Need for Speed

Need for Speed – After spending 2 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit which resulted in the death of a friend, former race car driver, Tobey Marshall, breaks his parole to enter an illegal car race to seek the truth. But with the race being so far away and happening in a few days he and his friends must use all their racing experience to get him there before the police and bounty hunters catch up.

Need for Speed (2014) – Director: Scott Waugh

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40651546

Rating: 12

Running Length: 132 mins

Starring: Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Dominic Cooper

Genre: Sport, Crime, Thriller

REVIEW: NEED FOR SPEED

Do you enjoy seeing car races and very little else? Then ‘Need for Speed’ is the film for you! Based on the EA computer game series of the same name, ‘Need for Speed, follows protagonist and obligatory underdog, Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul), who has taken over his late father’s garage and left behind his life as a race car driver. That is until his former rival, Dino (Dominic Cooper), who is now dating Tobey’s ex-girlfriend (of course) brings him back into that life with the chance of earning mega-bucks for fixing up a famous car. This return into the racing life soon turns sour after Dino persuades Tobey and his friend to a race which ends in tragedy and Tobey facing a jail term. Upon release from jail, Tobey decides to avenge his friend by breaking his parole and beating Dino at a famous race somewhere in the country (not in his state), instead of, you know, finding the evidence to put Dino in jail or making something of his life.

So, that’s the flimsy plot. Token woman, Julia (Imogen Poots), has a vast amount of knowledge on cars and racing (for the purposes of the feminism) and oozes confidence until of course Tobey drives a bit too fast and turns her into a screaming, jibbering mess – we can’t expect to have intelligent and strong women in films about cars! Whenever a challenge is presented that may not be entirely about racing, it is immediately resolved to make room for more racing so if you’re worried that the important job of fixing up the prestigious car may take more than a few seconds of screen time, don’t fret, it goes from ‘a lot of work to do’ to being presented at a fancy party within mere moments. Of course the races themselves are very exciting and Tobey’s friends are entertainingly fun and supportive but Michael Keaton absolutely steals the show as Monarch – the De Leon race organiser who spends the entire movie alone, commentating on the races.

While the plot of a movie based on a racing game revolving around car races is of no surprise to anyone it is a shame that with such superficial characters, the performers struggle to shine and, with a touch more depth, ‘Need for Speed’ could have been much more enjoyable to a wider audience.

CONTENT: IS ‘NEED FOR SPEED’ SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN?

There are numerous car races throughout the movie all of which are illegal and extremely dangerous. During one, the cars speed across a railway track as a train is coming. All but one makes it across in time but the last one is forced to stop or it will be hit by the train. Later, while the cars are speeding through a city, a homeless man suddenly appears from the shadows. Tobey’s car smashes into the trolley the man is pushing which clearly contains all his possessions. He yells ‘My house’ as the car speeds away, Tobey and his friends find this funny and they laugh at the man’s expense.

After Tobey and his friends have fixed up a prestigious car, it is shown at a special presentation evening. One of the group boasts about what they have done to some young women who immediately look down their noses at him because he is a mechanic.

During another race a car is deliberately knocked by a losing racer; this causes the car to flip over, crash over the side of a bridge and burst into flames. The driver inside is killed although their body is not shown. A loved one cries out in anguish and is devastated by the death.

Tobey is given a car to enter the De Leon car race comes but has to drive with the owner’s assistant, Julia. He is unhappy about this so he and his friends come up with a plan to drive extremely dangerously in order to scare her away. He does this on regular city streets in broad daylight with lots of people around.

One of the friends, who has found a good office job, is persuaded to return to the racing and as he leaves the office, he strips entirely naked and forcibly kisses a woman saying ‘I always wanted to do that!’ He stands in a lift with an older woman who looks down and then back up at him, he shrugs and confidently says ‘It’s cold in here’

As they drive along, in order to save time, the characters put fuel in the car while still speeding along. One reaches down with a fuel pump from another vehicle and another leans entirely out of the car. This is made to look exciting and glamorous and could be imitable for some older kids.

While escaping from a police officer, a character climbs out of a second floor window. They become extremely distressed because they are terrified of heights but manage to jump and are caught by a character waiting below.

The final race features numerous cars speeding recklessly on roads with regular drivers on them. Their actions cause many of these vehicles to crash to varying degrees, some are likely to have caused serious injury to innocent people. This could be distressing for children who may have a fear of being in vehicle collisions.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘NEED FOR SPEED’ FOR KIDS?

Predictable and two-dimensional, ‘Need for Speed’ is disappointing but features plenty of exciting races. Due to the level of bad language and dull plotting for anyone not into just racing, we feel this movie is appropriate for kids aged 11 and over.

• Violence: 2/5 (a car is deliberately nudged by another which causes a fatal accident)
• Emotional Distress: 1/5 (the death of the character caused by the accident upsets another character who cares deeply for them, however this is short-lived and not too distressing)
• Fear Factor: 0/5
• Sexual Content: 2/5 (a character takes over a tv camera and focuses it on the behinds of some young women who are jogging)
• Bad Language: 3/5 (frequent moderate cursing throughout)
• Dialogue: 1/5 (the code word ‘redneck’ is used to signify that the team are travelling south)
• Other Notes: Deals with themes of car racing, rivalries, jealousy, justice, vengeance, determination and relying on the support of friends.

Words by Laura Record