Fast X

This topic contains:

• overall comments and recommendations
• details of classification and consumer advice lines for Fast X
• a review of Fast X completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 22 May 2023.

Overall comments and recommendations

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

• a synopsis of the story
• themes
• use of violence
• material that may scare or disturb children
• product placement
• sexual references
• nudity and sexual activity
• use of substances
• coarse language
• the movie’s message

A synopsis of the story

Sociopath, Dante (Jason Momoa), is determined to take revenge on Dom (Vin Diesel), whom he blames for the death of his father. The problem is that Dante seeks no ordinary revenge and has devised a plot that aims to destroy the very fabric of Dom’s life and all that he holds dear. While Dom’s friends, Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Tej (Chris “Ludachris’ Bridges), Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) and Han (Sung Kang), head to Rome to steal a microchip before it can fall into the wrong hands, he and his family come face to face with Cipher (Charlize Theron), an old enemy who was also attacked by Dante. Dom soon learns that the Italian operation is just a trap and he and Letty set off to warn the others. Before Dom and Letty even arrive, Roman and the team discover that something is off. Instead of a microchip, they find themselves trapped in a remote-controlled, armoured vehicle with a large bomb programmed to destroy the Vatican. Dom and the others race against time to save themselves and the Vatican from utter annihilation. They manage to survive and save most of the city but the bomb still detonates and wreaks untold destruction. Blamed for what the world believes is a terrorist attack, Dom and his friends find themselves at the top of an ‘international most wanted’ list, abandoned by the agency that once protected them and hunted by authorities and mercenaries alike. Meanwhile, Dom’s wife, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), has been captured and taken to a black site in an undisclosed location. While his brother, Jakob (John Cena), is attempting to get his son, Little Brian (Leo Abelo Perry), to a secret and safe location where the whole crew hopes to reconvene. The only problem is that Dante always seems to be just one step ahead.

Revenge; Violence as a means to solve conflict; Crime; Fighting to survive at all costs.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

• A tank crashes through a wall in a police station. A vault is dragged out of the wall while a gun fight and a police chase ensue.
• The vault destroys buildings, cars, and barriers as it is recklessly dragged down the street. Police cars crash into the vault and cars are flipped into the ocean and destroyed. A gun battle rages until a car plunges off a bridge and Dante’s father is killed. Dante himself is badly injured after being blasted off the bridge and flung into the water.
• A character is shot in the head.
• Dante stabs a man and slits his throat.
• Cipher, singlehandedly, fights an army of heavily armed men: stabbing, hitting, punching, kicking, head butting and shooting all who come at her. She uses a machinegun to fight her way to an elevator, which then plunges down the shaft as she fights a man inside it, shoving his head against the shaft as it quickly speeds to the ground. She flips the man at the last moment, landing on top of him as a spike pierces his body.
• A driver and his passenger are ripped from the truck they are driving and tossed into the street.
• A truck carrying a large bomb is flipped over and the massive bomb rolls down the streets of Rome, crashing through outdoor cafes and tossing people aside. Police are chasing and shooting at Dom and the crew as they attempt to stop the bomb. The bomb itself catches on fire as it hits a petrol station, and a pump explodes. The bomb rolls down ‘The Spanish Steps’, nearly crushing people and setting them on fire, smashing through buses and cars, before Dom is able to use a crane to manoeuvre the bomb into the river where it detonates with terrific force, elevating police cars and sending a destructive shockwave through the city.
• Dom’s sister and son are attacked in Dom’s house. There is screaming and shooting as Little Brian runs to escape and his aunt fights back as best she can. The house is riddled with bullets and bodies, largely thanks to Uncle Jakob who arrives just in time.
• A character starts a bar fight looking for Dom.
• Letty is stabbed in the shoulder while in prison.
• Crowds surrounding Dante and Dom threaten each other with guns.
• Dante places two bombs under the cars of two of Dom’s friends and makes him choose who he will save. He tries to save them both but both bombs are detonated and one friend dies as his car explodes.
• Tej and Roman fight each other in an internet café/black market store.
• A character punches a guy in the face.
• Letty and Cipher fight after attempting to escape from prison. They kick, punch, hit, flip, slam into walls, blast through windows, and fall onto a lower level where they try to strangle each other, slice each other with lasers and where one throws shattered glass into the other’s face before Letty kicks Cipher’s head into the side of a cabinet.
• Jakob neutralises three men who followed Little Brian and himself onto a plane. Their bodies are left in a tangled mess by an emergency exit.
• Han and another character fight each other.
• A man is stabbed in the neck and shot.
• A gun fight, involving weapons, tear gas, crow bars, punching, hitting, kicking, stabbing, and slamming, takes place in the hideout of an old friend.
• There is a gun fight on a bridge.
• A man is slammed and smashed between two cars.
• Dom and Dante fight. Dante plucks a tooth out of his mouth after being hit by Dom.
• Three characters are shot on Dante’s orders before he lets Dom know that dozens of mercenaries are heading straight for his son.
• Jakob smashes cars to the side, exploding them and causing them to be crushed by rockslides as he and Little Brian try to escape countless mercenaries.
• Dom reverses a car off the back of a flying aircraft. He hits two cars on his way to the ground and they, in turn, destroy a couple of other cars.
• Dante grabs Little Brian from the back of his uncle’s car and smashes Dom off the road and into oncoming traffic.
• Jakob kills himself in a crash. Purposefully exploding into other cars to give his brother a chance to save Little Brian. Dante laughs as Little Brian watches the explosion that kills his uncle.
• Two helicopters crash into each other and destroy countless cars.
• Little Brian flies into the side of Dom’s car while the car goes off the side of a cliff.
• The plane that Roman and the others are in is shot down, crashing into the mountains with a large explosion.
• Dom and Little Brian are about to be crushed by two massive oil rigs. Dom drives off the side of a dam, while fire explodes and rages behind them. They smash into the water and just manage to escape with their lives.
• Dante says that it is time for Dom and his son to die. He has an entire dam rigged with explosives so that they will be swept away and drown.

