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"Fast & Furious" is exactly and precisely what you'd expect. Nothing more, unfortunately. You get your cars that are fast and your characters that are furious. You should. They know how to make these movies by now. Producer Neil Moritz is on his fourth, and director Justin Lin on his second. Vin Diesel and other major actors are back from " The Fast and the Furious " (2001). All they left behind were two definite articles.

This is an expertly made action film, by which I mean the special effects are good and the acting is extremely basic. The screenplay rotates these nouns through various assortments of dialogue: Race. Driver(s). Nitro. Meth. Sister. FBI. Border. Dead. Mexico. Murder. Prison. Traffic violations. Tunnel. Muscle car. Import. Plymouth. Funeral. Helicopter(s). Toretto. Ten seconds. Corona. Cocaine.

The plot. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) has been in the Dominican Republic for the last six years but now returns to the United States, where he is a wanted man. Probable charges: vehicular homicide, murder, smuggling, dating an FBI agent's sister. Reason for return: Letty ( Michelle Rodriguez ), the girl he loved, has been killed.

After Toretto's arrest all those years ago, he was allowed to escape by FBI agent Brian O'Conner ( Paul Walker ). O'Conner's back, this time on a task force to track down Dom and also the leader of a drug cartel.

This provides a scaffolding on which to hang the body of the movie, which involves a series of chase scenes, fights, explosions and sexy women who would like to make themselves available to Toretto, to no avail. He is singleminded.

The pre-title chase scene is pretty amazing. Toretto and his group team up in four racing vehicles to pursue a truck hauling not one, not two, not three, but four enormous tanks of gasoline. Their method: Toretto drives close behind the fourth tank, girl climbs out of sun roof, stands on hood, leaps to ladder on back of tank, climbs on top, runs to front of tank, leaps down, uncouples tank from third one. The reason the girl does this while Toretto drives is, I guess, well, you know what they say about women drivers.

Ever see a truck hauling four enormous gas containers? I haven't. On a narrow mountain road? With a sudden steep incline around a curve, when it narrows to one lane? Not me. Why are they going to this trouble? So their buddies can have free gas for a street race that night in L.A.? I say let them buy their own damn gas. The race is down city streets with ordinary traffic on them. Then the wrong way on an expressway. Not a cop in sight. Where are the TV news choppers when you want them? This would get huge ratings.

I dunno. I admire the craft involved, but the movie leaves me profoundly indifferent. After three earlier movies in the series, which have been transmuted into video games, why do we need a fourth one? Oh. I just answered my own question.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Fast & Furious (2009)

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual content, language and drug references

107 minutes

Vin Diesel as Dominic

Paul Walker as Brian

Jordana Brewster as Mia

Michelle Rodriguez as Letty

John Ortiz as Campos

Directed by

• Chris Morgan

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'Fast & Furious' Owner's Manual: A Guide As The Best Worst Franchise Turns 20

Linda Holmes

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in The Fast And The Furious , 2001. Universal/Getty Images hide caption

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in The Fast And The Furious , 2001.

The word "stupid" haunts discussions of The Fast & The Furious , which is altogether reasonable. Its submarine-versus-car battle, its wooden dialogue about family, its abandonment of truths from tech capabilities to gravity ... sure.

But to miss the series' resilience, its invention, its adaptability, and the way it has been stripped of its original identity is to miss the story of Hollywood in the 21st century. Love it or hate it, The Fast & The Furious might be the smartest, dumbest, best, worst franchise we have.

Chapter One: Critics Don't Hate Action Movies

It was the summer of 2001. One of the new releases on a late June weekend was The Fast & The Furious , a summer car-racing movie starring Paul Walker, who was then probably most familiar to audiences as a menacing rich jerkface in the rich-jerkface thriller The Skulls . It also featured Vin Diesel, who had recently been seen as a supporting player in the rich-jerkface thriller Boiler Room . "When the sun goes down, another world comes to life," said the trailer , which promised to reveal a world of car-racing and sex.

As briefly as possible: Brian (Walker) is an undercover L.A. cop who's infiltrated the gang of street racers and electronics thieves headed by Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). But in a development very reminiscent of Point Break , Brian falls in with this group. By the end, his loyalty is with Dom, and he's in love with Dom's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster).

There's a myth of F&F movies as critic-proof works that film journalists hated and fans flocked to. In fact, The Fast & The Furious got mixed reviews. Todd McCarthy of Variety noted that it shared a title with a 1954 Roger Corman picture and called it "a gritty and gratifying cheap thrill." What's even more eye-catching is McCarthy's vision of its future:

Rob Cohen's high-octane hot-car meller is a true rarity these days, a really good exploitationer, the sort of thing that would rule at drive-ins if they still existed. As it is, young viewers and working class audiences should still pack in for this smartly made programmer-style Universal release, which promises to show renewed acceleration down the line as a home entertainment attraction. [ Note: A "meller" is a melodrama. Variety slang is eternally out of hand .]

McCarthy predicts success, though only with some viewers — those who are young and "working class."

Here's Roger Ebert , probably the most popular critic in the country at the time:

The Fast and the Furious remembers summer movies from the days when they were produced by American-International and played in drive-ins on double features. It's slicker than films like Grand Theft Auto , but it has the same kind of pirate spirit--it wants to raid its betters and carry off the loot. It doesn't have a brain in its head, but it has some great chase scenes, and includes the most incompetent cop who ever went undercover.

A pirate spirit! The movie is nearly an outlaw itself! And: again with the drive-in!

If F&F later became an object of resentment, it wasn't because critics didn't understand the appeal of a fun race-car movie. It was that some of them started to worry when a movie like this, when movies like this, started to seem capable of blocking out the sun.

Chapter Two: If You Crash, Keep Going

Money attracts follow-ups like a ripe banana draws fruit flies, so naturally, there was a sequel. But while Walker was on board for it, Diesel was not. Thus, 2 Fast 2 Furious brought Brian to Miami, where his new partner was his old friend Roman (Tyrese Gibson). This was also where Chris "Ludacris" Bridges arrived as Tej. 2 Fast 2 Furious was directed by Oscar nominee John Singleton.

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What hollywood could learn from the 20-year success of 'fast & furious'.

Three crucial things came from 2 Fast . One is Gibson and Bridges, who have become the key players in the action-comedy that's now a signature. The second comes when Brian jumps a car onto a yacht while Roman screams that he's crazy. If you're looking for the moment when F&F discovers the power not only of car racing, but also of absurd things to do with cars besides racing, you might find it there.

The third has to do with money — doesn't everything? The world grosses for 2 Fast 2 Furious were up from the first movie, even though domestic grosses were down. The Fast & The Furious made about 30% of its money overseas; the second made more than 46% there.

If it was a bold move to make 2 Fast without Vin Diesel, they went even bolder with the third one in 2006. The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift scrapped the original cast entirely. It scrapped the locations, it scrapped the stories, it scrapped everything and started from scratch. Setting it in Tokyo (later installments would visit Brazil, Cuba and Abu Dhabi) suggested greater outreach to the international market that was already buoying other action franchises — Mission: Impossible III , which came out the same year, earned more than 66% of its money overseas.

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The franchise was adapting without fear, perhaps hoping to become both critic-proof and star-proof. But the money didn't quite come for that one. The box office flagged.

Still, there were bright spots. The best thing to come out of Tokyo Drift behind the scenes was director Justin Lin, who would go on to build the series as we now know it. The best thing on-screen was Han, played with effortless magnetism by Sung Kang.

There was one small problem: Han died. Fortunately, that wasn't anything they couldn't fix.

Chapter Three: Gather An Inclusive Team

With the third film flagging, Universal could have just let this franchise go. But they went the other way: They went big. Dom came back, Brian came back, Mia and Letty came back — and so did Justin Lin. The franchise also added an actress who was making her feature film debut: a model named Gal Gadot.

Gal Gadot arrives at the world premiere of Fast & Furious 6 in central London on May 7, 2013. Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Han also came back. The creative team slid Tokyo Drift forward in the timeline, making it a kind of flash-forward, so that his death hadn't happened yet by the time Fast & Furious took place. Ultimately, Tokyo Drift didn't happen in the Dom timeline until the seam between Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7 , so Han got to spend three whole movies with the gang.

That timeline shift is so crafty. It takes a potential weakness, the fact that Tokyo Drift has nothing whatsoever to do with the characters we're now returning to, and turns it into a strength. Because none of our heroes were in the film (other than a Dom cameo that, story-wise, just communicated "Dom still exists"), you could put it anywhere.

This is also a good time to mention — though perhaps it's obvious — the diverse cast present in this series of films from early on. Dom himself doesn't talk very specifically about his background, and Charlize Theron's character, Cipher, references the Toretto family's "mixed bloodlines" in the new movie. (Imagine that "yikes" emoji with the gritted teeth.) But while Dom's first crew was pretty white, actors of color have become indispensable to this series, including the charming Nathalie Emmanuel, who joined the team in Furious 7 as Ramsey the computer genius.

Chapter Four: You Cannot, Under Any Circumstances, Fall Behind

If you were watching this happen in the late aughts, this was about where the thing started to feel like it was on rails. The total box office blew up: $360 million for the fourth movie in 2009, $626 million for the fifth in 2011, $789 million for the sixth in 2013, an eye-popping $1.5 billion for the seventh in 2015, and $1.2 billion for the eighth in 2017 — down a little, but still darn respectable. The directors changed: Lin stayed until Fast & Furious 6 , then he turned it over to James Wan ( Saw ) for 7 and F. Gary Gray ( Straight Outta Compton , but more importantly Set It Off and The Italian Job) for 8.

I regret to inform you that they did, in fact, have a movie called The Fast & The Furious and then, eight years later, a movie starring the same people called Fast & Furious . It's not forgivable, and it's deeply weird. The sequel naming conventions of this thing have never stabilized: 2 Fast 2 Furious , then The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift , Fast & Furious , Fast Five (apparently it was not Furious), Fast & Furious 6 , Furious 7 (apparently it was not Fast), Fate of the Furious , and F9: The Fast Saga . And while those seem to be the official titles, you'll see them styled in all kinds of other ways on posters and even on screen.

But looking back on it, you can see what was on F&F 's heels, too. Most obviously Mission: Impossible , which wasn't putting out as many movies as quickly, but which had both big box office and, often, critical respect and a similar lust for invention when it came to stunts and set pieces. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was tightening its grip — and hiring directors that came from interesting places like indie films. Batman was back. Star Wars was back. Jurassic Park was back. Star Trek was back. The Fast & The Furious was bound to get bigger, partly because everything else got bigger, too. And louder, and wilder, and in a lot of cases, more apocalyptic.

Maybe the high point for the series in terms of simple pleasure was all the way back when Roger Ebert and Variety saw it as a scruffy exploitation film. But there have been times in later films, around 5-6-7, when the directors and screenwriter Chris Morgan (who tackled the scripts from Tokyo Drift to Fate of the Furious ) nailed the sweet spot of goofy spectacle. Cars jumped between buildings, they drove into and out of airplanes, and they parachuted down onto mountains.

