A Spinoff Happily Spins Its Wheels In ‘Hobbs & Shaw'

Add an “e” and “Hobbs & Shaw” might have been a time-traveling thriller about playwright George Bernard Shaw and 17th-century philosopher Thomas Hobbes.

Tantalizing as such a pairing may have been to the makers of “,” they have instead opted to, in the franchise’s first spinoff, combine two of the series’ supporting standouts, Dwayne Johnson’s U.S. government agent Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s former British agent Deckard Shaw, for another ballet of Buicks and bullets. Probably a wise choice. It’s difficult to imagine the writer of “Pygmalion” careening down the side of a skyscraper in hot pursuit of Idris Elba.

And when it comes to high-octane action spectacles, few are better suited to the task than The Rock and Statham, who both make up with brawn and charisma what they lack in hair. In the “Fast & Furious” franchise, which now numbers eight films and more than $5 billion in the box office, they’ve found a comfortable home — aside from any headaches for Johnson caused by co-star Vin Diesel.

That friction between Johnson and Diesel was reportedly part of the benefit of this pit stop, without the whole gang, in between continuing “Fast & Furious” adventures. But those off-camera tiffs are also perfect for the speedy but soapy “Fast & Furious” world, where family squabbles and questions of loyalty play out in between death-defying automotive stunts.