Material that may scare or disturb children

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

• A somewhat unhinged Dante is shown hanging out with two dead bodies. They have clearly been badly beaten and have their eyes and mouths taped open which distorts their facial features in a macabre manner. He chats with them, paints their nails and says that someone, “will be back to bury them soon”. The scene is not scary, but the visual effect of the distorted-looking bodies may be upsetting for young children.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

• An army of heavily armed men break into Dom’s house, looking to kidnap Little Brian. While his aunt tries to fight them off, Little Brian runs to hide. He is crouching in terror in the bathroom when an armed gunman breaks down the door. It turns out to be his Uncle Jakob, who is there to help fight them off but the men keep coming. There is violent fighting and numerous gunshots as the enemy is slowly neutralized.
• Dante has kidnapped and is threatening to kill the family members of everyone who works for Cipher. The men turn on her after being shown footage of their gagged wives and children tearfully begging for help. Dante quickly assassinates the one man who did not have a family to use as leverage; slitting his throat and licking the blood from the knife.
• Dante pulls Little Brian into his car during a high-speed chase. The little boy is scared and calls for his dad. Dom pursues his son, determined to do anything to get him back.

• Nothing further noted.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

• Corona beers are held, drunk and on display at a family barbeque.
• Numerous car brands are mentioned or shown: Alpha, Lamborghini, Audi, Chevrolet etc.
• A Chevron petrol station is clearly displayed while two characters stop there.

Sexual references

• None noted.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

• Dom and Letty kiss passionately and caress each other in bed.
• A random man wakes up from a body bag and runs out of a warehouse, wearing only his underwear.
• There is a race scene in Rio where all the women are scantily clad with tight, short skirts or shorts and skimpy, revealing tops. The camera gets numerous close-up shots of women’s buttocks, bare midriffs, and thighs as well as a couple of shots that go right between a woman’s legs.
• Dante licks a young woman’s face while holding her captive.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

• Characters drink beers at a barbeque.
• Characters drink in a bar.
• Han eats a muffin, even when he has been told it has been laced with something. He proceeds to have minor hallucinations.
• Alcohol is used to fuel a small aircraft.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

• Hell
• Shit
• Bullshit
• Ass
• God damn it!
• Butthole
• Bastard
• Bitch.

In a nutshell

Fast X is the tenth film in the Fast and Furious franchise and ends on a cliffhanger, so more is yet to come. The film itself contains numerous trademark action scenes where Dom and the crew pull off the impossible. Viewers with photosensitivities, especially photosensitive epilepsy, should be forewarned about sequences of flashing lights which may prove problematic. The film is best suited to older teens, mature audiences, and fans of the Fast and Furious.

The main messages from this movie are that nothing is more important than family; that people will do anything to protect those they love; and that nothing is impossible if you have faith.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

• Teamwork
• Loyalty
• Courage
• Determination
• Faith.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

• Going to great lengths to extract revenge.
• Reckless driving and causing numerous, horrific accidents.
• Using violence and threats to get what you want.
• Deceitfulness and trusting the wrong people.