Faster (2010 film)
Encyclopedia
Faster is a 2010 American action film directed by George Tillman, Jr.
It stars Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton
, Carla Gugino
, Moon Bloodgood
, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Maggie Grace
. It was released in the United States on November 24, 2010.
). He exits curtly and breaks into a run. He continues running until he retrieves a car. He then drives to an office in Bakersfield
where he kills a telemarketer (Courtney Gains
).
Driver then goes to the man who gave him the car and the gun (Mike Epps
) and forces him to give him the names and information about the rest of people on a list he compiled for Driver. Meanwhile, Driver is being tracked down by detective Cicero (Carla Gugino
) and Slade Humpheries, also known as Cop (Billy Bob Thornton
), who is about to retire. They investigate the office crime scene and video from the security camera. Cicero gets a break in the case when she recognizes Driver. Later, an overachieving and mentally unstable hitman, Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is hired to kill Driver. Killer tells his girlfriend Lily (Maggie Grace
) that it will be his last job.
Driver heads to the second name on his list. It is an old man (John Cirigliano) who films his own personal snuff films, and he is in the middle of filming himself taking advantage of a girl he drugged when Driver bursts in and shoots him dead. Killer has tracked down Driver and initiates a gun fight in the hallway, but Driver escapes. This affects Killer philosophically, who proposes to Lily and takes the case personally.
It is revealed that Cop has a drug problem, as does his ex-wife, Marina (Moon Bloodgood
). Cop and Cicero investigate Driver's past and discover he was double-crossed after he robbed a bank with his brother. Cicero remembers Driver from a video of his brother's death, filmed by the man Driver has just killed. On tape, Driver is shot in the head by an unidentified man, but narrowly survives, needing surgery and a metal plate to fix his skull.
Driver goes to his old girlfriend's (Jennifer Carpenter
) house, who is married with two children. She stopped visiting Driver in prison at his request and lost touch with him. She tells him that the son he assumed is his is not and admits to having an abortion. She knows he's killing the people in the video and tells him she hopes he succeeds. Driver then goes to Nevada to kill the man who slit his brother's throat. Driver stabs him several times with an ice pick, leaving him to die in the bathroom. Meanwhile, Killer has married Lily and both he and Cop have gotten word that the man survived the stabbing and is in the hospital. Knowing Driver will go back to finish him off, they converge on the place.
Driver enters the hospital and kills the man while he is in surgery. Cop unsuccessfully attempts to bring down Driver but Driver spares his life after seeing his badge. Afterwards, Driver encounters Killer. After a high speed chase on the highway, Killer manages to graze Driver's neck after Driver shoots out his tires.
Driver goes to the second-to-last name on the list, who turns out to be his step-father. He believed that his step-father was the one who arranged to have him and his brother killed, after they refused to give him a share of the money they stole in a bank job they pulled together. He learns that his step-father died years before. Driver's mother stitches the gunshot wound on his neck before he sets off to finish the list. The last man is a traveling evangelist (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
). Driver confronts him after the service. The evangelist knows why he is there and tells him that he has turned his life around, begging for forgiveness. Driver spares him and goes to leave when he is confronted by Killer.
Detective Cicero learns the true identity of the man who shot Driver. She hurries to the church with Cop already on the scene. Killer tells Driver to pick up his gun, so they can have a true test of skill, but Driver declines, saying he has no quarrel with him.
Cop walks in and shoots Driver in the head. It is revealed that Cop was the man who shot Driver in the video. He tries to pay Killer, but Killer declines because he didn't deserve it. Killer then departs, telling Cop never to contact him again. Killer calls his wife, telling her that he is coming home, to start a family with her. Cop calls his wife, telling her that they will be okay because he closed the case. It is revealed in pieces that Cop's ex-wife was actually the girlfriend of Driver's brother and also a one-time confidential informant for Cop. She told Cop about the bank job, and Cop then put together the crew to take out Driver and his brother. Suddenly, Cop is shot by Driver, who survived Cop's bullet due to the metal plate in his skull. As Cop is dying, he says he created his own hell, to which Driver responds, "And I'm the demon that crawled out of it."
