In 2001,The Fast and the Furiouswasreleased in theaters, marking the beginning of one of the most engrossing franchises in movie history. The film made actors Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker superstars, along with Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez providing their own strong female star power.
The firstFast & Furiousfeature has several quintessential qualities of an early 2000s action film: a thin but likable plot, tough and elegant characters, cool vehicles, fast-paced action, car racing sequences, and references to technology. The film may not be considered a classic, but the entertaining cast members and dangerous stunt work make it memorable for marking the start of an action series for the modern and digital age.
RELATED:Fast X: Daniela Melchior Reveals First Look At Her Character
The Fast & Stylish Cars
From Dominic Toretto’s (Diesel) black 1970 Dodge Charger to Brian O’Connor’s (Walker) orange Toyota Supra,the cars in the movie are speedy, elegant, and high-powered. Many of the vehicles in the film, especially for racing, contain turbo engines and nitro. Rob Cohen (who also directed Diesel inXXX, another action franchise) was inspired to direct the film after reading a magazine article called “Racer X” based on street racing in NYC.
The film and racing scenes take place in Los Angeles, a perfect setting because of the vast amount of space for driving around streets, roadways, and Race Wars in the desert. Along with the races, there are a few intense car chases, especially when Dom and his crew hijack large trucks, and when Dom and Brian track down Vietnamese gang boss Johnny Tran and his cousin, who ride by motorcycle.
A Simple But Entertaining Plot
This is first and foremost an action picture that has more style than substance, due to its thin but intriguing premise. Brian O’Connor is an undercover cop investigating who is responsible for hijacking trucks, leading him tothe illegal world of street racing. Brian initially suspects Tran and his gang but realizes that Toretto and his crew are the thieves he’s looking for. After befriending Toretto and gaining his trust, Brian has a difficult choice deciding whether to arrest Toretto or let his new racing buddy go free.
The Entertaining Cast of Characters
Vin Diesel directed and starred in a couple of his own short films, and was discovered by director Steven Spielberg, who used him inSaving Private Ryan.However, it wasthis feature that led to Diesel’s rise to superstardom. His performance as Toretto contains charisma and toughness when it comes to racing and fighting, as well as some internal vulnerability when sharing personal anguish, such as the memory of his father’s death in a racing accident. Paul Walker’s role as Brian is smooth and persistent — he’s an efficient racer and a smart cop, but he also has moments in which he contemplates his loyalty to his job and his bond with Toretto. Yet, he finds a way to balance himself in both worlds. Brian also proves his worthiness under pressure, especially when he effectively uses his identity as a cop to rescue one of Dom’s men by calling a medical chopper.
The female characters lack some depth and aren’t given as much screen time, but they do hold appeal and display plenty of grit. Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) falls in love with Brian because she recognizes that he’s a good guy who cares about everyone, and she also cares about her brother Dom and his troubles. Mia stands up for herself, especially against Vince (a member of Dom’s crew), who also likes her and is jealous when he sees Brian with Mia. Dom’s girlfriend, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) has an attitude that sets her apart from everyone else, talking tough when other racers challenge her.
Johnny Tran may be a one-dimensional villain, but Rick Yune is always deadly and efficient when portraying cold-blooded bad guys (such as in the Bond filmDie Another Dayand Antoine Fuqua’sOlympus Has Fallen). Matt Schulze plays Vince as a jerk who hates Brian for hitting on Mia, perfectly displaying aggression and hostility, but is also loyal to Dom and their team. Jesse is a nerdy and skillful character due to his ability to form car designs on a computer.
All The Hallmarks Of Early 2000s Film
This film came out a year after the release of another car movie,Gone In Sixty Seconds, starring Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, and Delroy Lindo. Similar to how Brian sympathizes withDom and his necessity to protect his familyby street racing and hijacking cars, Lindo’s detective also understands Cage’s motivation to steal cars in order to save his brother from getting killed. Both films are examples in which cops and criminals can show respect while still doing their jobs. Each movie also contains car chases mixed with a soundtrack containing energetic music (hip-hop, rap, rock, etc.) and characters wearing casual wardrobes (jeans, t-shirts, leather jackets, etc.).
ThisFast and Furiousfilm also resembles 2000s films likeMission: Impossible II,Swordfish, and Jolie’sLara Croftseries not only in terms of the car and/or motorcycle chases but also based on how characters use technology such as old Windows computers (before MacBooks) and floppy disks (before flash drives) to research valuable information from the Internet and save documents. Another similarity withGone In Sixty Secondsis when characters rely on a car garage and a lot of auto parts to construct their high-powered vehicles.
The series has come a long way over the years, with more larger-than-life tough guys (Statham, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, John Cena), strong women (Charlize Theron, Gal Gadot, Ronda Rousey), outrageous stunts, and numerous sequels covered by various directors (Justin Lin, James Wan, John Singleton, F. Gary Gray).When the series comes to a close withFast X, fans are anticipating how the epic journey of Dominic Toretto and his family/crew ends (undoubtedly with maximum speed).
MORE:Vin Diesel Announces West Side Story Star Rita Moreno Joins Fast X
