Fast Five (2011)

Fast Five is the moment a series about guys stealing DVD players realized it was secretly Ocean’s Eleven with more motor oil. The train heist up front is ridiculous and great, and once the whole crew reunites in Rio, Justin Lin turns it into a team-up movie where everybody gets a job and a joke. Dwayne Johnson arrives as Hobbs, and his fight with Vin Diesel goes straight through actual walls. The weak spots: the middle is a long pile of planning montages, the local cops exist only to be outrun, and the villain is a generic businessman in a nice suit. Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris bicker like an old married couple and steal most of their scenes. It made $644.4 million worldwide on a reported $125 million budget. A 7.5 because it’s the most fun these cars have ever had, even if the plot is held together with zip ties. $476 says you rev your engine at a red light this week and pretend it was an accident.

What works: The heist structure gives the whole crew something to do, and the Dom versus Hobbs fight is one of the best brawls in the series.

What doesn’t: The planning montages drag the middle, and the bad guy is a forgettable businessman who never feels like a real threat.

Who it’s for: Heist movie fans who don’t mind a lot of horsepower, and anyone who wants to see where the series turned into a team-up franchise.