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Fourth 'Fast and Furious' sequel a wild ride

Justin Lin's “Fast Five” — his third directorial contribution to the “Fast and Furious ” franchise — is easy, breezy, bloodlessly violent comic-book fun.

In fact, if you listen to the characters talking to themselves while drag-racing squad cars down a Rio de Janeiro street, they virtually supply their own word balloons to tell us what they're thinking.

At least I hope screenwriter Chris Morgan intended his dialogue to be cornball, campy and quotable. Otherwise, it would merely be a collection of cheesy, wince-inducing groaners.

“You've got to run before it's too late!” the pretty Gisele says.

“Running ain't freedom!” Dom barks, his face straighter than a pin.

Good thing there's more doing than talking in “Fast Five,” a slick stunt-a-thon stuffed with so many action sequences, it would be tough to pinpoint the most thrilling.

Could it be the climactic demolition derby where two sports cars drag a giant bank vault through downtown Rio, destroying buildings and vehicles before inexplicably wiping out every single corrupt cop in the city?

Or could it be the film's battle of the bulges, a fierce, mano-a-mano confrontation between muscle-pumped combatants Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, wailing away at each other like two genetic experiments in a grudge match?

Then again, the opening sequence could be a contender.

This knuckle-whitening setup involves original 2001 “Fast and Furious” cast members Paul Walker (as Brian) and Jordana Brewster (as Mia) rescuing her brother Dominick (Vin Diesel) from a prison bus on the way to serving a 25-year-to-life jail sentence. (By my rough count, the bus flips over nine times, and yet, no inmate aboard gets killed.)

Brian, Mia and Dom barely have time for a group hug before their partner Vince (Matt Schulze) lines up a job hijacking DEA-seized hot cars off a moving train.

They don't realize one of the cars carries a computer chip filled with secret information about the illegal activities of Rio's most powerful criminal, a drug king named Reyes (an effortlessly villainous Joaquim de Almeida).

After some improbable confrontations, captures and escapes, Dom and Brian realize they can fleece Reyes of $100 million in his bank vault, but they need a specialized team to pull off this heist.

That's when Han (Sung Kang), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), Gisele (Gal Godot), Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), Leo (Tego Calderon) and Santos (Don Omar) show up to plan and execute a daring robbery to rival anything the Ocean's 11 gang could do.

Meanwhile, an obsessive, by-the-book FBI agent named Hobbs (Johnson) recruits a widowed Rio cop named Elena (Elsa Pataky) to help track down Dom and his associates.

“Fast Five” is really a sensational, superficial summer movie that bolted from the gate way, way early. Roman succinctly summarizes his own movie: “This just went from Mission Impossible to Mission Insanity!”

Lin has perfected the action sequences with tight editing, amazing helicopter shots and Stephen Windon's widescreen compositions that seldom take time to rest on a tripod.

Johnson and Diesel serve as the Stoic titans in this movie. Hot Johnson constantly sweats; cool Diesel barely bleeds and rarely perspires. Their begrudging respect for each becomes the emotional high point of the film, even eclipsing the news that Mia is expecting Brian's baby.

Diesel still can't deliver a tough-guy line without sounding silly.

But Johnson spits the words out with bombastic aplomb.

“I suggest,” his FBI agent tells Dom and Brian, “you make peace with whatever demons you've got left.”

Man, whatever demons these guys once had have long ago been driven out.

Literally.

Brian and Mia (Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster) jump at the chance to escape killers in the action-packed "Fast Five."

<b>“Fast Five”</b>

★ ★ ★

<b>Starring: </b>Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson

<b>Directed by:</b> Justin Lin

<b>Other: </b>A Universal Pictures release. Rated PG-13 for language, violence. 130 minutes.