Cast turnover was still frequent. Eventually, the timeline where he really was dead caught up with Han. (Well ... sort of. See F9 .) Gadot's Gisele exited in time for her to go and do Wonder Woman . Letty was allegedly dead for a while, too, but that turned out to be the movie-death equivalent of a 24-hour-bug. New stars streamed in — The Rock, Gina Carano, Jason Statham — which boosted interest over and over again. The thing seemed unstoppable.

Then, Paul Walker died.

Chapter Five: It's Not About One Guy

In 2013, during a break from filming Furious 7 , Walker and a racing partner were killed in a single-car crash. He was 40. The movie wasn't finished.

Fans pay tribute to Paul Walker at a memorial in Valencia, Calif., on Dec. 8, 2013. Valerie Macon/Getty Images hide caption

Much has been written about the methods they used just to finish Furious 7 ; Walker's brothers even stepped in as doubles to allow shots to be completed. But it's impressive just that they kept going. Walker's young cop who felt the pull of charismatic outlaws originally grounded the whole thing, to the degree it was grounded at all.

No one would ever have intended it, but the fact that F&F had already made so many swerves, to the point where almost nothing was left that had been in every movie since the beginning, probably made the loss of a lead actor — well, certainly no easier to bear, but perhaps easier to write. Even though Han had died and even though Letty had (for a while) died, they did not write in Brian's death. They wrote a happy ending for him, as a retired outlaw, living with Mia and their son. And while fans of the series felt the loss acutely, the shift to a big and diverse group of characters, away from one bond between two men, had left the team more able to continue.

A Movie Presents: Another Movie

We should acknowledge the film Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. It sent The Rock and Jason Statham off to have a separate adventure, and it's a lot of (completely forgettable) fun with a welcome retreat from guns in the final battle. The backstage stories about Diesel, Statham and The Rock have also been a tantalizing glimpse into the vanity of the action hero.

Chapter Six: Changing Winds And The Ship Of Theseus

Franchises are often accused of repeating themselves, but successful ones don't stay in one place. Not only has the F&F cast turned over; the themes have changed, especially regarding these characters' positions relative to power. Originally, everybody in these movies who wasn't a cop was a scrapper, stealing DVD players (DVD players!) out of the backs of trucks. If they had enemies, they were rival street racers, rival thieves. That's partly what made Brian's journey interesting: He came from a place of institutional power (the police) and gradually drifted toward a place of social and cultural power (cool, sexy outlaws).

But that couldn't continue if the stunts were going to keep getting bigger, bigger, bigger. You have to be adjacent to power to have a plane full of cars you can drop into the trees on parachutes. And so Dom's gang has gradually become a subcontractor of federal law enforcement and national security (but the mischievous covert kind!), with all the muscle (no pun intended) that suggests. That not only allows the gang to own cooler stuff; it allows the enemies they're fighting to be more terrifying and the stakes more absurdly high. Being a street racer is how you wind up fighting to keep your car. Getting to know the feds is how you wind up fighting to prevent a nuclear war.

Dom is almost playing out Brian's arc in reverse: He's a criminal who reluctantly aligned himself with law enforcement and has become a part of it, made friends with it, learned to work alongside it. Thus, the sheer scale of the stunts at this point has changed the themes. Now, the people who aren't as bad as you think are the federal agents. But hey, if these were all still down-and-out kids who didn't trust the police, they certainly wouldn't have planes to drive out of.

Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and Dom (Vin Diesel) are still together in F9 , 20 years after the franchise began. Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures hide caption

Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and Dom (Vin Diesel) are still together in F9 , 20 years after the franchise began.

So much has changed now, it's like the Ship of Theseus. That's the philosophical conundrum where you have a ship, and you replace all the boards one by one, and you wonder if it's even the same ship you started with.

What remains of the original 2001 film The Fast & The Furious ? Diesel and Rodriguez, yes, but they've also both been gone at different times. Car racing? Not really. The original screenwriter? No. Director? No. But more importantly, is this even the same kind of movie as the original? Or even as Tokyo Drift ?

The story of Hollywood in the 21st century has become a story of economic survival through sheer scale, sometimes at the expense of identity. Middle-range movies die. You can be a little indie movie or you can be a big blockbuster, but if you're going to be a big blockbuster, you have to be a big blockbuster. Not a ... what was it? A "home entertainment attraction."

A helicopter from Universal Studios of Hollywood flies above Havana during the shooting of The Fate of the Furious on April 28, 2016. Adalberto Roque/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

The F&F movies are still entertaining, and the people who work on the action sequences are incredibly good at what they do. But scaling up, up, up has led these films into escalation for escalation's sake: If you have an evil system, I have two evil systems. You have a submarine, I have a fleet of submarines. You're fighting over control of the country; I'm fighting over control of the world. You're in the air, I'm in space.

Unfortunately, there comes a time when you run out of runway: What's after the threat of total control over everything in the world? What's bigger than outer space?

The only thing left, probably, that would really surprise audiences is street racing. But, as you would with the Ship of Theseus, you have to wonder: Is this the thing we started with anymore? Is there anything to go back to? After all, Diesel says in a behind-the-scenes featurette for Fate of the Furious , it's a challenge to figure out reasons why these guys would race cars now. They've moved on. Dom's crew could become cryptocurrency manipulators and work out of a bunker, maybe, but that's not much of a movie.

This series is going to continue, probably to great financial success, for as long as they want to keep making it. And as stupid as one might think these movies are — as stupid as they may in fact be — they are the story of thriving in the current Hollywood system, and how much ingenuity and flexibility it takes to preserve a series like this for 20 years. Shepherding it through the loss of its leading man, a streaming revolution, and several presidents? You don't have to like what you're doing, but you have to know what you're doing.

Clarification June 25, 2021

An earlier reference to calendar-year box office did not accurately represent total box office, and has been removed.

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All Fast & Furious Movies Ranked

From bursting out the nose of an exploding plane, to skipping skyscraper to skyscraper, to gently guiding a bank safe across public roads and additional civil engineering, the Fast & Furious franchise has made its mission delivering more outrageous action than the previous movies could ever muster. And as the stunts got crazier for Dom (Vin Diesel), Brian (Paul Walker), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and the whole F&F -in’ family, critics were just as willing to go along for the ride. It was finally the fifth Furious film that earned the franchise’s first Fresh. And since then it’s been on a skyward trajectory, like a souped-up Karmann Ghia ramping off an Arrakis sandworm and barrel rolling between a fleet of nuclear dirigibles (you know we’re heading in this direction). Furious 7 reached a high emotional crescendo in the wake of Walker’s death, while follow-up F8 saw a dip, though stayed in the Fresh lane.

Furious 7 (2015) 81%

Fast Five (2011) 78%

Fast & Furious 6 (2013) 71%

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) 67%

The Fate of the Furious (2017) 67%

F9 The Fast Saga (2021) 59%

The Fast and the Furious (2001) 54%

Fast X (2023) 56%

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) 37%

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) 37%

Fast & Furious (2009) 28%

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Fast and the Furious, The (United States, 2001)

Speed, adrenaline, and a distinct lack of intelligence - those are characteristics that could easily be ascribed to street racing, an underground sports phenomenon that keeps the police busy in some communities. The same adjectives can be used to describe The Fast and the Furious , Rob Cohen's film about crime, underground cops, and, street racing. With a storyline that would be rejected by most undercover cop shows, The Fast and the Furious seeks to entertain viewers not by presenting a compelling narrative with well-defined characters, but by high-octane car chases that will leave some audiences gasping for breath.

As a filmmaker, Cohen doesn't have a sterling reputation (two of his more high-profile projects have been The Skulls and Daylight ), so it should come as no surprise that The Fast and the Furious is not a model of artistic integrity. The film tells the story of an undercover cop, Brian (Paul Walker), who infiltrates a street racing team headed by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). But racing isn't all Dominic is suspected of - the cops believe he's the leader of a gang that hijacks trucks. It's Brian's job to earn Dominic's trust, then bust open the crime ring. Unfortunately for Brian, he falls for Dominic's sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster).

The story is overly familiar and the characters are all types, but Cohen's cinematic techniques make The Fast and the Furious watchable. As the title suggests, the film never lets up. It's restless and hyperactive, jittery and explosive. The movie is no more intelligent than higher-profile dross like Pearl Harbor , but it's shorter and more fun. This movie has "guilty pleasure" written all over it. It's the kind of film you can walk into late, immerse yourself in for about 90 minutes, then forget about the moment you walk out of the theater. This is popcorn entertainment at its purest. There's nothing pretentious going on here.

In keeping with the MTV-style editing and radioactive camera movements, Cohen uses a cast of largely unknown but attractive actors. Top billing goes to Vin Diesel, the charismatic baritone who played the convict in Pitch Black and gave the title character its voice in The Iron Giant . Diesel is an actor to watch - he has the potential to go far. Less impressive is Paul Walker (who appeared in Cohen's The Skulls ), a cookie-cutter Southern California blond with minimal acting talent. Michelle Rodriguez (the lead in Girlfight ) uses her snarls and pouts to good advantage as the underwritten Letty, Dominic's sexy girlfriend. And Jordana Brewster ( The Invisible Circus ) offers a nice mix of sensuality and innocence. Cohen's style consistently shows each actor to his or her best advantage in every scene.

It's difficult to write a review of substance about something so vacuous. Really, all The Fast and the Furious offers is a bunch of good-looking people racing along streets in cars that go fast, faster, and fastest. The vehicles look as cool as the men and women driving them. There's a token bad guy or two, a little gunplay, and a few pyrotechnics, but, overall, this movie is all about racing. And, when it comes to capturing the essence of the sport, The Fast and the Furious beats Driven by several laps. Do I recommend the film? Only if you're in the mood for something that will elevate the pulse and numb the mind.

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• Review: In <i>Furious 7</i>, Gravity Is for Wimps

Review: In Furious 7 , Gravity Is for Wimps

T he rainbow coalition of hard drivers, grease monkeys and ultimate fighting women that make up the Fast and the Furious universe are charged with capturing a device from multinational miscreants bent on conquering the world. First, though, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) has to arrange a rendezvous with his current nemesis Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). They meet under an L.A. highway — Dom’s beloved ’69 Dodge R/T Charger growling at Deckard’s Aston Martin DB9 — and steer their vehicles into a high-speed head-on collision. Boom! It looks like mutually assured destruction, but nobody’s seriously hurt. It’s really just a workout for a couple of testosteronic gearheads, doing what manly men do best — crashing the cars they love.

The Fast and Furious movies — those odes to torn asphalt, crunching car-nage, auto-eroticism and, as the characters kept insisting, family values — have often shown a cavalier attitude toward death. Moviegoers in the theater must pretend that they are cocooned by film fantasy: that this universe is one that courts fatal impact without ever making good on the threat that may await audience members from some highway maniac on the drive home.

That blithe belief endured a toxic hit on Nov. 30, 2013. Paul Walker, who had played undercover cop Brian O’Conner since the original 2001 The Fast and the Furious , died when the Porsche Carrera GT driven by Walker’s friend Roger Rodas, a financial planner and amateur racer, crashed into a Valencia, Calif., light pole at a reported 80 to 90 m.p.h., igniting the car and killing both men. The star’s sudden death at 40 put a halt to the Furious 7 shoot and left series screenwriter Chris Morgan with two dreadful dilemmas: how to work Walker’s footage into a revamped movie and how to keep romanticizing the series’ theme — speed thrills — when it was also painfully evident that speed kills.