Detective Cicero arrives on the scene after Driver has already left and finds Cop's body. She promptly decides to cover up Cop's involvement in the entire matter. The movie ends with Driver scattering his brother's ashes in the river and driving off into the sunset.
reported in May 2009 that Dwayne Johnson was in final negotiations for his role and that Phil Joanou
would be directing. That September it was reported that Joanou had dropped out and George Tillman Jr. would direct. Salma Hayek
was attached, but a week before filming started she dropped out due to "scheduling issues". She was replaced by Carla Gugino
. Principal photography
began on February 8, 2010 in Los Angeles, California
and continued in Pasadena
and Santa Clarita
in California.
reports that 44% of 81 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average
of 5 out of 10.
Roger Ebert
for the Chicago Sun-Times
said that, "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".
George Tillman, Jr.
George Tillman, Jr. is an American film director and producer. He attended John Marshall High School in Milwaukee, where he took Mass Communications magnet classes. He graduated from Columbia College in Chicago in 1991 with a major in Film and Video.Tillman is most notable for directing the films...
It stars Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
, Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...
, Moon Bloodgood
Moon Bloodgood
Korinna Moon Bloodgood is an American actress and model. She starred as "Lt. Blair Williams" in the film Terminator Salvation alongside Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. Bloodgood previously starred in the films Eight Below and Pathfinder.-Early life:Bloodgood was born in Anaheim, California...
, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Maggie Grace
Maggie Grace
Margaret Grace Denig , best known as Maggie Grace, is an American actress. Originally from Worthington, Ohio, she dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles with her mother after her parents' divorce. While struggling financially, she landed her first role as the title character in the...
. It was released in the United States on November 24, 2010.
Plot
The film begins with Driver (Dwayne Johnson) being released from prison after talking to the warden (Tom BerengerTom Berenger
Tom Berenger is an American actor known mainly for his roles in action films.-Early life:Berenger was born as Thomas Michael Moore in Chicago to an Irish Catholic family. Berenger's father was a printer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Berenger has a sister, Susan...
). He exits curtly and breaks into a run. He continues running until he retrieves a car. He then drives to an office in Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California
Bakersfield is a city near the southern end of the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. It is roughly equidistant between Fresno and Los Angeles, to the north and south respectively....
where he kills a telemarketer (Courtney Gains
Courtney Gains
-Life and career:Gains achieved success during the 1980s with a variety of roles in films such as Children of the Corn, Hardbodies, Lust in the Dust, Back to the Future, Can't Buy Me Love, Colors,Wing Commander III, The 'Burbs and Memphis Belle...
).
Driver then goes to the man who gave him the car and the gun (Mike Epps
Mike Epps
Michael Elliot "Mike" Epps is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, singer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, and also starring alongside Ice Cube in All About the Benjamins...
) and forces him to give him the names and information about the rest of people on a list he compiled for Driver. Meanwhile, Driver is being tracked down by detective Cicero (Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...
) and Slade Humpheries, also known as Cop (Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton
Billy Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
), who is about to retire. They investigate the office crime scene and video from the security camera. Cicero gets a break in the case when she recognizes Driver. Later, an overachieving and mentally unstable hitman, Killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), is hired to kill Driver. Killer tells his girlfriend Lily (Maggie Grace
Maggie Grace
Margaret Grace Denig , best known as Maggie Grace, is an American actress. Originally from Worthington, Ohio, she dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles with her mother after her parents' divorce. While struggling financially, she landed her first role as the title character in the...
) that it will be his last job.
Driver heads to the second name on his list. It is an old man (John Cirigliano) who films his own personal snuff films, and he is in the middle of filming himself taking advantage of a girl he drugged when Driver bursts in and shoots him dead. Killer has tracked down Driver and initiates a gun fight in the hallway, but Driver escapes. This affects Killer philosophically, who proposes to Lily and takes the case personally.
It is revealed that Cop has a drug problem, as does his ex-wife, Marina (Moon Bloodgood
Moon Bloodgood
Korinna Moon Bloodgood is an American actress and model. She starred as "Lt. Blair Williams" in the film Terminator Salvation alongside Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. Bloodgood previously starred in the films Eight Below and Pathfinder.-Early life:Bloodgood was born in Anaheim, California...
