( CNN ) -- Drawing level with the `` Star Wars '' saga and pulling well ahead of `` Shrek , '' `` Ice Age '' and `` Spider-Man '' in the sequel stakes , `` The Fast and the Furious '' could yet challenge Rocky Balboa , Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger for longevity . So what 's the appeal ? Combining heist movie suspense with regular high-speed chase action , `` Fast and Furious '' takes `` Ocean 's 11 '' downtown , swapping con men for street racers , suits for vests and hair gel for grease ( Vin Diesel , Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson are all chrome domes now ) . Where Steven Soderbergh aimed for suave and sophisticated , this unpretentious franchise sticks with stunts and sweatpants . But unlike Michael Bay , who ham-fistedly satirized a testosterone-fueled abs and EZ-money gym culture in `` Pain and Gain , '' these pumped up B-movies are n't condescending to their multiethnic , working-class characters or their audience . Instead , they celebrate the loyalty and brotherhood of that outlaw extended family unit , the gang . These criminals do n't have time for traffic regulations , but they still operate under a strict code of their own , a code that echoes Alexandre Dumas ' famous motto for `` The Three Musketeers : '' All for one and one for all . Under director Justin Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan ( who has penned the last four episodes ) , the series has hit on a mock-serious , car-toony groove that 's hard to resist . Even Michelle Rodriguez , who was killed in the fourth flick , is back in `` Furious 6 , '' a hook to lure Dominic Toretto and crew out of retirement and onto Special Agent Hobbs ' team . Rodriguez 's Letty has been spotted riding in a looky-likey criminal outfit ( `` They 're our evil twins ! '' ) led by a ruthless ex-British Special Forces soldier , Owen Shaw ( Luke Evans ) . If Dom and Brian ( Paul Walker ) help Hobbs take Shaw down , they can win immunity for Letty and for themselves . Set largely in London -- congestion-plagued Brits will scoff at a street race that loops around Piccadilly Circus and wonder how many pedestrians were sacrificed in the making of this movie -- the film imports a James Bond-style threat in the form of a military `` Night Shade '' device . The device is the kind of thing that can not be allowed to fall into the wrong hands ( which Shaw 's definitely are . ) If the set up is farfetched and the acting more willing than able , you have to give the producers credit for putting the budget up on the screen . Each of the extended cast gets his or her moment to shine , and whether it 's Tyrese Gibson and Chris Bridges trading quips , Sung Kang and Gal Gadot shooting flirty looks or Rodriguez duking it out with `` Haywire '' alum Gina Carano in a convincingly crunchy catfight , there may well be something for just about anyone here . But it 's the action set pieces everyone will be talking about . And if `` Fast 5 '' set the bar pretty high with that train stunt and the safe-dragging climax , `` Furious 6 '' is more than ready to up the ante with still bigger , and clunkier , modes of transportation . I do n't want to say too much , but for some reason I kept having flashbacks to `` Toy Story 2 '' during the preposterously elongated climax . ( Not a criticism , just that you would n't be surprised if Woody rode to the rescue on Bullseye in one of the outtakes . ) Ludicrous , but undeniably fun and surprisingly affectionate , this is really all you could ask of a car crash movie , and more . Stick through the end credits for a satisfying coda .
The `` Fast & Furious '' franchise is back for round 6 . This go around the action takes place mostly in London . Each of the extended cast get their moment to shine .