Furious 7 , opening nine months after the initial July 2014 release date, proves how splendidly, if preposterously, movie fiction can trump human tragedy. Without stinting on the greatest hits of the earlier films, it underlines the first law of cinema: that movies — and the people, stories and machines in them — have to move, collide, combust. Secure in this knowledge, 7 meets the demanding standards of the two previous entries, the crazy-great Fast Five (2011) and its amped-up, purified sequel Furious 6 (2013), while providing a tender onscreen farewell for the fallen Walker. It’s an enormous, steroidal blast, and as much ingenious fun as a blockbuster can be.

James Wan, the Saw and Conjuring magician who succeeded Justin Lin, director of the previous four entries, says he chose the Furious 7 title as a reference to Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 martial epic The Seven Samurai . Here, as there, rugged souls do humanity’s dirty work for the satisfaction and the fun. But in the Furious cosmos, these seven include two women. Brian has gone domestic with the foxy Mia (Jordana Brewster), and Dom is reunited with his lost love Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), still stricken with a telenovela case of amnesia. Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), the computer whiz, and Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), the resident motormouth, are joined by federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), who enlisted back in Fast Five and infused the skein with his cartoon gravitas.

As if to challenge the audience’s stomach for stark violence in a PG-13 film, Furious 7 begins with the fiery, almost Walker-like death of one of the series’ regulars (Sung Kang’s Han) and the totaling of Brian’s and Mia’s home. The villainous Deckard is supposed to be avenging the incapacitation of his brother Owen (Luke Evans), the prime bad guy from Furious 6, yet as he leaves Owen’s hospital he blows up his bro and the building that houses him. But this is just a crash test for sensitive viewers. The series long ago expanded from a drag-strip Götterdämmerung to a globe-circling showcase for spectacular stunts in exotic locales.

The plot: a CIA shadow who calls himself Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) wants the gang to corral some computer MacGuffin guarded by an IT genius named Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel, Game of Thrones’ Missandei) who’s been kidnapped by Deckard and pan-African warlord Jakande (Djimon Hounsou). Honestly, though, who cares? Ramsey is just the excuse for the group to infiltrate an Azerbaijan forest redoubt and recover the van that holds her. This sensational second-act chase, ramping up to Walker’s Brian in a literal cliffhanger, would be the climax of any other action picture, but it’s just a why-not escapade to keep you from going for popcorn during the movie’s two-hour-plus nonstop assault.

On we fly, to Abu Dhabi, where Dom and Brian hijack a sheik’s W Motors LykN Hypersport, vroom it out of the 50th floor of an Etihad Tower skyscraper and into the adjacent high-rise — and then again into a third building, before our heroes land somehow intact. “Cars can’t fly!” Brian keeps saying, but Furious 7 refutes all aeronautic logic with its next stunt, which one-ups the skydiving Elvises from the old movie (and the Broadway musical) Honeymoon in Vegas by dropping five members of the team and their cars 10,000 feet from a C-130 military transport. (Auto coordinator Dennis McCarthy, who deployed about 250 vehicles for the movie, insists that this was no illusion : the cars truly did float to earth, most of them safely.) By the end of the movie, back in L.A., you’re not surprised when a car can serve as surface-to-bad-guy-in-helicopter missile. In such a buoyant enterprise as this, gravity is for wimps.

Retaining one sweetly anachronistic element of the series, the cast goes not just fender-to-fender but fist on fist, bulk on bulk, hulk on hulk. Tough-guy franchise mavens Statham and Johnson mix it up in a fracas that leaves Hooks incapacitated for half of the movie — until he rises from his sick bed, cracks open his arm cast and mutters, “Time to go to work.” Rodriguez tangles with MMA Medusa Ronda Rousey, and Walker (or his stunt-double team) staves off a wondrously savage attack from Tony Jaa, the Muy Thai Warrior . As much as Furious 7 flirts with scenarios from The Avengers , in its heart, it still wants to be Fight Club .

No series with the worldwide box-office horsepower of this one — $2.4 billion so far, with a bonanza awaiting the release of Furious 7 — wants to imagine its own demise. So in its closing credits, each of the recent episodes has introduced a new villain for the next installment. Diesel, a Furious producer and guiding light, has said he sees 7 as the first in a third trilogy. (In strict chronology, the series is a kind of terrestrial Star Wars , in that the fourth through sixth films were one long flashback beginning at the end of the 2006 Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift ; Han’s death at Deckard’s hands brings the story back to the present.) Russell’s presence as Mr. Nobody may point toward future chapters, but 7 has no end-of-film tease. It must send its dead co-star on a verklempt trip to Valhalla.

In the series’ multiracial retinue of toughs, Walker’s Brian was the one WASP solid citizen. If the dark, glowering Diesel was the franchise’s engine, the blond Walker provided the ethical brakes — yin to Vin’s yang. Though the early films emphasized the near romantic charisma of this complementary couple, in Fast Five and Furious 6, Walker was really a supporting character, ornamental but not essential to the series’ grand grit. Yet Brian’s mulishness and recklessness sometimes hinted at a desperation in completing his mission. In the first film, when Dom doesn’t yet know that Brian is an undercover cop, Walker tells an FBI agent, “I just need some more time.” The agent snaps, “If you want Time, buy the magazine.”

Finally Walker ran out of it. But not Brian. Making judicious use of outtakes, CGI work and model-doubling from his younger brothers Caleb and Cody, the 7 filmmakers fully integrated the actor into the film. Their improvisatory skill and their feeling for their friend give his final moment a sleek, poignant, unforced grace. In a series that consistently elevates B-movie car crashes and smashes to state-of-the-art epiphanies, it’s only appropriate that a departed star should be able to cruise off to placid immortality.

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Fast X has the Fast and Furious franchise spinning its wheels

It’s become an endlessly self-referential series of gags, and you really have to be in on the joke

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The only deceptive thing about the Fast and Furious movies is that the people behind them pretend they’re still movies about cars. Don’t let the talk about torque and fuel-injection systems fool you: This series shifted into a different gear a long time ago. Specifically, it pivoted in 2011 with Fast Five , the movie that made Fast and Furious the hybrid superhero/superspy/super-heist franchise it is today. Since then, what was once a fresh (and, honestly, pretty funny) pivot has spun its wheels into the dirt. Which brings us to Fast X.

The villain in this latest chapter of the saga is Dante Reyes (once and future Aquaman Jason Momoa), the son of the Brazilian drug-dealer antagonist from Fast Five . Fast X opens with recycled footage from Fast Five showing Dante’s dad Hernan (Joaquim de Almeida) meeting his end in that film’s climactic bank heist/car chase. It’s a telling choice, because it reveals where the current incarnation of the series really began. It also reminds longtime fans what these movies used to be about — the car chase at the end of Fast Five is awesome, better than anything in Fast X — and what they’re ostensibly about now.

The answer to that last bit is — say it all together now — family. Fast X could not underline this theme any more clearly. This is a film with zero subtext, where characters state their motivations and explain what they’re about to do in the clearest of terms right before they do it. (“It’s a big-ass bomb!” a character says at one point, upon the reveal of said big-ass bomb. “I’m going to go kill the guy who’s trying to defuse my bomb,” Dante tells a flunky a few minutes later.) This bluntness is mostly just giggle-inducing. But it is helpful in the sense that, if a viewer happens to miss one of Fast X ’s many references to other Fast and Furious movies, another character will pop up to explain the connection moments later.

Fast X also lays out Universal’s master plan for the series by constantly underlining the importance of legacy and passing knowledge down through the generations , preemptively setting up a future reboot where Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) hands the car keys over to his son Little B (Leo Abelo Perry) after the epic three-part conclusion to the current saga is complete.

Fast X also passes the baton in terms of its supporting characters, introducing two new members of “the Agency” that controls the fates of Dom and his crew. Tess (Brie Larson) is the daughter of Kurt Russell’s Mr. Nobody, who’s currently “deep in hiding” (read: probably going to show up in a post-credits sequence at some point) after his plane was ambushed at the beginning of the last movie. Aimes (Alan Ritchson) is Mr. Nobody’s successor who’s out to get Dom and his friends until he isn’t.

New characters related to old characters also pop up on the good guys’ side, and our familiar friends — Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Mia (Jordana Brewster), Han (Sung Kang), Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), Roman (Tyrese Gibson), and Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel) — are there as well. Jakob (John Cena), the antagonist from the last movie, has been incorporated into Dom’s circle of trust, and even super-hacker Cipher (Charlize Theron) shows some temporary loyalty to the crew. And that’s not including the cameos!

At this point in their lives, Dom and Letty have settled down and become square parents — ones who keep guns with silencers in their night tables, but square parents nonetheless. They approach their lives and work with utter seriousness, whether they’re trying to stop a bomb or teach Little B the ropes. This makes them two of the least compelling characters in the movie. Their partners in crime (or heroism, depending on which movie you’re thinking of), meanwhile, are still cutting it up like old times. But while Han is on the dating apps and Tej and Roman still spend their days playfully teasing each other, the gags are starting to feel stale.

The characters having the most fun are both new additions to the franchise: Cena, doing a variation on his meathead rocker schtick from Peacemaker , brings fun uncle energy to his scenes. And Momoa? Well, the best way to describe his performance in this movie is as a nepo-baby Joker, embracing chaos and destabilizing Dom’s extended family while wearing pastel nail polish and silk shirts unbuttoned to the navel. He even rips off a line from The Dark Knight when he says: “Some men want to save the world. I just want to punish it.”

Given Dom’s habit of acquiring family members (a point Aimes lampshades by complaining about the Fast and Furious “cult” that keeps recruiting former enemies), there are a lot of characters to keep up with in Fast X. By necessity, director Louis Leterrier (taking over from longtime Fast and Furious mastermind Justin Lin, who left in early production) splits them up into parallel globe-trotting adventures. Some of these are more exciting than others: Tej, Roman, Ramsey, and Han spend most of the movie shopping for underworld tech and catching up with old friends in London, for example.

And when the action does come in, it’s a different style than in the best Fast and Furious movies. Leterrier obviously augmented the chase scenes with CGI, and the hand-to-hand combat is shot in that piecemeal way where not a single punch or kick is shown in its entirety from throw to impact. The whole thing is devoid of any sense of scale or location — and that’s before the nauseating drone photography comes in.

Even the excitement factor comes second to the almighty IP in Fast X, as audiences are encouraged to spend the duration pointing at the screen in recognition, like Leonardo DiCaprio in the Rick Dalton meme . This film is full of callbacks and references, repeating some of the series’ best stunts in warmed-over sequences that mostly reveal how this was more fun the first time. It’s disingenuous to bemoan a subtlety that this series never had, but the emphasis on lore in Fast X introduces an emotion that’s deadly for a film like this one: boredom.

Fast X suffers from the same condition as latter-day MCU movies, where it’s so laden with internal mythology that it feels more like homework than popcorn entertainment. “The days when one man behind the wheel of a car can make a difference are done,” Aimes soberly informs Dom in the buildup to the film’s fiery, physics-defying action climax, which naturally involves one man behind the wheel of a car. Aimes is meant to be wrong in his prediction, and wrong-headed for even thinking it. But the days when a goofy, overstated line like that is enough to keep audiences coming back to this franchise may be waning, too.

