The theme of Fast 5 is undoubtedly racing. The entire movie series has revolved around racing cars for money, escaping from the law, and forming a tight knit bond between the people in the racing group. This theme is active, not didactic. The theme is active because it takes you along for the ride. It does not intend to instruct and it is obvious what the theme is. Constant action is taking place; new twists and turns in the story line arise, leading you to the ultimate end.
The main factors in the “Train Rescue” scene are movement, rhythm, and line. The movement is simple because the train is traveling in a straight line, making the quality linear. The train shape as well as the tracks provides line in the scene. The shape most prevalent in the scene is a rectangle. This applies both to the train and the cars. Most things fast are shaped with length and not much width, so this makes sense to add more of a conception of speed to the subtext.
The scale of the bridge in the scene continues to grow as the train approaches it at a constant speed, providing urgency for the viewer. Since the train is moving at a constant speed, this provides a steady rhythm. The rhythm is made apparent because of the surrounding of the train, which includes plants and the steady emission of the dust cloud. This fast pace emphasizes the theme of racing throughout the film.
The linear quality of the train’s direction is broken when the Corvette jumps out of the train at a perpendicular angle. This disrupts the viewer, which adds to the building intensity and urgency within the scene. This urgency builds up tension until the last possible moment that the character can jump from the train. Space is used between the rescue car and the train to make it seem even more impossible that the character will survive. This great distance would be extremely difficult to jump. When the character jumps and the bridge pass by him ever so closely, the audience can take a sigh of relief.
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