Need For Speed: Leigh Paatsch review

THERE are about 400 more sleeps until the next Fast & Furious sequel. What's a cinematic petrol-head to do until then?

A fast and furious vroom crash opera

NEED FOR SPEED [M]

Rating 2.5/5

Director: Scott Waugh (Act of Valour)

Starring: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Michael Keaton

"It all comes out in the whoosh"

BEFORE we cut to the chase(s), let us acknowledge the GT-striped elephant in the room: Need For Speed is here only to fill a void.

There are about 400 more sleeps until the next Fast & Furious sequel. What's a cinematic petrol-head to do until then?

At the very least, it will kill some time and supply a few fuel-injected thrills until the real thing revs up again.

Bad boy ... Dominic Cooper is typically brooding as the villainous Dino.

Adapted from the EA video game, which has sold 150 million units to date, Need For Speed isn't out to impress with the stupendously dopey story it has to tell.

Former gun street racer Tobey (Aaron Paul) was framed for the vehicular homicide of his best friend by the real culprit, a villainous tosspot named Dino (Dominic Cooper).

Now Tobey is back, wanting revenge and all that. He'll get his chance to do Dino some damage in a big-cash, cross-country-crash-a-thon organised by mystery-man zillionaire Monarch (Michael Keaton).

The only other character who may possibly register with the fellas is the killer babe who's also a crack mechanic (Imogen Poots). "Never judge a girl by her Gucci boots," she says.

OK, so the script sucks. What about the stunts? Well, the big deal here, according to the filmmakers, is that all the fiery wrecks, sudden swerves and unplanned flights were achieved without the aid of CGI.

Director Scott Waugh has served some serious time as a stunt co-ordinator, and is not the type to back away when there's some ripping visual adrenalin to be administered.