Fast X opens nationwide in theaters on May 19.

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• Entertainment

I'm Basically a Member of Dom's Familia After Watching Every Fast and Furious Movie in 1 Weekend

Updated on 5/15/2020 at 4:10 PM

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend turned to me and said, "I think we should watch every single Fast and Furious movie this weekend." With little on the agenda (read: absolutely no plans) and nothing but time on our hands, I agreed — and damn, it was an intense weekend, to say the least. The first thing you remember (or learn, if you've never watched one of these movies before) is that this movie franchise is straight up ridiculous. It seems wild enough when they drive cars underneath trucks, and the vague suggestion that every car on the road has a hidden button that releases NOS to make the car go faster is as iconic to the films as it is laughable. But by the time Dwayne Johnson enters the scene in Fast Five , any semblance of reality has already flown out the window — and that's exactly what makes these movies so good.

Our first hurdle was deciding which order to watch the films in. Similar to Star Wars (now, now, stay with me), there is a little bit of debate on whether you should watch the films chronologically or in the order they were released. The confusion is all thanks to The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift , which was released in 2006. Avid fans of the franchise know that it hit cinemas after 2 Fast 2 Furious , but chronologically in the story, it fits between the sixth and seventh film. This may be controversial, but we decided to honour the story, rather than the movie's release dates, and you'll just have to trust me when I say that this was absolutely the right choice.

We started on a Friday night with the first movie, The Fast and the Furious , and followed it up with the weird 2 Fast 2 Furious Turbo Charged Prelude , which helps bridge the gap between the first two films. The next two days were a high-octane ride, and I maintain that it was a great use of my time. Oh, and when I say we watched all the movies, I mean it. Keep on reading to find out how I fared when watching every single Fast and Furious movie in one weekend.

The Fast and the Furious

I hadn't watched The Fast and the Furious in probably 10 years (at least), so it was not only super nostalgic but also just a really fun watch. I'd completely forgotten that Brian (Paul Walker) is an FBI agent, even though it's a key plot point throughout the entire franchise. I cackled over the fact that the entire reason Brian is undercover is to catch a gang of thieves — led by Vin Diesel's character, Dom — who are stealing Panasonic TVs with in-built VCR players. The movie was released in 2001, and with the combination of high-octane driving scenes, loads of large-scale destruction of Los Angeles streets, and bursts of humor throughout, I couldn't help but think that these were the original Marvel movies.

2 Fast 2 Furious Turbo Charged Prelude

When doing our research on which order to watch the Fast and Furious movies, we came across two short films that bridge the gap between a couple of the movies: 2 Fast 2 Furious Turbo Charged Prelude is one of them. Essentially, this six-minute movie loosely explains how Brian travels to Miami (where 2 Fast 2 Furious is set) from California, since the last time we see him in The Fast and the Furious , he's surrounded by cops after letting Dom get away.

2 Fast 2 Furious

Once Brian reaches Miami, he quickly gets involved in the street-racing scene (of course). But before he can have too much fun, the feds catch up with him and send him undercover all over again — except this time, he enlists his old friend Roman (Tyrese Gibson) to join him. I'd forgotten so many things about this movie: for starters, Eva Mendes is a key character, plus Ludacris is also a huge character in this franchise, and there's a scene in the club that involves a gang and a rat trapped under a bucket on a man's stomach that I can never unsee.

I had also completely forgotten about the scene where Brian drives while looking deep into Mendes's eyes instead of watching the road, and as a teenager, I just thought this was the most romantic thing ever.

Los Bandoleros

Los Bandoleros has been described as the Diesel-directed Fast and Furious movie you've probably never heard of. It's the second short film that helps give context of what the characters have been up to in between movies. This one's set in the Dominican Republic and follows Dom's story after his escape at the end of The Fast and the Furious . Less about fast cars (shock, I know), Los Bandoleros is a continuation of Dom and Letty's (Michelle Rodriguez) love story, and in the two 10-minute clips, they reunite after spending years apart and get married.

• Fast & Furious

After eight years out of the game, Dom is forced out of hiding and returns to California in Fast & Furious to join forces with Brian and the familia. It's almost like Diesel felt like he had something to prove, because in just the cold open, he and the gang highjack a huge fuel tanker as they weave through winding mountain roads. And just as one of the tanks catches alight and starts tumbling towards him, he manages to maneuver the car underneath it and speed off to safety.

A lot more happens in Fast & Furious — like Dom and Brian racing through secret tunnels across the border to Mexico to avenge Letty's death — but the cold open really sets the scene for all the crazy that's to come. Brian and Dom aren't immediately best friends when this movie kicks off, but of course, they're once again brothers by the end.

These movies are just a series of threats to Walker's beautiful face, which is a fact that starts causing me great distress by the time Fast Five rolls around. And although that's the most upsetting part of Fast Five , it's not the biggest plot point. Dwayne Johnson joins the cast as Luke Hobbs, a DSS agent tasked with tracking down Dom after the crew breaks him out of a bus while on his way to prison. What ensues is a battle of brute strength, but in the end, The Rock is part of the familia too.

There are a few questions I could't get out of my head while watching this movie, like, why is The Rock so sweaty all the time? What conversations took place to lead the storyline to Dom's crew stealing a safe worth $100 million, strapping it to the back of their cars, and driving it through Rio while running from the criminals and smashing up the entire city? When will we find out that Letty is actually alive?

The Fast and Furious movies are just a compilation of outrageous scenarios that are so far past the realm of possibility, they swing all the way back around to completely plausible. And at the end of the day, you just can't help but root for this rat-pack bunch of lovable criminals.

Fast & Furious 6

As the movies went on, I realized that one of the only reasons you're able to move past the ridiculousness (which gets even more out of hand in Fast & Furious 6 , I might add) and keep on watching is because of Dom's dedication to his family. Also, Walker's face.

Fast & Furious 6 sees the introduction of an army tank and a jumbo jet into the street racing, and no, I'm not kidding. Diesel driving his muscle car straight through the nose of a burning jet will go down in Fast and Furious history as the most hilariously farcical moment in the entire franchise. It is the same level of iconic as the moment when Daenerys emerges from the fire completely unscathed in Game of Thrones .

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

I'd heard mixed reviews about The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift , but I actually loved it. Han is easily one of the best characters in the franchise, and I'm equally obsessed with his sense of humor as I am with his propensity for eating snacks at all times . Choosing to watch the film where it fits into the story's timeline, rather than its release date (after 2 Fast 2 Furious ), was a great choice. In fact, I think the way the creators gave us more screen time with Han and managed to seamlessly fit the movie into the overall timeline (between Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7 ) was . . . genius.

Famously, Furious 7 was in production when Walker tragically died in a car accident in 2013. I was nervous to watch this movie because I knew I'd be a mess at the end (and I definitely was), but there's no doubt that his exit from the franchise was handled with an incredible amount of respect and care. Firstly, I was relieved they didn't kill off his character, Brian, instead finishing his arc with the decision to stop being a criminal and spend time with his young family instead. The final scene, where Dom and Brian drive off in separate directions to Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth's "See You Again," is heartbreaking, but it also felt like the perfect send-off for a character (and actor) who was so obviously loved.

Aside from the ending that left me blubbering long after the credits finished rolling, the rest of the movie is just as batsh*t crazy as the others. In fact, probably more so. They fly cars backwards out of an aeroplane (I had to pause the movie to laugh), and there's an insane fight scene between The Rock and Jason Statham that is, frankly, far too much for me to handle. I loved it all.

Fate of the Furious

Fate of the Furious is the first film released after Walker's departure, and his absence is definitely felt. That said, this movie still slaps. In fact, I think the writers added even more over-the-top action scenes to distract us from the Brian-shaped hole in the story. Fate of the Furious sees the familia take on Russia, and I had to pause the movie no fewer than three times to laugh at how obscene the action gets.

I almost shed a tear over Scott Eastwood's character, Little Nobody, driving a blue car, which was Brian's signature, because honestly, how dare he. But really, all you need to know about this installment is that Helen Mirren nails an East London accent.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is the first spinoff movie from the Fast and Furious franchise, but I still rate it. Deckard Shaw (Statham) and Hobbs (Johnson) join forces to save the world and end up doing it from Samoa, which means this film features the same ridiculous storylines and action scenes — all set to the backdrop of a tropical paradise.

Better Luck Tomorrow

Released in 2002, Better Luck Tomorrow is a crime drama featuring fan-favorite Han long before his adventures with Dom, Brian, and the crew even get started. It was also the directorial debut for Justin Lin, who went on to helm five other films in the franchise. Look, I really wanted to like this movie (Han is one of my favorite characters, after all), but 20 minutes in, there was still no real sign of him. It definitely has more of an indie feel to it and less of the blockbuster action I've become accustomed to, and since it doesn't really link in with the main storyline in any significant way, I decided to skip it. Sorry, Han, I just can't watch you like this.

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Movie Review: Fast & Furious (2009)

• General Disdain
• Movie Reviews
• 9 responses
• --> April 5, 2009

The pickings must be slim for Vin Diesel and Paul Walker these days. How else can you explain why they would come back to star in Fast and Furious when they left the series on high notes after The Fast and the Furious eight years ago? You can’t, and this half-hearted attempt to recapture what the franchise lost guarantees the pickings for these guys will remain slim at best.

Anyways, since they had the audacity to star in this movie and I made the mistake of watching it, let me go through the motions of telling you why you shouldn’t.

If you recall from the first flick, Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) was an FBI agent sent to infiltrate the car theft ring led by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). He fell in love with Dominic’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), got caught up in the rice racer atmosphere and ultimately let Dominic escape. Now they’re both inexplicably back, teaming up in a mutually beneficial alliance to infiltrate the empire of a drug kingpin known as Braga.

There’s not much else to say, other than the plot is so paper thin it is transparent. Writer Chris Morgan tries to spice this weak, seen it before story by infusing some nagging nuances to spice Fast and Furious up like: Dom still being a wanted man and Brian still being an agent of the law, and Brian having dumped Mia years ago and her not being so happy about seeing him again. Perhaps there could have been something more to these nods to the original but since the characters are so one-dimensional and poorly acted out, what little tension and resolution there is doesn’t mean a thing.

And then I realized, Fast and Furious could have had its story centered around barehanded fishing for catfish in a backwoods Georgia lake and it wouldn’t have mattered — it’s all about the flashy neon cars that make high pitched whining sounds when revved hard, heart pounding and reckless street racing, and the flashy broads who love them both. There’s plenty of all three to get the Need For Speed addicts, whom I presume this movie was made for, all sweaty palmed and blurry-eyed.

Problem is, aside from the opening sequence in which Toretto and team hijack a tanker truck while moving, there isn’t much to the races/chases to see that hasn’t been done a hundred times before. Hell, at least the utter mess that was The Fast and the Furious:Tokyo Drift showcased a new aspect of racing known as drifting. Things get so bad in this installment that two nearly identical chase scenes are filmed in the same “tunnel” between Mexico and the U.S. (I guess $85 million for production doesn’t cover what it used to).

