3. Fast Five

Fast Five, released to cheering moviegoers in 2011, is The Rock’s debut in the Fast and Furious franchise, where he towers as the only man bigger, balder, and more ethnically ambiguous than Vin Diesel. Engines on, family.

The fifth installment in the ever-escalating Fast & Furious franchise was directed by Justin Lin, who presumably understood what was being asked of him. In addition to Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel, the movie stars a veritable menagerie of beloved actors, including Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris. Some of them are mostly only famous for being in the Fast & Furious movies, but even that is a significant commitment since they make a new one of these every year.

As has often been the case during this season of Ten Movies, Brian and Hemal were somewhat divided on the merits of the film, but Brian did agree to speak as respectfully as possible of Paul Walker, who has passed on from this mortal realm, but not from Hemal’s heart or the inside of her locker.

Also, it turns out that you need to be well-steeped in the extensive lore of the Fast & Furious cinematic universe to truly appreciate this movie. Who knew? So if you’re thinking you’ll just jump right in and understand what all these emotionally inert people are doing and how they relate to one another, you have another thing coming, friend.