In his final appearance for the screen Paul Walker gives a lasting performance in Furious 7 as the tough ex LAPD officer turned rogue. From the beginning of the franchise as Dom Toretto’s main man to the heartwarming finish looking out the side window of his car and delivering his last line “I knew you wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye” Walker has entertained fans worldwide.
In Furious 7 he shows the grit that had brought him the fame he deserved on his way to accomplishing the dream he sought. Walker has over 41 film credits to his name starting in 1986 with a small horror movie calledMonster in the Closet. Along the way Walker picked up parts that included playing Lance Harbor inVarsity Blues (1999), Caleb Mandrake in The Skulls (2000) costarring Joshua Jackson, then the very next year landed the role of Brian O’Connor in Fast and Furious (2001). The Fast and Furious franchise had been his mainstay, although appearing in such films as Joy Ride (2001) with Steve Zahn, Into the Blue (2005) opposite costar Jessica Alba, getting a solo starring role as Joey Gazelle in Running Scared (2006) and an inspirational role starring in the indie Hours (2014).
Although we were not personal friends, I will miss him greatly having spent a day with the nice man when he was a young 25-year-old while promoting the film Meet the Deedles. I was fortunate to accompanying him on behalf of Disney for a day at Disney World. Along with going on the “tower of terror” 5 times and cajoling with Steve Van Wormer and A.J. Langer their hands and feet were imprinted in cement during a special ceremony.
Writer, critic, film editor John Delia, Sr. has been on all sides of the movie business from publications to film making. He has worked as a film critic with ACED Magazine for more than 20 years and other publications for a total of 40 years. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Florida. John is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association and Critics Association of Central Florida Send John a message at jdelia@acedmagazine.com