I do have to credit to the marketers of the film though as they really got the tagline right for Fast and Furious . It reads: ‘New Model. Original Parts.’ It’s the first time I’ve seen truth in advertising although they could have gone a bit further with it. It probably should have read: ‘Same as the First. Only More Expensive and a Whole Lot Dumber.’

I'm an old, miserable fart set in his ways. Some of the things that bring a smile to my face are (in no particular order): Teenage back acne, the rain on my face, long walks on the beach and redneck women named Francis. Oh yeah, I like to watch and criticize movies.

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'Movie Review: Fast & Furious (2009)' have 9 comments

April 6, 2009 @ 6:46 am Pete

If you were looking for an Oscar worthy movie out of this of course you were going to be disappointed. Its a decent action flick, not as good as the previous movies but good enough.

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April 7, 2009 @ 3:37 pm sam

These movie is a whole lot better than other car movies, there is style, music, cars, girls, races, what more do you want. this is not suppose to give you a superb storyline, its meant to entertain, and it succeeds in doing just that.

April 7, 2009 @ 5:37 pm General Disdain

We’ll have to agree to disagree. There wasn’t anything entertaining about this movie. Like I mentioned in my review, the only halfway decent action came at the beginning. Otherwise, it was all rehashed crap.

April 14, 2009 @ 6:30 am george

i didnt like it han is alive so that ruins it from the begining and plus vin gets put in prison at the end wasnt happy about that races were typical and boring toyko drift had more of a story happening 6/10 for me very disapointed

April 16, 2009 @ 4:26 am Bruxism

I really liked the first Fast & Furious film. Whilst I’m not surprised that this new one is rubbish it is a shame. Thanks for the review; I won’t be rushing out to see this.

April 17, 2009 @ 10:15 pm Sally

I loved this movie! It was exciting. I liked how each time they make a movie they go to a different place and include other cultures. I enjoyed seeing them together again. I’d like for them to make one with all the main actors. Great Job for the type of movie it is…fun, entertaining, you don’t have to do a lot of thinking so it’s relaxing.

April 20, 2009 @ 10:07 pm Anh Khoi Do

I agree that the story of the film is not much of a gem here despite the fact that I found the film a little bit entertaining. In addition to the poor dialogues and the cold performance by the cast, I was dismayed that the plot doesn’t involve any confrontation of principles between Dom and Brian. In fact, how does a cop tries to put his interest together with someone who is clearly out for revenge? The film doesn’t delve into the character’s psyche at the expense of the action scenes which obviously look all alike (except for the first action scene).

Finally, there’s one praise that I’d make for the film. In fact, unlike the two previous instalments, this one is not a parade of clichés that you see in cop and, in the case of the third film, teenager films.

May 1, 2009 @ 4:48 pm phillip

I think the movie was a lot better than the last three the person who wrote the review Obviously dont know what the hell hes talking about. If not for the same cast being in it i would have not watched the movie. I like how they used famous cars like the year one Trans Am and the F-bomb but this guy probably dont know what those are maybe he should stick to Chick Flicks.

May 1, 2009 @ 5:50 pm General Disdain

So if the original cast wasn’t starring in this, you wouldn’t have watched it? Why not? It still has famous cars like the year one Trans Am and the F-Bomb Camaro . . .

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A Very Serious Literary Analysis of the Fast and the Furious Films

They deserve to be treated like all other works of high art.

The Fast and the Furious franchise is the pinnacle of modern cinema. We know this. Off the top of my head I can't think of another franchise that's been successful on so many fronts. It's profitable, it has longevity, it's got one of the most diverse casts in Hollywood, and most importantly, it inspires loyalty. When Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) talks about the "family"—his crew of friends and drivers, who motivate his every action—he's also talking about the audience. We're not just there to watch car chases and street races, we're there because we care about the family.

So here's a lesson in how the Famiglia does drama.

Note: Spoilers for The Fate of the Furious follow.

Family vs Man

What is it?

Stories with heroes and villains, good guys and bad guys. Your typical source of drama.

Every Fast and the Furious film has involved the family fighting their enemies, whether it's Mexican drug lords or Japanese mob bosses or Charlize Theron in horrible blonde twists. The villains come and go, but the knowledge that there will be a fresh one every time is what gives life to the series. This is not a Superman and Lex Luthor situation. There is no one Big Bad—or if there is, it's not in the form of a rogue mercenary.

The Family, always.

Family vs Society

When the enemy is not a single person but the system , maaaaan . Think of characters struggling with suffocating traditions or a corrupt government.

For a while, the biggest threat to the Famiglia was the law—Paul Walker (RIP) as Brian O'Conner in the FBI, The Rock as Luke Hobbs in the DEA. When society threatens your existence, what's an outlaw family to do? Make society into your Famiglia! By the end of the fourth film (which many consider the reboot of the franchise), Brian has resigned from the FBI and is busting Dom out of prison. And while Luke starts off as a representative of the law, he eventually calls in the Family to help him, and becomes a part of it in the process.

The Family, but also Society, because Society is now part of the Family.

Family vs Nature

The struggle against this cruel and random planet, to which we will all one day return as dust.

It might seem that a franchise based on cars would not involve much nature, but between the treacherous mountain ranges in Furious 7 and miles of ice in Fate of the Furious , increasingly the biggest threat to the Family is a natural landscape. The threat of the natural world in the more recent films adds tension to what could otherwise be rote chase scenes. Sure, you're being chased by Russians in tanks, but what if you could fall through the ice to your death any minute? (Also, there is a submarine under the ice, because of course there is.) Nature–and submarines–are truly sublime.

The Family. Fuck mountains.

Family vs Technology

Similar to a fight against Society, this is a conflict in which technology is not our benign tool. Examples include computers becoming sentient, a computer you built but cannot destroy, and a robot punching you in the face.

Where would the franchise be without Tej? Ludacris' character is the geek of the Family, if that word is even applicable to a hot street racer who has heisted millions of dollars. He's the one the crew goes to for all their technical challenges, whether it's breaking through a Brazilian vault's security system, making a NOS-powered harpoon gun out of a confiscated weapon, or hacking into God's Eye, the worldwide surveillance system in F7 that made everyone a little nervous about just what information our cell phones could give out. In the latest film, the crew goes up against Cipher (Charlize Theron), who can do things like spy on the crew through ATM cameras and hack into car computers to send an army of driverless car zombies against the crew.

The Family. They have two hackers on their team, and both of them are hot.

Family vs Self

The internal conflict of anyone's life, as we all struggle with doubts, self-hatred, and personal flaws. The most emo of all the conflicts.

The Fate of the Furious hinges on Dom betraying the family, something that gave fans a collective heart attack when the trailers first ran. DOES FAMILY EVEN MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU, DOM? DO YOU EVEN LIKE CORONA ?? But the crew fighting each other has been part of the series since it began. While Dom and Brian have pretty much always been family, in the first film they didn't know it yet, and they were at least nominal enemies through the fourth film. Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) has also turned against the crew, though to be fair, she had amnesia and was just living out a bad soap opera version of her life. And now, Dom has turned against his family...for what? Hint: It's also family.

The Family, because what doesn't kill them makes them stronger.

Family vs Fate

Have you ever had the sneaking suspicion that your choices are not your own, but rather the predetermined will of a supreme being or force, and thus your very consciousness a joke in the face of a life filled with predetermined outcomes? Yeah, that.

In Fate of the Furious , Cipher will not shut up about fate, probably because it's the name of the movie. Every single spiel she gives to Dom about why he's betrayed his crew to work for her has to do with destiny and choice and free will and who has the power to create their own future. She may think she has the power to control Dom's fate, but, surprise—he's a magic car beast who will be contained by no one. Or maybe his fate was just to be with his family all along.

The Family, because nobody tells them what to do.

Family vs the Supernatural

Magic and stuff.

Though Dom's hulking, silver cross necklace has played heavily into the plots of the past two films, the supernatural is the only enemy the Family hasn't faced...yet. And we have some ideas as to how that could happen. Ghost Han (Sung Kang) comes back to haunt them, seeking revenge after they teamed up with his killer? A reveal that Dom stole the Car Gem from Thanos and now the crew is going to join the Guardians of the Galaxy? Letty has been a witch this whole time and her secret coven turns on her? (If any of those actually happen, remind us to collect royalties.)

Do you even need to ask at this point?

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The fast and the furious, common sense media reviewers.

Flashy street-racing movie with violence, profanity, sexism.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Family and friendship are important values.

Though the movie tries to show depth to the charac

Main characters come from various racial-ethnic ba

Frequent street races and car chases. Pictures of

A woman's breasts are shown through a wet shirt. A

The "N" word is used once. A character is called a

Corona beer bottles are prominently shown. A chara

Characters drink at a house party and smoke cigare

Parents need to know that The Fast and the Furious is a heist film that spawned a franchise that includes sequels, spin-offs, and an animated series. Violence includes non-graphic shoot-outs that leave one character dead and another seriously wounded. There are photos of an injured man, though it's not gory…

Positive Messages

Positive role models.

Though the movie tries to show depth to the characters -- one mourns the loss of his father, another has ADHD -- the time devoted to the unrelenting car races and chases prevents any further developments. Despite being a gang leader, Dominic believes in loyalty to friends and family.

Diverse Representations

Main characters come from various racial-ethnic backgrounds and though they're gang members, they're also the film's heroes. Female characters are binary, either tough women with agency like Letty, or objectified eye candy in skimpy outfits that follow the cars and their drivers. Two women kiss (not romantically; it's done to excite racers -- most of them men). A character has ADHD.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Frequent street races and car chases. Pictures of a man after he was beaten in the face repeatedly with a wrench. A character gets a nozzle shoved into his mouth and is forced to drink motor oil. The same person is later kicked in the head. A trucker fires a shotgun at drivers trying to hijack his truck. Machine-gun fire in a drive-by shooting. A character gets hit in the head with a baseball bat. A fistfight results in visible blood. Explosions, but nothing graphic. Men grope at women's breasts and rear ends without consent.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

A woman's breasts are shown through a wet shirt. A woman tells a driver at the starting line of a street race that if he wins, he gets to have a threesome with her and another woman. Characters kiss passionately in a few scenes. Background characters also kiss in suggestive ways meant to excite the racers.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

The "N" word is used once. A character is called a "f--got." A couple instances of "f--k." "S--t," "hell," and "bastard" are all used. In one scene, two women are called "skanks."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Corona beer bottles are prominently shown. A character drinks Snapple. Pizza Hut logo featured on a pizza-delivery vehicle. And the film itself is the first of many sequels.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters drink at a house party and smoke cigarettes.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that The Fast and the Furious is a heist film that spawned a franchise that includes sequels, spin-offs, and an animated series. Violence includes non-graphic shoot-outs that leave one character dead and another seriously wounded. There are photos of an injured man, though it's not gory. Characters drink and smoke. Corona beer seems to be an especially obvious product placement, and giving someone a beer is a gesture of honor and acceptance. Characters kiss, including same-sex kissing, and women are constantly objectified. Men grope at women's breasts and rear ends. A woman's breasts are shown through a wet shirt. A woman tells a driver at the starting line of a street race that if he wins, he gets to have a threesome with her and another woman. Characters use strong language, including "f--k," the "N" word, and "f--got." Characters are frequently in extreme peril, both in racing and in shoot-outs. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (17)
• Kids say (65)

Based on 17 parent reviews

This movie was really good and great it just had to much cuss and sex I like it

What's the story.

In THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, Brian ( Paul Walker ) is an LAPD officer who's sent to infiltrate the hidden world of street racers. He also becomes interested in Mia ( Jordana Brewster ), the sister of gang leader -- and the fastest driver of them all -- Dom ( Vin Diesel ). Brian quickly becomes a member of Dom's ragtag team of outcasts, which includes mechanic Jesse (Chad Lindberg), brooding Vince (Matt Schulze), and fellow racer Letty ( Michelle Rodriguez ). But after races and chases in various locales, it turns out that neither Dom nor Brian has been telling the truth. Both will have to put what they care about most on the line before it's all over.

Is It Any Good?

This franchise starts with a bang, in what is one of the best executed action films of the early 2000s. Best remembered for its sleek cars, exciting races, and nonsensical plot, The Fast and the Furious should also be regarded for its inclusivity, as it has one of the most diverse ensembles in its genre.

Nothing in the film is supposed to be taken at face value, which is why the story is filled with cliches, borrowing from Western, police, and heist sub-genres, and its plots and twists can be predicted from a mile away. The point is to sit back, relax, and enjoy the wild ride.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the way outcasts create families, such as the scene in The Fast and the Furious where Dom presides over a barbecue dinner with his friends and colleagues. What does the idea of found family mean to you?

How are women portrayed in this movie? Do they feel like positive portrayals, or do they fall into stereotypes? Can both be true at the same time?

What do you think is the appeal of movies in which cars are altered to go at very fast speeds and the drivers take outrageous risks? What are some of the stunts best filed under "Don't try this at home"?

Movie Details

• In theaters : June 22, 2001
• On DVD or streaming : June 3, 2003
• Cast : Michelle Rodriguez , Paul Walker , Vin Diesel
• Director : Rob Cohen
• Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors, Multiracial actors
• Studio : Universal Pictures
• Genre : Thriller
• Topics : Cars and Trucks , Brothers and Sisters , Friendship
• Run time : 106 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : violence, language, and brief sexuality
• Last updated : April 14, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Suggest an Update

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Movie Review | 'Fast Five'

Vrooooom! Vrooooom! Flex ’Em if You Got ’Em

• Share full article

By Manohla Dargis

• April 28, 2011

At one point during the preordained throwdown between the two colossi who stride through “Fast Five,” Dwayne Johnson rips off his bulletproof vest with the practiced economy of a 17th-century courtesan flinging off her corset. His character, a professional tough guy bluntly named Hobbs, has just found his fugitive bad twin, Dom, the gnomic guru of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, played by Vin Diesel. They are the fast and, yes, the furious. Yet as these giants grasp each other’s bulging muscles, their bald heads rearing in the frame with tumescent vigor, it’s easy to imagine that they’d like some alone time.

They don’t get it, largely because the earth might spin off its axis if they did, though also because the director Justin Lin, having come of cinematic age in the maximalist era of Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, cleaves to the principle of more. About the only silence you hear in this movie, amid the crunch of metal and the hard rain of shattering glass, is the one between Dom’s ears. Given that he’s been molded along the bulbous lines of Sly and Arnold, but with a hip-hop backbeat, this makes sense. Words, after all, are tricky, undependable things, and Dom communicates just fine with glares (darting, lingering, burning) and gears (fast, faster, fastest). When he zoom-zooms, everyone listens.

“Fast Five” is the fifth installment in this surprisingly durable, often absurdly entertaining series, though the fourth chronologically. I didn’t notice or care about the disjointed time frame, what with all the distracting noise on screen. In a free-for-all like this, where the laws of gravity and dictates of narrative logic are left to eat dust , it doesn’t matter when anything takes place or why. Here things happen — like two racing cars pulling, with choreographed precision, an enormous safe through Rio de Janeiro without killing the entire populace — because the filmmakers make it so. Characters, like franchises, can even rise from the dead, as with Han (Sung Kang), who checked out in the previous movie, “Tokyo Drift.” In genre filmmaking it’s all about the eternal return.

Han’s seeming resurrection allows him to reunite with Dom and much of the old crew, including Brian (Paul Walker, wooden), a former cop and street-racing fiend who’s in love with Dom’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster, leaden). Shortly after the movie opens, these well-matched empty vessels are making goo-goo eyes at each other on a Brazilian train, a lull before the over-the-top robbery that sparks the combustible action. Mr. Lin, a smart tease, waits before showing Mr. Diesel in all his hypertrophied glory. Dom enters as a cubistic enigma — a hammy hand manhandling a gear shift, a bulky outline in long shot — before bursting into full view in a nimbus of white light, a cross slung around his neck to announce his status as the franchise redeemer.

He doesn’t save it alone, having help from Tyrese Gibson and the moonlighting musicians Chris Bridges (a k a Ludacris), Tego Calderón and Don Omar. On the little ladies’ side a former Miss Israel, Gal Gadot, mostly mounts and dismounts a motorcycle, though she also points her bony, bikinied hips toward the story’s ogling heavy, Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). The Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, as a Brazilian cop, mainly bats her lovely lashes at Dom. All these types are in play because Dom wants to rip off Reyes, though the big steal here is from the “Ocean’s Eleven” series, innocuous pilfering that helps put meat on what had become an emaciated run of flicks. Mr. Johnson, trying his best to look serious, is the gravy.

Manufactured for extreme wows and not a single thought, “Fast Five” is an exemplar of industrial moviemaking calculation, one that combines demographic savvy with revving engines, grunting men, crashing cars and promenading female bumpers that are made for looking but not touching, partly to maintain the child-friendly PG-13 rating, partly to keep the men and action moving relentlessly forward. In between the increasingly over-the-top action scenes that turn Rio into another demolition derby for visiting Americans, the writer Chris Morgan tosses in a little God talk and some manly jabber about family (along with some self-aware laughs), if not enough to provoke even the young and the restless to start texting. The only time you won’t be watching the screen is when your eyes have squeezed shut because you’re laughing so hard.

“Fast Five” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Crash, boom, bang, crash, boom, bang.

Opens on Friday nationwide.

Directed by Justin Lin; written by Chris Morgan, based on characters created by Gary Scott Thompson; director of photography, Stephen F. Windon; edited by Christian Wagner, Kelly Matsumoto and Fred Raskin; music by Brian Tyler; production design by Peter Wenham; costumes by Sanja Milkovic Hays; produced by Neal H. Moritz, Michael Fottrell and Vin Diesel; released by Universal Pictures. Running time: 2 hours 3 minutes.

WITH: Vin Diesel (Dom Toretto), Paul Walker (Brian O’Conner), Jordana Brewster (Mia Toretto), Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pearce), Sung Kang (Han), Gal Gadot (Gisele), Elsa Pataky (Elena), Chris Bridges, a k a Ludacris (Tej), Tego Calderón (Leo) , Don Omar (Santos), Matt Schulze (Vince), Joaquim de Almeida (Reyes) and Dwayne Johnson (Luke Hobbs).

A film review on Friday about “Fast Five,” the fifth feature released in theaters in the “Fast and Furious” series, misstated the film’s chronological order in the plot of the series. It is the fourth, not the third.

How we handle corrections

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“Fast and Furious” 7 Film Review Essay Example

• Pages: 6 (1619 words)
• Published: January 26, 2022

The Fast and Furious film franchise is one of the most popular around the world. It has amassed a huge following due to its dazzling storyline and well executed moves. The latest installation of the Fast and Furious franchise is Fast and Furious 7 which was released in 2015. The film incorporates a host of top actors and a successful director such as Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Tyreese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Chris Bridges and Lucas Black among others. It is based on speed and explores the personal relationship between the actors as they engage in high speed pursuits to stop a highly motivated criminal. It falls under the mystery and suspense or Action and Adventure genre. The stunt work and the acting prowess of the internationally recognized cast make Fast and Furious 7 a scintillating film that keeps the viewer o

n the edge of the seat.

Fats and Furious 7 shows a great film evolution from the other previous movies in the franchise. This latest installation has matured to become a globe-trotting film characterized by death-defying stunts. The franchise’s continuous success comes from a well-developed plot that is complemented by top-notch stunts and visual to appeal to the viewer. The plot of the movie is satisfactory but it is enhanced by other film elements such as the visuals and character attributes. Most movie critics agree that most people waited for and watched the film because of its stunt set pieces and sequences that involve the acts performing unconventional things using flash muscle cars. One critic observes the proficiency of the film by stating that.

The car scenes are equally proficient. And the film’s midsection, which

piles action sequence upon action sequence, is the most riveting and exciting set piece I’ve seen in years. It pulses with adrenaline and a visual humor to match the comic camaraderie of its characters (Ebert Digital par.8).

They walk way leaving wreckages while they have no health issues to complain about. Some of the standout stunts include the Toretto (Diesel) destroying a fighter jet innovatively using his car and the drive between skyscrapers in Abu Dhabi. The stunts, although they give the film its identity, seem to have an inclination towards the impossible. Right before the drive between the skyscrapers, Brian (Paul Walker) tells Dom (Vin Diesel) that cars don’t fly. Willmore notes the conversation, “Dom, cars don’t fly! Cars don’t fly!” Brian yells before its biggest stunt. Furious 7 makes you believe they can” (par.5). Regardless, they execute the stunt successfully. The nature of the stunt is unbelievable but the movie is inclined to inform the audience that everything is possible as long as the crew is on it. These stunts and others in the movie give critics the right to label the movie as over the top. Essentially, the stunts have a low level of believability but they are essential to highlight the prowess and abnormal circumstances that the lead cast operates in. The Fast and Furious 7 takes stunt work to a higher notch, bringing intrigue that stems from the jaw-dropping actions.

Another notable visual feature that makes the film as standout one from the rest of the franchise’s installment is the collection of cars and the enhanced relationship between the ethnically diverse cast. Shoard notes that “…there’s proven to be remarkable mileage in

F&F’s combo of fast cars, sucker punches, ethnically-diverse buddies and pedal-pushing babes” (par.3)The film budged was raised significantly based on the projected returns from the successes of the previous films. The increased budgets explain the splashier set pieces and the recruitment of other sympathetic stars such as Dwayne Johnson who serves as Luke Hobbs. The Fast and Furious films have depicted a gradual growth of the character relationships. The front men are attached to each other emotionally as very good friends who would do anything for each other, including risking their lives. They are a “family” according to Toretto. Toretto is the ultimate glue that holds all the characters together. He serves as the big brother who would do anything possible to protect the people he loves. He has demonstrated this attribute throughout the Fast and Furious movies. He takes it a notch higher in the seventh installation (Morris par.5). He is willing to risk everything to avenge any harm caused to his colleagues who he considers as family. The other characters show commitment to the bond that holds them together and has seen them overcome many troubles. Their characters merge well and bring a sentimental attribute to the film. They are comfortable with each as showcased by their mutual trust even when they are risking their lives performing high risk maneuvers. In Fast Furious 7, this emotional bond is highlighted intensely as the friends joke around and hang out with each other during their free time. In addition to the variety of high adrenaline stunts, the audience is attracted to the film by the emotional attribute between the characters.

