GET FAST – Review

The review of this aptly-named, fast-paced action flick, GET FAST, will contain fewer plot and character details than usual because they just don’t matter. The film opens with a heist and a heist of the first heisters. We learn that the big bags of cash being contested belong to a ruthless criminal who will do anything to get her bucks back. What ensues in the sprawling desert landscape is a series of chases, fights and shootouts, as the multiple factions compete for the loot, while scrambling to survive whatever the others throw at them. It’s high-octane, fairly bloody, and liberally laced with dark humor and dollops of slapstick.

The most familiar face belongs to Lou Diamond Phillips as a contemporary Fancy Dan cowboy who is the boss lady’s designated hitter… decidedly not in the baseball sense. It took a moment to recognize him behind the facial hair of an 1890s’ saloon owner who is channeling his inner Sam Elliott. It takes a while to figure out who is who, partly because events occur so quickly and violently that the downtime for thinking is minimal. Director, co-writer and lead actor James Clayton may be the star of the show more for what he did behind the camera than in front of it.

Impressively, this is only his second time wearing all three hats, following 2022’s similarly-themed BULLET PROOF. He again works with editor Zach Steele. The dudes are in sync, as they intertwine multiple arenas of action efficiently and coherently. When your fatigued grey matter is seeking the respite of pure escapist, no-brainer action, this one’s a solid option. Nobody will call this a great movie, but the guys hit the target at which they were aiming.

3 out of 4 Stars

GET FAST is available On Demand and Digital on November 15 from WellGo.

Rated R for violence/bloody images and brief language.