Fast cars, deals gone wrong, and tough guys that are always outrunning the cops. What does this sound like? Maybe almost every generic action movie ever made, which the new street-racing film “Need for Speed,” very much imitates.

“Need for Speed” is based on the popular E.A. video game series of the same name. It follows a car mechanic named Tobey Marshall (Aaron Paul) and his mechanic friends who get offered a fast car tuneup job early on in the film by a character named Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper). Dino then gives Tobey and one of his friends the chance to street race against him. Tobey’s friend gets killed in this street race, causing Tobey to be hungry for revenge. When Tobey finds out about a national street race that Dino will compete in, he views this as his opportunity to avenge his friend’s death.

“Need For Speed” doesn’t get much right, but there are a few small aspects that do work. For viewers who were fans of the TV Show “Breaking Bad,” Aaron Paul from that show provides a pretty good performance here. The car stunts and action scenes are pretty reasonable in this film. The slow-motion car crashes do indeed feel like something out of the “Need for Speed” video games.

But “Need for Speed” isn’t truly a good film. Many viewers will dislike all the plot holes and minimalistic character development. Aaron Paul’s love interest will come off as annoying for many viewers. This film also has a poor depiction of the police department: the cop characters are either too non-existent, or too stupid to be taken seriously. Also, several conflicts and resolution in the film feel too convenient.

Fans of the video game, and fans of fast car action movies, will more than likely be disappointed with “Need for Speed.” Though it does have some neat cars and some neat action scenes every once and awhile, the film’s script is almost inexcusably bad. Skip this one.