The highlight of the movie is

the emotional undertone behind the death of one of the leading cast members Paul Walker. Throughout the film, there are many instances where the place of Paul Walker in the film is highlighted. The actor died from a high-speed car crash while the film was halfway done. Having worked with many of the characters in the film, there was not only an on-screen emotional bond but a real friendship. The filming of Fast and Furious 7 took a hit after the death of Paul Walker because it meant that there would be numerous rewrites (Morris par.3). The film was initially delayed after his death, put on hold, and later revived through plot rethinking and use of Walker’s brothers. It is incredible how the film manages to incorporate the departed walker in the story, enhancing the emotional appeal of the movie. For example, the film refers to the initial First and Furious installation where Walker and Diesel have some tender dialogue. At one instance, the film captures an overhead shot of a dividing road as the two move in two different directions. This shot is one of the most significant memoirs that show the departure of Paul Walker. It capture the attentional of the viewer and invokes an emotional feel. Evidently, the audience were curious to find out how the movie would be without one of its lead men. The film directors and cast did a good job highlighting the importance of Paul Walker and giving him the right recognition (Rotten Tomatoes). As such, the film is a heartwarming tribute to Paul Walker in every way. The movie and actor’s fans get a well-deserved tribute that

resonates to the contribution of the actor in the film and general movie sector. The film lives up to the hype created after the death of Paul Walker. Essentially, the audience were waiting for the film eagerly for sadder reasons. There was a huge burden placed on the film creators to assemble a film that not only fulfills the entertainment expectations but also offers a good tribute to one of its main actors. As such, the movie was successful because it offered closure to the fans, leaving them satisfied emotionally.

Although the movie elements such as the plot, visuals and characters merge well, there are moments where there is uncomfortable viewing. Initially, the film offers a disclaimer that there may be violence, strong language and suggestive content to prepare the audience. However, there are instances when the events catch the viewer unprepared especially with the death of Paul Walker in mind. There are vicious car crashes and explosions that serve as uneasy reminders of the plight of Paul Walker. Although the movie is cautious not to draw parallels in scenes with the actual case of Paul Walker, it is impossible for the viewer not to watch the movie with the death of Paul Walker from a Vicious car crash at the back of the mind. Although the crashes are meant for entertainment purposes, an emotionally conscious viewer might end up feeling guilty for enjoying the car crashes so much yet there are underlying consequences from the movie. However, there is no deliberate reflection on the actual Paul Walker’s crash. This downside of the movie is dependent on the emotional maturity of the viewer. Some may view

the violent crashes as insensitivity and give the film criticism on that basis but others may not give the film criticism on that basis because they understand that the judgment is based on their guilt.

In conclusion, the movie gives the audience what they expected. It manages to offer entertainment and offer a tribute to Paul Walker. Its major strengths is the visuals, character performances, and emotional appeal. It also integrates the three element seamlessly to create a moving and entertaining film. However, some of the stunts are over the top. It is evident that this latest franchise has thrived on addressing the downsides of the previous installation.

Works Cited

• Ebert Digital. "Furious 7 Movie Review & Film Summary (2015) | Roger Ebert." N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Aug. 2016. http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/furious-7-2015
• Morris, Wesley. "Drivin’ and Cryin’: Old Ridiculousness and New Emotion Converge in ‘Furious 7’ «." Grantland. N.p., 3 Apr. 2015. Web. 4 Aug. 2016. http://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/furious-7-review/.
• Rotten Tomatoes. "Furious 7 (2015) - Rotten Tomatoes." N.p., 2016. Web. 3 Aug. 2016. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/furious_7/
• Shoard, C. "Fast and Furious 7 review: Paul Walker's final film is fitting tribute | Film | The Guardian." N.p., 25 Mar. 2015. Web. 4 Aug. 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/25/fast-and-furious-7-review-paul-walkers-final-film-is-fitting-tribute
• Willmore, A. "How "Furious 7" Stacks Up To The Other "Fast And Furious" Movies."BuzzFeed. N.p., 2 Apr. 2015. Web. 4 Aug. 2016. https://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonwillmore/one-last-ride?utm_term=.xpwAjJEjV9#.pxPQk3Ek07
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Fast & The Furious, Essay Example

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In the film Fast & the Furious the male characters exhibit stereotypical or archaic male behavior. This is seen in their attitudes, actions, and mannerisms as exhibited in the way that they talk with eachother or with the female characters, as well as how they approach certain situations (i.e. when they’re racing each other, as in the beginning of the film as strangers and later on when they unite or bond as a team). The difference between the beginning of the plot through the arc of the plot and how the male characters treat each other throughout that arc is especially of anthropological interest. The film’s focal males, Brian O’Conner and Dominic Toretto, fight over dominance of one another as well as the crew (especially in regards to the female character Mia Toretto). This showcasing of dominance and exhibition of aggressive behavior is something that is shown whenever a stranger (male) enters into another male’s domain. Dominance is exhibited by the males trying to impress the females through fighting (whomever wins is the alpha, in the case of the film, racing takes the place of fighting, so whomever wins the race is considered the alpha). ]

As the plot progresses, Dominic takes Brian under his tutorship and teaches him how to be aggressive, acclimate to the world in which Dominic is the alpha (through him besting every other racer). Brian, however, acclimates as swiftly as possible because his mission in the plot, as an undercover cop, is to infiltrate Dominic’s infrastructure, in order to bring him down later. Thus, Brian’s role is to acquiesce to Dominic’s alpha status. This acquiescence, however, is trumped when Brian falls for Dominic’s sister. Thus, the male vs. male scenario, through an anthropological lens, becomes more complicated. As Brian pursues Dominic’s sister, Brian becomes more and more acclimated and accepted by the Fast & Furious crew. Thus, Dominic’s dominance over Brian is successful in that Brian overturns his role as a cop in order to be more fully steeped in Dominic’s world.

There are two key aspects of male thinking/behavior that are exhibited in the film: the first is that dominance is key to ruling a “kingdom” or group of people (as Dominic exhibits) and the second one is that an exhibition of strength is necessary in order to remain “top dog” which can only be done through dominant or aggressive behavior. As Dominic says to Brian after their first race, when Brian states egotistically that he came in second, Dominic replies that second place is still losing. With this aggressive statement, Dominic is really saying to Brian that he hasn’t proven himself yet and that Dominic is the alpha male in this world of racing.

Being alpha, Dominic also serves his male followers as a father figure. When Dominic takes Brian under his wing, as it were, he shows him the ropes of the game. This relationship becomes more than friendship, and evolves into a type of paternal relationship, or even a brotherhood (with Dominic still being the alpha male who cares for his brothers). Thus, any male who is against his brothers is an immediate enemy.

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The Fast And The Furious Review

14 Sep 2001

107 minutes

The Fast And The Furious

Now here's a delightful oddity - a movie that does exactly what it says on the tin. The Fast And The Furious is a mindless, hellaciously hectic, borderline irresponsible drag race of a movie that flattens the accelerator in the first few seconds and doesn't let it off until the final frame. And in Vin Diesel it invents the first genuine action hero since Bruce Willis paid a visit to Nakatomi Towers. In other words, itÆs a gas. Lifting its title from an appropriately cheesy 1950s AIP racing flick (erstwhile creators of the classy likes of I Was A Teenage Werewolf) and its plot from Point Break, Rob Cohen's movie is the kind of determinedly dimwitted popcorn entertainment that the big studios have been throwing hundreds of millions at ummer with, for the most part, limited success. Until now. And this, implausibly, from the man who made the execrable frat flick, The Skulls.

For a start, TFATF has a plot - not a complex one, granted, but at least there's something close to a story. It has eye candy in the shape of dimwit bobby-dazzler Paul Walker (appropriately enough, a refugee from American soap The Young And The Restless) and Jordana Brewster. And it has Diesel, a unique brooding hulk of a man who looks as if he's either going to rip your head off or read you poetry. But most of all it has car chases. Really fast ones. Cars roar past - and even through - the camera at speeds of up to 170 mph, while in the hi-jack sequences they hurtle around and under speeding trucks - and, of course, smash into each other with satisfying regularity. In seamlessly interweaving top-notch CGI and incredible stuntwork, Cohen has delivered some of the finest auto-action ever put on screen.

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How the Fast & Furious Franchise Was Revived After Running Out of Gas

After the underperformance of Tokyo Drift, the Fast & Furious series brought back its key players in a fourth film that set the stage for its future.

• The Fast & Furious franchise began as a hit in 2001, with the sequel financially successful but below expectations.
• A pivotal cameo by Vin Diesel in Tokyo Drift reignited the franchise, leading to the return of the core cast in Fast & Furious.
• Fast & Furious marked a transition away from street racing towards international heist films, opening up new horizons for the franchise.

The Fast & Furious franchise is now known for its global dominance, which has made it one of the most lucrative franchises of all time. It all started in 2001, when The Fast and the Furious became a surprise hit, and it was then followed by a sequel in 2003 which, while financially successful globally, came in below its predecessor on the domestic front but still indicated that the franchise had some life in it. By the time the third film was released, key players from the first two films were missing in action (except for a pivotal cameo at the end of the film) and it continued a trend of diminishing financial returns.

However, it was that pivotal cameo that set in motion a return to form, so to speak, with 2009's Fast & Furious . It was 15 years ago that the franchise not only brought back everyone who made the first film a hit, but it also began to up the scale of the series and set in motion a transition from simple street racing flicks to international heist films that certainly called for a suspension of disbelief but never failed to deliver pure popcorn entertainment.

In 2001, the Fast franchise began with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez. Functioning as a sort of " Point Break with cars," the film spoke to its target audience and became a surprise hit that summer, grossing over $207 million worldwide on a sensible $38 million budget. When it came time to do the sequel, only Paul Walker returned for the follow-up, with Diesel, Brewster, and Rodriguez sitting out for various reasons. The sequel took in $236.4 million globally, but reviews were mostly negative and its domestic gross of $127.2 million, was down from the $144.5 million generated by the first film.

The sequel showed that the core cast being together is what fans wanted to see again, particularly the pairing of Diesel and Walker, who showcased considerable chemistry despite the characters being so seemingly different.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift Underperformed But Had a Game-Changing Cameo

With the third film, 2006's The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift , the entire main cast consisted of new stars and, at the time of its release, it wasn't entirely welcomed with open arms by the fans. To date, it's still the lowest-grossing film of the franchise ($159 million worldwide) but it did offer one moment that played a significant part in securing the future of the franchise.

Universal Pictures wanted a high-profile cameo from one of the franchise's biggest stars after the third film had respectable test screenings. The studio decided to reach out to Diesel to reprise his role as Dominic Toretto at the end of the film, but the actor had one condition when it came to returning: he wanted Universal's ownership of the rights of the Riddick character that he had played in Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick , in place of being paid. Universal agreed to these terms and the cameo played well with fans who decided to give Tokyo Drift a shot, despite the film feeling like it was almost a redo of the series since it featured a primarily new cast.

