Need for Speed

Director: Scott Waugh Scott Waugh

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/05/2014
UPC:	0786936839432
Original Release:	2014
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:11:00
Sales rank:	9,616

Special Features

Capturing speed: making an authentic car movie - get behind the wheel for an up-close look at what it taks to capture high-octane car stunts on camera.; Need for Speed rivals trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Aaron Paul	Tobey Marshall
Imogen Poots	Julia Bonet
Dominic Cooper	Dino Brewster
Scott Mescudi	Benny
Ramon Rodríguez	Finn
Rami Malek	Finn
Harrison Gilbertson	Little Pete
Dakota Johnson	Anita
Michael Keaton	Monarch
Stevie Ray Dallimore	Bill Ingram
Alan Pflueger	Flyin' Hawaiian
Brian L. Keaulana	Right Seater
Logan Holladay	"DJ" Joseph
Carmela Zumbado	Jeny "B"
Jalil Lynch	Jimmy Macintosh
Nick Chinlund	Officer Lejeune
Chad Randall	Big Al
Buddy Joe Hooker	Detroit Cop #1
Richard Lee Rutherford	English Paul
Tony Brakohiapa	The Gooch
Brent Fletcher	Texas Mike
Paul Dallenbach	Johnny V
Kanin Howell	CHP #1
Beth Weisenburger	Investor's Wife
E. Roger Mitchell	Detective #1
Antoni Corone	Detective #2
Frank Brennan	60 Year Old Man
Tara Jones	News Anchor
Han Soto	News Producer
Jill Jane Clements	Older Smaller Woman
Rick Shuster	CHP Pilot
John Gatins	Air Force Pilot,Teenage Waitress
Adora Dei	Female EMT
Charles Black	Preacher
Tierre Turner	Detroit Cop #2
Tim Gilbert	CHP #3
Tommy Rosales Jr.	Actor
Jacki Hill	Jacki
Chloe Warren	Girl at the Bar
Chelsea Small	Drive-In Fan
Michael Rose	Investor
Mike Smith	CHP #2
Ramon Rodriguez	Actor
Nathan Furst	Composer

Technical Credits

John Gatins

Scott Waugh	Director,Executive Producer
John Gatins	Screenwriter,Screenwriter,Producer
Mark Sourian	Producer
Patrick Soderlund	Executive Producer
Frank Gibeau	Executive Producer
Stuart M. Besser	Executive Producer
Max Leitman	Executive Producer
Tim Moore	Executive Producer
Erik Aadahl	Sound/Sound Designer
Tobias Poppe	Sound/Sound Designer
Ethan Van der Ryn	Sound/Sound Designer
Timothy N. Walker	Camera Operator
Ronna Kress	Casting
Lance A. Gilbert	Stunts
Joe Pancake	Special Effects Supervisor
Csaba Wagner	Sound Effects
John Marquis	Sound Effects
John Fasal	Sound Effects
Gene Martin	Sound Mixer
Pat O'Brien	Producer

Editorial Reviews

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.