). Cop and Cicero investigate Driver's past and discover he was double-crossed after he robbed a bank with his brother. Cicero remembers Driver from a video of his brother's death, filmed by the man Driver has just killed. On tape, Driver is shot in the head by an unidentified man, but narrowly survives, needing surgery and a metal plate to fix his skull.
Driver goes to his old girlfriend's (Jennifer Carpenter
Jennifer Carpenter
Jennifer Leann Carpenter is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Emily Rose in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Debra Morgan on Dexter, and the lead role in the 2008 horror movie Quarantine.-Early life:...
) house, who is married with two children. She stopped visiting Driver in prison at his request and lost touch with him. She tells him that the son he assumed is his is not and admits to having an abortion. She knows he's killing the people in the video and tells him she hopes he succeeds. Driver then goes to Nevada to kill the man who slit his brother's throat. Driver stabs him several times with an ice pick, leaving him to die in the bathroom. Meanwhile, Killer has married Lily and both he and Cop have gotten word that the man survived the stabbing and is in the hospital. Knowing Driver will go back to finish him off, they converge on the place.
Driver enters the hospital and kills the man while he is in surgery. Cop unsuccessfully attempts to bring down Driver but Driver spares his life after seeing his badge. Afterwards, Driver encounters Killer. After a high speed chase on the highway, Killer manages to graze Driver's neck after Driver shoots out his tires.
Driver goes to the second-to-last name on the list, who turns out to be his step-father. He believed that his step-father was the one who arranged to have him and his brother killed, after they refused to give him a share of the money they stole in a bank job they pulled together. He learns that his step-father died years before. Driver's mother stitches the gunshot wound on his neck before he sets off to finish the list. The last man is a traveling evangelist (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
). Driver confronts him after the service. The evangelist knows why he is there and tells him that he has turned his life around, begging for forgiveness. Driver spares him and goes to leave when he is confronted by Killer.
Detective Cicero learns the true identity of the man who shot Driver. She hurries to the church with Cop already on the scene. Killer tells Driver to pick up his gun, so they can have a true test of skill, but Driver declines, saying he has no quarrel with him.
Cop walks in and shoots Driver in the head. It is revealed that Cop was the man who shot Driver in the video. He tries to pay Killer, but Killer declines because he didn't deserve it. Killer then departs, telling Cop never to contact him again. Killer calls his wife, telling her that he is coming home, to start a family with her. Cop calls his wife, telling her that they will be okay because he closed the case. It is revealed in pieces that Cop's ex-wife was actually the girlfriend of Driver's brother and also a one-time confidential informant for Cop. She told Cop about the bank job, and Cop then put together the crew to take out Driver and his brother. Suddenly, Cop is shot by Driver, who survived Cop's bullet due to the metal plate in his skull. As Cop is dying, he says he created his own hell, to which Driver responds, "And I'm the demon that crawled out of it."
Detective Cicero arrives on the scene after Driver has already left and finds Cop's body. She promptly decides to cover up Cop's involvement in the entire matter. The movie ends with Driver scattering his brother's ashes in the river and driving off into the sunset.
Cast
- Dwayne Johnson as Driver, the anti-hero, who is spurred on by the burning desire to avenge his brother's murder. Although his name is never mentionned by him or a character, his name appears in a scene, written on a sheet. His name is James Cullen.
- Billy Bob ThorntonBilly Bob ThorntonBilly Bob Thornton is an American actor, screenwriter, director and musician. Thornton gained early recognition as a cast member on the CBS sitcom Hearts Afire and in several early 1990s films including On Deadly Ground and Tombstone...
as Slade Humpheries aka Cop, an addict and crooked detective - Moon BloodgoodMoon BloodgoodKorinna Moon Bloodgood is an American actress and model. She starred as "Lt. Blair Williams" in the film Terminator Salvation alongside Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. Bloodgood previously starred in the films Eight Below and Pathfinder.-Early life:Bloodgood was born in Anaheim, California...
as Marina, Cop's wife and a one-time confidential informer - Oliver Jackson-Cohen as Killer, a self-made millionaire who doubles as a hitman
- Maggie GraceMaggie GraceMargaret Grace Denig , best known as Maggie Grace, is an American actress. Originally from Worthington, Ohio, she dropped out of high school to move to Los Angeles with her mother after her parents' divorce. While struggling financially, she landed her first role as the title character in the...
