Angeles, California and continued in Pasadena and Santa Clarita in California.[8]
Chevelle[]
The Chevrolet Chevelle driven by "Driver" which is prominently displayed in the movie[10] has the rear of a 1971 or 1972 model, but the front of a 1970 model[10] presumably due to the rarity and value of the 1970 Chevelle SS 454 which the car in the film is presumably portraying (it is never actually specified).[11]
Soundtrack[]
Faster | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2010 | |||
Genre | Electronic, Rock, Classical, Stage & Screen | |||
Label | Lakeshore Records LKS 342022 | |||
Producer | Clint Mansell, Geoff Foster | |||
Clint Mansell chronology | ||||
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No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
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1. | "Goodbye My Friend" | Guido & Maurizio De Angelis | 4:03 |
2. | "I Wanna Be Your Dog" | Iggy Pop | 4:05 |
3. | "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" | Kenny Rogers & The First Edition | 3:19 |
4. | "Short Change Hero" | The Heavy | 5:21 |
5. | "Grifos Muertos" | Jeffrey Luck Lucas | 3:00 |
6. | "John The Revelator" | Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje | 0:54 |
7. | "Ten Year Stretch" | Clint Mansell | 1:49 |
8. | "History Lesson" | Clint Mansell | 3:03 |
9. | "Predators & Prey" | Clint Mansell | 7:01 |
10. | "Lost lives" | Clint Mansell | 1:53 |
11. | "Lovers" | Clint Mansell | 2:51 |
12. | "Hospital Visit" | Clint Mansell | 4:34 |
13. | "The Driver Drives" | Clint Mansell | 4:27 |
14. | "Family Matters" | Clint Mansell | 2:36 |
15. | "On A Mission" | Clint Mansell | 3:37 |
16. | "Redemption" | Clint Mansell | 1:33 |
Release[]
The film grossed $12,200,000 over the five-day Thanksgiving release. It stayed in theaters until February 10, 2011. The film ultimately grossed $35,626,958 worldwide.[5] The film was produced on a $24 million budget.[4] It was released on video on March 1, 2011, and it grossed another $17.3 million in DVD and Blu-ray sales in the US.[13]
Reception[]
This section needs expansion. You can help by . (November 2014) |
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 42% of 128 critics have given the film a positive review; the rating average is 4.87 out of 10. The site's consensus reads: "It's good to see Dwayne Johnson back in full-throttle action mode, but Faster doesn't deliver enough of the high-octane thrills promised by its title."[14] It holds a Metacritic score of 44 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[15]
Roger Ebert for the Chicago Sun-Times said, "Rotate the plot, change the period, spruce up the dialogue, and this could have been a hard boiled 1940s noir. But it doesn't pause for fine touches and efficiently delivers action for an audience that likes one-course meals".[16]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Faster (2010)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
- ^ Honeycutt, Kirk. "Faster: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Honeycutt, Kirk. "Faster: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Fritz, Ben (2010-11-23). "Movie projector: 'Harry Potter' to rule again as four new movies open, three competing for women". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-11-26.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Faster (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (May 6, 2009). "Dwayne Johnson in final talks for 'Faster Paster'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Fleming, Michael (September 29, 2009). "Tillman in talks to direct 'Faster'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Salma Hayek Drops Out Of Rock Actioner". Deadline Hollywood. Mail.com. January 31, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
- ^ "Carla Gugino Replaces Salma Hayek in Faster". /Film. February 17, 2010. Archived from the original on September 25, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Kois, Dan (November 24, 2010). "In 'Faster,' it's a car, not actors, that drives movie". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ Shaw, Kevin (September 8, 2010). "Images Of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Chevelle From "Faster"". Street Muscle Magazine. Power Automedia. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Faster". The Numbers. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
- ^ "Faster (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
- ^ "Faster (2010) Reviews". Metacritic. 2010-12-13. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
- ^ Ebert, Roger (November 23, 2010). "Faster :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". Chicago Sun-Times. Sun-Times Media Group. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
External links[]
- Official website (archive)
- Faster at IMDb
- Faster at Rotten Tomatoes
- Faster at Metacritic
- Faster at AllMovie
- Faster at Box Office Mojo
- 2010 films
- English-language films
- 2010 action thriller films
- American films
- American action thriller films
- Films about bank robbery
- Films about contract killing
- American films about revenge
- American police detective films
- American vigilante films
- Films set in Los Angeles
- Films shot in California
- Castle Rock Entertainment films
- CBS Films films
- TriStar Pictures films
- Films scored by Clint Mansell
- Films directed by George Tillman Jr.
- Films produced by Robert Teitel