All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert
Scott Waugh's Need for Speed is a loud and proud B-movie. It's ridiculous, and it's also more fun than you might expect. Saying it's the best film ever adapted from a video game might be exactly the right amount of qualified praise. Aaron Paul stars as Tobey Marshall, a garage owner and legendary gearhead in upstate New York. His business is in financial trouble, and he needs more cash than the thousands of dollars he wins in street races to keep the doors open. Enter Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), a champion driver and former rival to Tobey. Dino hires Tobey to fix up a Ford Mustang into something he can sell to an interested buyer for millions of dollars. Tobey is reluctant to work with the man now dating his old girlfriend, but he needs the 25 percent cut of the sale that Dino offers. After the work and deal are complete, Dino challenges Tobey to a street race in which the winner will take home millions. Always up for a challenge, he accepts, but it ends in the death of a friend and a two-year prison sentence for Tobey. Once he's released, the only thing on his mind is getting revenge by competing in the De Leon, a lucrative Cannonball Run-like event organized by an uber-wealthy car nut (Michael Keaton). In order to enter the De Leon in time, Tobey must drive from New York to San Francisco in about 48 hours in the tricked-out Mustang he built. Coming along for the ride is Julia (Imogen Poots), the thrill-seeking daughter of the millionaire who bought the vehicle. Right from the start, as scenes from Bullitt play at a drive-in where street racers have gathered, Need for Speed lets you know what matters -- fast cars, tough guys, and spectacular vehicular destruction. The movie gets the most essential element of any racing flick right: It moves. The plot is laugh-out-loud ridiculous, but that doesn't matter. The inventive stunts look like they were done without any digital tweaking, and this makes the whole production feel grounded in reality in a way that The Fast and the Furious franchise, an easy point of comparison, never bothers with. This movie is cartoonish, whereas Vin Diesel and company are making full-on cartoons. Aaron Paul helps us believe in this joyous nonsense. He's a good actor, and he's always reacting to other people in his scenes instead of winking at the audience. Although he occasionally lapses into a silly tough-guy voice, he's also a credible romantic lead in the middle of this mayhem. He and Poots play off each other with great charm and little fuss, and their easy rapport as they elude cops and bounty hunters proves infectious. Throw in some silly bits of business for each member of Tobey's crew, more police-cruiser carnage than the end of The Blues Brothers, and Michael Keaton chewing scenery like he's still in Beetlejuice, and you've got all the ingredients necessary for testosterone-fueled fun. Need for Speed is the kind of film that reveals the folly of assigning movies star ratings or letter grades. By any objective definition it's a brainless mess. That said, it's a mess made with old-fashioned skill, acted with gusto, and delivered with an appreciation for the outrageous that never devolves into outright camp. If you listen closely enough, you feel like you might be able to hear director Scott Waugh laughing at the craziest sequences right along with you.
Need For Speed
Director: Scott Waugh, Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Dominic CooperCast: Scott Waugh, Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Dominic Cooper
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A mechanic who moonlights as an underground race-car driver strives to take the top prize in America's most prominent street race in order to have his revenge against the ambitious ex-NASCAR champ who had him framed and sent to prison. Inspired by the popular video-game franchise of the same name, Need for Speed tells the story of garage owner Tobey Marshall
- Overview
- Editorial Reviews
- Product Details
- Special Features
- Related Subjects
- Cast & Crew
- Scene Index
- Menu
- Videos
Overview