as Lily, Killer's girlfriend and fellow adrenaline junkie - Tom BerengerTom BerengerTom Berenger is an American actor known mainly for his roles in action films.-Early life:Berenger was born as Thomas Michael Moore in Chicago to an Irish Catholic family. Berenger's father was a printer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Berenger has a sister, Susan...
as Warden - Carla GuginoCarla GuginoCarla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...
as Cicero, a straight-laced, hard-nosed detective out for the truth - Mike EppsMike EppsMichael Elliot "Mike" Epps is an American stand-up comedian, actor, film producer, writer, singer, and rapper. He is best known for playing Day-Day Jones in Next Friday and the sequel-to-the-sequel, Friday After Next, and also starring alongside Ice Cube in All About the Benjamins...
as Roy Grone - Lester SpeightLester SpeightLester Rasta Speight is a former American football player who has had subsequent careers as a professional wrestler and then actor...
as Baphomet, the man who killed Driver's brother - Xander BerkeleyXander BerkeleyAlexander Harper "Xander" Berkeley is an American actor. His roles include George Mason on the television series 24.-Early life:Berkeley was born in Brooklyn, New York, but has lived most of his life in New Jersey...
as Sergeant Mallory - Jennifer CarpenterJennifer CarpenterJennifer Leann Carpenter is an American actress, known for her portrayal of Emily Rose in The Exorcism of Emily Rose, Debra Morgan on Dexter, and the lead role in the 2008 horror movie Quarantine.-Early life:...
as Nan Porterman, Driver's ex-girlfriend who aborted their child after Driver's imprisonment - Courtney GainsCourtney Gains-Life and career:Gains achieved success during the 1980s with a variety of roles in films such as Children of the Corn, Hardbodies, Lust in the Dust, Back to the Future, Can't Buy Me Love, Colors,Wing Commander III, The 'Burbs and Memphis Belle...
as Telemarketer - Matt GeraldMatt GeraldMatt Gerald is an American actor, screenwriter, and musician.He was born in Miami, Florida, USA. A graduate of The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania, Gerald is best known for his role as Corporal Lyle Wainfleet in James Cameron's sci-fi thriller, Avatar...
as Gary, Driver's Brother - Adewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeAdewale Akinnuoye-AgbajeAdewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is a British actor, and former fashion model best known for his roles as Mr. Eko on Lost, Simon Adebisi on Oz and Nykwana Wombosi in The Bourne Identity.-Early life and career:...
as The Evangelist - John Cirigliano as Old Guy, who filmed Driver's brother's murder
Production
VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported in May 2009 that Dwayne Johnson was in final negotiations for his role and that Phil Joanou
Phil Joanou
Phil Joanou is an American film director. He is also well known for his work with Irish rock band U2, having directed their rockumentary/live tape Rattle and Hum, one of three videos filmed for "One", and the video for "All Because of You"...
would be directing. That September it was reported that Joanou had dropped out and George Tillman Jr. would direct. Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek
Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez de Pinault is a Mexican film actress, director and producer. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Frida Kahlo in the film Frida.-Early life:...
was attached, but a week before filming started she dropped out due to "scheduling issues". She was replaced by Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino
Carla Gugino is an American actress known for her roles of Sally Jupiter in Watchmen, Dr. Vera Gorski in Sucker Punch, Lucille in Sin City, Amanda Daniels in seasons 3, 5 and 7 of Entourage, Ingrid Cortez in the Spy Kids film trilogy, and as the lead characters of the television series Karen Sisco...
. Principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
began on February 8, 2010 in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and continued in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
and Santa Clarita
Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...
in California.
Reception
The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that 44% of 81 critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average
Average
In mathematics, an average, or central tendency of a data set is a measure of the "middle" value of the data set. Average is one form of central tendency. Not all central tendencies should be considered definitions of average....
of 5 out of 10.
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
for the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
said that, "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".
Box office
The film grossed $12,200,000 over the five-day Thanksgiving release. It stayed in theaters until February 10, 2011. The film quickly declined and ultimately grossed $35,626,958 worldwide. The film was produced on a $24 million budget.External links
- Faster at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...