Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Here's a confession: I went into Hobbs & Shaw expecting very little. The Fast & Furious franchise had, by 2019, become so bloated with mythology, resurrection arcs and Vin Diesel staring meaningfully into the middle distance that the idea of a spin-off felt like scraping the barrel. What I got instead was something genuinely surprising: a leaner, funnier, more self-aware action-comedy that works precisely because it throws most of that franchise baggage straight out the window.
The secret weapon is simple. Strip away the "family" mantra, strip away the increasingly convoluted saga lore, and what you're left with is a proper buddy-cop two-hander built on a dynamic that actually sparks. Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham never quite clicked in the ensemble entries, where their friction felt like a sideshow. Give them the whole stage, though, and it's a different story. Their verbal sparring is sharp, their physical one-upmanship is committed, and the reluctant mutual respect that slowly emerges between them gives the film something to build towards. It earns its laughs. If you can mentally file this under "spy action-comedy" rather than "Fast & Furious," you'll have a much better time.
David Leitch, who knows a thing or two about staging a fight, brings exactly the kinetic clarity you'd hope for. The action is over-the-top and intricately choreographed, but crucially it's executed with a wink, which makes all the difference. There's a brawl in a London alleyway that genuinely reminded me of Jackie Chan at his peak: inventive, funny, and rooted in character rather than pure spectacle. The set pieces escalate with gleeful absurdity, a motorcycle chase through Samoa, a helicopter tethered to a convoy of cars, but they're staged with enough energy and spatial logic that they remain exciting rather than exhausting. For pure, turn-your-brain-off spectacle, it absolutely delivers. It scratches a similar itch to The Rundown (2003), that same brand of muscular, self-aware action-comedy where the leads know exactly how ridiculous everything is and lean into it with a grin.
Where the film stumbles is its final act, and it stumbles fairly hard. The extended Samoan sequence is clearly a labour of love for Johnson, and there's something genuinely moving about seeing Polynesian culture celebrated on a blockbuster scale. Cliff Curtis brings real warmth and gravitas to his supporting role. But the momentum that had been carefully built by the tighter globe-trotting spy plot just evaporates. The tone shifts, the pace drags, and what had been a breezy two-hander adventure suddenly bogs down in exposition and familial ritual that, however well-intentioned, doesn't quite earn its place in the runtime. It feels less like a narrative decision and more like a personal detour, which is lovely in spirit but frustrating in practice.
The villain is another weak point. The threat is credible enough on paper, and the concept of a genetically enhanced super-soldier works fine as a premise, but the character never develops into anything more than a function. He's there to be formidable. He's formidable. That's about it. When a film is this reliant on its central dynamic, a flat antagonist matters more than it otherwise might.
So where does that leave it? Somewhere around three stars, which feels right. Hobbs & Shaw is a good, often funny action-comedy that benefits enormously from its leads' chemistry and Leitch's expert staging. It's not great. The bloated finale and thin villain genuinely hold it back from being something more memorable. But it's a refreshing, self-aware spin-off that proves the Fast universe can still work when it leans into fun over franchise mythology. Watch it for the banter, the brawls and the sheer audacity of some of those set pieces. Just don't overthink the last 40 minutes. Your patience will be tested, but the journey getting there is worth it.
Rating: ★★★ | Year: 2019 | Watched: 2026-05-26
Where to watch
Watch in the UK
Stream: Netflix · Amazon Prime Video · Netflix Standard with Ads · Amazon Prime Video with Ads
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Physical: Amazon US
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