A mechanic who moonlights as an underground race-car driver strives to take the top prize in America's most prominent street race in order to have his revenge against the ambitious ex-NASCAR champ who had him framed and sent to prison. Inspired by the popular video-game franchise of the same name, Need for Speed tells the story of garage owner Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul). Desperate to keep his family-owned business afloat, Marshall forms an uncomfortable partnership with wealthy ex-NASCAR star Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). That partnership falls apart when a lucrative sale to car broker Julia Bonet (Imogen Poots) fails to pan out, and unscrupulous Brewster uses a tragic street-racing mishap to have the innocent Marshall incarcerated. Released from prison two years later, the vengeful Marshall plots to prove his mettle by winning the De Leon -- an illicit race showcasing the country's top underground talents. But getting to the De Leon will be no simple task, because not only has the ruthless Brewster put a bounty on Marshall's prized car, but the police are hot on his trail during the white-knuckle, coast-to-coast dash. Fortunately for Marshall, his loyal crew and Bonet are willing to help him get to the starting line in time for the big race. Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi, Ramon Rodriguez, and Michael Keaton co-star.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
- Release Date:
- 08/05/2014
- UPC:
- 0786936839432
- Original Release:
- 2014
- Rating:
- PG13
- Source:
- Walt Disney Video
- Region Code:
- 1
- Sound:
- [Dolby AC-3 Surround Sound]
- Time:
- 2:11:00
- Sales rank:
- 7,441
Special Features
Cast & Crew
Technical Credits
| Scott Waugh | Director,Editor,Executive Producer |
| Erik Aadahl | Sound/Sound Designer |
| Atomic Fiction, Inc. | Animator |
| Stuart M. Besser | Executive Producer |
| Chris DeMuri | Art Director |
| Nathan Furst | Score Composer |
| George Gatins | Original Story,Screenwriter |
| John Gatins | Original Story,Producer,Screenwriter |
| Frank Gibeau | Executive Producer |
| Michael E. Goldman | Art Director |
| Steven Graham | Art Director |
| Gabe Hilfer | Musical Direction/Supervision |
| Shane Hurlbut | Cinematographer |
| Jon Hutman | Production Designer |
| Season Kent | Musical Direction/Supervision |
| Ronna Kress | Casting |
| Max Leitman | Executive Producer |
| Thomas Minton | Set Decoration/Design |
| Ellen Mirojnick | Costumes/Costume Designer |
| Pat O'Brien | Producer |
| Richard Oswald | Asst. Director |
| Joe Pancake | Special Effects Supervisor |
| Tobias Poppe | Sound/Sound Designer |
| Paul Rubell | Editor |
| David Sardi | Asst. Director |
| Patrick Soderlund | Executive Producer |
| Mark Sourian | Producer |
| Tim Moore | Executive Producer |
| Ethan Van der Ryn | Sound/Sound Designer |
| Timothy N. Walker | Camera Operator |
Scene Index
1. Monarch
2. Race Prep
3. Race
4. Proposition
5. Julia Maddon
6. Joyride
7. Illegal in the U.S.
8. Back in the Game
9. Taking Her for a Spin
10. Attracting Attention
11. Hot Pursuit
12. Getting the Invite
13. Inconvenience Store
14. Her Turn Behind the Wheel
15. Higher Stakes
16. Anita
17. Hospital Visit
18. De Leon
19. The Final Three
20. The Finish Line
21. End Credits
Menu
English
Play
Bonus Features
Capturing Speed: Making an Authentic Car Movie
Need For Speed Rivals Trailer
Scene Selection
Set Up
Languages
English 5.1 Dolby Digital
English 2.0 Descriptive Video Service
Français 5.1 Dolby Digital
Español 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles
Subtitles: None
English for the Hearing Impaired
Français
Español
Chinese
English Descriptive Video Service
Français
Español
Chinese
Videos
-
Preview -
Koenigsegg Race -
Two Lane Grasshopper -
Stunt Driver's Education (Featurette) -
What's Your 20, Liar One? -
Wall St. Wipeout -
I Didn't Come to Insult You -
Top Speed 270 Mph -
Tobey Marshall, Welcome to the Deleon -
Mt. Kisco Train -
Licensed to Drive (Featurette) -
the Car Is Loose -
Hot Fuel Connection -
Race to Deleon (Featurette) -
Should've Stayed in Manhattan -
from Console to Big Screen (Featurette) -
44 Hours 59 Minutes -
Police Chase (Featurette) -
the Bus -
Hooking up -
Guys (Featurette) -
Driving School Again (Featurette) -
Camera Cars (Featurette) -
Super Car Showcase (Featurette) -
Muscle Car Foundry (Featurette) -
Intro to Need for Speed (Featurette) -
behind the Scenes (Spanish)
Customer Reviews
Average Review:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Need For Speed
3 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
1 reviews.
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From one of the hottest selling video games on the market to an international race movie bound to butt heads with the Fast & Furious franchise, Need for Speed takes a different road on the thrill-a-minute circuit. For an in-depth movie review look into http://midnighttracks.net/2014/rdr38.html along with an editorial sizzle clip montage at http://midnighttracks.net/2014/nfs/ from West Coast Midnight Run publication.
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