In a sentenceDwayne Johnson and Jason Statham could settle this much faster if neither needed the last word
Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) struggle to get through a conversation without turning it into a contest. In London, their bickering accompanies a chase and close-quarters fighting. Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby) also enters the action, while Brixton (Idris Elba) supplies a threat beyond the two men’s mutual dislike. Hobbs and Shaw need to work together, but each wants to establish that he is the more capable partner. Their attempts to cooperate keep becoming arguments over who gets the upper hand, even with someone else to fight.
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Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham make enjoyable company, and Vanessa Kirby gives the action a welcome briskness. The trouble is how long this modest pleasure lasts: 137 minutes is more bickering than the film can support.
David Leitch’s Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is fitfully enjoyable and much too long for the pleasures it offers. It wants to be a buddy comedy whose arguments happen to be interrupted by large-scale action, and the casting gives that a fair chance. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham can make a competitive sulk entertaining without much assistance. The difficulty is that the film keeps giving them time to prolong it, well after we have understood the joke.
Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw establish an easy rhythm of mutual provocation. Their different energies are enough to make familiar material feel lively, and neither needs to be especially likeable for the pairing to work. We enjoyed their company at first. Then the arguments kept going, and the pleasure wore off because too many exchanges simply repeated the fact that these men irritate each other. Screenwriters Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce too often mistake another insult for a new joke.
Vanessa Kirby, as Hattie Shaw, is the useful interruption. Her wit and physical assurance give the action a briskness that the central pair sometimes talk away, and she earns our attention without having to compete for the longest speech. Idris Elba brings enough menace to Brixton to make an impression, although the film’s prevailing silliness limits how much danger we feel. Both performances help when the partnership at the centre begins to feel overworked.
The action gives David Leitch firmer ground. Jonathan Sela’s cinematography keeps the physical business readable, particularly during the London chase, where being able to follow the movement is a considerable part of the fun. The corridor fight gives Jason Statham a tighter space and a clearer purpose. We were properly gripped by it, because the choreography made each movement worth watching. The closely worked physical action is where the film most reliably earns our attention.
David Scheunemann’s production design supplies settings that serve the action without becoming much of an attraction in themselves. That is no great failing in a film built around physical performers, but the larger sequences do not consistently repay the attention lavished on them. Tyler Bates’s score is serviceable accompaniment, though it never gives us a reason to listen past the commotion. The film has plenty of force already, and could use more variation in pace and volume.
Christopher Rouse’s editing cannot solve the more basic problem that the film has too much of everything it does adequately. At 137 minutes, it asks a modest comic premise to sustain an evening that could have done with considerably more pruning. The extended final stretch drags, even if the emphasis on family gives it some welcome warmth. These characters have something to care about beyond winning the next argument, and allowing that to matter helps the film recover some interest.
Buddy action films depend on the pleasure of seeing mismatched people learn to share the same space, and this pairing has enough appeal to survive a weak plot. It does not quite have enough to justify the running time. For devotees of these stars, there are fights and exchanges worth waiting for. A tolerance for repeated insults is a more useful qualification than a love of action.
Most critics find Hobbs & Shaw entertaining despite its familiar plotting and deliberate absurdity. Praise centres on Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham’s comic chemistry, with Vanessa Kirby repeatedly singled out for her wit, presence and physical dexterity. The action also wins broad approval, particularly the London chase and close-quarters fights, while several reviews credit the film with giving its spectacle enough emotional weight to matter.
The main reservations concern repetitive banter, uneven jokes and a running time that stretches thin material. The final act divides opinion: some find it sluggish, while Consequence sees it as the point where the action and emotional stakes become satisfying. The spread runs from enthusiastic approval to outright rejection: The AV Club disputes the praise for the action, calling it poorly staged, while The i Paper finds the film loud and exhausting but still admires Kirby.
Campbell finds the film a thrilling, charming action romp despite jokes that sometimes fall flat. He particularly praises Vanessa Kirby’s wit and dexterity, along with the lead actors’ chemistry.
Read the full review →Jones finds the spin-off audacious, with bursts of awe-inspiring action. He says the leads’ banter can become wearisome between those set pieces.
Read the full review →Ebiri finds the spin-off refreshingly entertaining, thanks to the leads’ chemistry and contrasting energies. He especially praises the tightly choreographed physical action, while noting that some large-scale set pieces feel obligatory.
Read the full review →Cole finds the film’s quick-witted leads and family-focused emotional stakes endearing, despite its familiar franchise formula. He praises the stars’ chemistry and the inventive, escalating action sequences.
Read the full review →Kohn finds the film an uneven but entertaining buddy comedy, with its leads’ chemistry overcoming much of the weak plotting and excess runtime. He especially praises the comic interplay between Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, while also noting the Samoan finale’s emotional and representational strengths.
Read the full review →Bradshaw finds the spin-off an unexpectedly fun, fervently silly action romp, though its final battle loses steam. He praises the gonzo action and especially the hair-raising London chase.
Read the full review →Part of · 7 of 9
Midnight RunAn ill-matched pair keep a chase funny through irritation, timing and reluctant affection.
Police Story · not reviewed yetPhysical comedy and dangerous-looking stunt work make the fights worth close attention.
The Nice Guys · not reviewed yetTwo incompatible men investigate a case without becoming noticeably better at cooperation.
RRRMale friendship and cheerfully impossible action, with room for stronger feeling.
The Transporter · not reviewed yetJason Statham gets more room for precise physical work and fewer prolonged arguments.
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