When it came time to do the fourth film, it almost felt like Universal went the legacy sequel route before legacy sequels became all the rage. The popular reaction to Diesel's cameo in the third film made the studio realize they could reinvent the franchise by bringing back its original stars. Diesel was secure with his rights to the Riddick character, which made him more inclined to return in a main star capacity, and his inclusion made it easier to secure the returns of Walker, Brewster, and Rodriguez. By 2007, all of their returns were announced as being official but there had to be some maneuvering done to explain where the third movie fell in the franchise's timeline.

Every Fast & Furious Movie, Ranked by Letterboxd

One of the highlights of the third movie was Justin Lin's position as director and the inclusion of a new character named Han Lue (Sung Kang), who quickly became a fan favorite. The drawback was that Han was seemingly killed in Tokyo Drift and Lin wanted to figure out a way to include the character moving forward if he was to return to direct the fourth installment, while also explaining the absences of the main cast from either of the previous two films.

When it came time to develop Fast & Furious , it was decided that Tokyo Drift would take place beyond the events of the fourth film, while a short film prequel written and directed by Diesel called Los Bandoleros , would set up the hijacking of the fuel tanker in the Dominican Republic that starts the fourth installment. This would allow the character of Han to be used since the fourth movie actually took place before the third in the timeline, and it could also explain where Dom and Letty had been while also setting up how Letty's "death" kick-starts Mia and Brian getting back into the mix.

The fourth film established that the secret ingredient of the franchise's success at that time was the chemistry of its main cast. The audience also wanted to see where Brian and Dom ended up after the first movie, since the reveal that Brian was an undercover cop and how that affected Dom and his crew, really wasn't tapped into in the subsequent films. The fans got to see the tension that still existed between those characters, which was also mixed with a level of mutual respect. Unfortunately, there had to be a big catalyst that brought them together and that proved to be the "murder" of Letty. Rodriguez's screentime in Fast & Furious is minimal, which was a bummer for fans at the time of its initial release, but it was a strong enough event that justified bringing everyone else together. As we would later find out, Letty didn't die, and she fully returns to the series in Fast & Furious 6 .

Fast & Furious Started Stepping Away From Street Racing

Fast & furious.

Fast & Furious also signals that the franchise, to continue in a long-term capacity, was going to have to expand and evolve. The films could not just be about street racing again . The stakes had to be raised and this is why, for better or worse, the street racing angle that formed the DNA of the films during its beginnings was gradually being phased out.

There is one typical street race in Fast & Furious that sees Brian racing in a modified 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 while Dom also shows up in his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS. It feels like a callback to the first movie, but it was clear with the fuel tanker hijacking that kicks off the film, the series was becoming bigger than a mere street race. The rest of the film features other big action set pieces, particularly the tunnel sequence that serves as the climax of the movie. By 2011's Fast Five , the series would essentially leave its street racing roots behind, but it all begins here and displays that the franchise desired much bigger aspirations moving forward.

Every Fast & Furious Movie Ranked by Box Office Gross

When Fast & Furious was released on April 3, 2009, the film became an instant hit, grossing a staggering $72.5 million during its opening weekend. To put things into perspective, that opening was more than Tokyo Drift grossed during its entire domestic run. By the time it ended its time in theaters, the movie grossed $155.1 million domestically and $360.4 million worldwide, a significant improvement over the performance of the third film.

Critics weren't kind to Fast & Furious , with the film registering a rotten score of 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. What the financial reception showed was that casual moviegoers loved seeing the gang get back together and that played a huge role in the film being successful. The addition of new characters, such as Gal Gadot's Gisele Yashar , also did its part in enticing movie watchers, but it really came down to the return of Diesel, Walker, Brewster, and Rodriguez. Catching up with familiar characters gave fans a reason to see the fourth film, and it was this return to form that really shaped the subsequent films, with Fast Five , Fast & Furious 6 , Furious 7 , and The Fate of the Furious putting up some of the biggest global box office numbers of the franchise. No matter what some might think of how over-the-top things have gotten in some of the films now, it's still clear that the sense of family and reuniting with old friends is what put gas back in this franchise's tank.

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Review Of The Movie The Fast And The Furious Five Essays Example

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Cinema , Vehicles , Movies , Criminal Justice , Film , Actions , Crime , Gang

Published: 03/05/2020

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The ‘fast five movie’ commonly known as The Fast and Furious is an American action movie written by Chris Morgan and directed by Justin Lin. The movie depicts the story with the help of his sister, and friends Dom was saved from the hands of the authorities. The team is seriously pursued by Hobbs, who follows them to Rio de Janeiro in South America. Hobbs is caught between the two gangs fighting each other - Dam’s gang and Reyes’ gang. Although the movie has a lot of action and heavy compact, it presents a clear, real life situations faced by gangs in their internal organizations, and the security agents in the USA. An overall review of the movie is a total entertainment, which portrays real-life events. When “Dom” Toretto is being transported to the Lompoc Prison by bus, his friend Brian and his sister Mia Toretto assault the bus by making it crash and releases Dom. This type of a plan is a common approach that gangs use to protect their members from the security agents. As expected, the rescue leads to a hot pursuit by the security agents who are determined to get back Dom to prison. As the authorities searched for the trio, the trio plans to escape Rio. While waiting for Dom to arrive, Brian and Mia alongside Vince and other participants plan to steal three cars from the train. This event is what follows after many criminal activities involving gangs. The participants seek means of transport to escape as fast as possible. Most of the time the criminal or gangs steal vehicles from the regions and use them to escape. A coincidence occurs in the process stealing the cars from the train, the gang realizes that agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration were in the train. Two discoveries are revealed. One of the cars that was seized was a hot property, and that is why agents accompanied them. Secondly, Zizi was interested in stealing one car, a Ford GT40. Dom wants to know why the car was of such interest to Zizi. Don makes Mia steal the car herself, and they fought Zizi, who had killed the DEA agents. As Dom, Brian, and Mia steal the car to find its importance, Vince arrives and is caught attempting to remove a chip that was to be sold to Reyes. The chip contained Reyes’ criminal record. The killing of the DEA agents makes the DSS agent Luke Hobbs follows them in Rio to arrest Brian and Dom. With the help of Elena Neves, a local officer, Dom’s safe house is identified but Hobbs finds it under assault by Reyes’ men. Mia and Brian escape and Dom suggest that they split (Roger, 2014). At this point, Mia announces that she is pregnant with Brian’s child necessitation sticking together. Hobbs finally finds and arrests Mia, Dom, Vince, and Brian. Audience would think that Hobbs made uninterruptible progress only for him to be countered by Reyes’ men. As Dom and his team fight back Reyes’ men, they save Hobbs and Elena. Vince is shot and killed in the process making Hobbs and Elena joining in the revenge for Vince’s death. The team breaks into a prison where Reyes’ money is. In a pursuit by the police, Dom lets Brian proceed without him as he remains behind attacking the police. Brian returns to the scene and kills Zizi. Reyes is wounded by Dom’s assault before Hobbs arrives on the scene and kills Reyes. Hobbs gives Dom and Brian 24 hours to flee. The gang divides the money among themselves giving Vince’s share to his family. In such situations, the security agents end up becoming friends with the gang member and both exchange favors. An expectation from the movie watchers from which after four movies about street racers that turned into criminals is that it would be wise to change the plot. The need to move the film to a different location like the streets of Rio de Janeiro offered the director Justin Lin an opportunity to show the beautiful parts of the city. The action scenes in the movie were increased along with the street racing. Not only the movie for this reason displayed not only the beauty of the city juxtaposed with the criminal organizations as well as the behavioral trend that included secrets, backbite, and betrayal (Katey, 2014). In the last part of his review (de Semlyen) noted that the film in a great film in any normal criteria. He further stated that the film was filled with a lot of scenes that were clunky, and it felt too long for an action film. On the other hand, both (Ritch) and (Ebert) enjoyed the movie for what it was. They have appreciated the implausible car chases and also the funny dialogues (empireonline.com). In conclusion, the fast five presents a unique entertainment. The thrill and unprecedented encounters form the best sections of the movie. The end is unexpected and leaves the viewer overwhelmed. It is a movie that best describes actual gang behaviors.

Works Cited

De Semlyen, N. "Empire's Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist Movie Review." empireonline.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 June 2014. Ebert, Roger. "Fast Five Movie Review & Film Summary (2011) | Roger Ebert." Movie Reviews and Ratings by Film Critic Roger Ebert | Roger Ebert. N.p., 28 Apr. 2011. Web. 16 June 2014. Ritch, Katey. "Fast Five Review - CinemaBlend.com." CinemaBlend.com: Entertainment You Care About. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2014. . It is a movie the best describes actual gang behaviors.

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Fast and the Furious

I believe “The Fast and The Furious” movie series has impacted our society to a great extent in our present day. This movie is a perfect example of a low culture film and is made for the common person to watch and enjoy. After the first movie of this series came out, slowly but surely people began modifying their cars and tried turning them into speed machines just like the cars in the movie. It became more common than ever to see small Japanese cars like Honda Civics’ hooked up with an enormous oversized muffler screaming down the road.

Just recently, I went to go see the 4th of the Fast and the Furious series in the movie theatres the night that it came out. After the movie, there was a big circle of about 25 cars in the parking lot either blasting their systems or showing off their tuned up cars by doing donuts. I was sort of amazed to see that this was going on because that meant it probably wasn’t just happening it Staten Island, but places all over the country this was going on. The Fast and the Furious series sparked a big interest in teenagers wanting to tune up their cars and have the fastest car out there on the road.

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This movie is basically in a way an advertisement showing all the new technologies and modifications you can possibly do to your car. What made the series as popular as it is today is the fact that up until 2001 when the first one came out, there was never a movie of this sort made before with all these flashy cars and street races. Some people blame the movie for the increase of street racing that began to occur soon afterwards along with a sudden increase of sales for small high-powered motorcycles.

The Fast and the Furious has many scenes throughout the movie where you don’t believe what you’re seeing because it’s a little too unrealistic and absurd. As an example in the most recent one that came out, there’s a scene where an oil tanker is roller down a hill and Vin Diesel is his car waiting for the right moment to drive under it to avoid it and he does. Another example is when in 2 Fast 2 Furious; Paul Walker drives his car off a ramp over the water and crashes it directly into the yacht he was trying to catch.

It must have been a crazy coincidence that there happened to be a ramp there and the odds of catching a moving boat is a little outrageous. These scenes were basically in the movie strictly for the people’s entertainment. Another reason why The Fast and the Furious is as great low culture film and attracts people is the fact that there really are no good guy characters in this movie. Paul Walker is probably the closest thing to the good guy in this movie, but in actuality he’s a corrupt detective, prone to petty violence, and has a big love for street racing.

Even the cops in all of the Fast and the Furious movies are looked down on by the people watching. This is because the movie makes the cops look like pigs from the way they treat Paul Walker. For example, when they captured him in 2 Fast 2 Furious and wanted to use him as a driver to clear his record. They put a tracking device on the vehicle they gave him and thought he was escaping because he was going really fast so the cops showed up and they exchanged gun fire with each other at the car impound lot.

In conclusion, The Fast and The Furious has influenced the people and attracted large audiences in many ways making it a great popular culture film. A car to some people nowadays expresses who they are and more people than ever are out tuning up their cars and putting designs on it to show that. It’s not about American muscle cars anymore like it used to be, because import cars have officially taken over now thanks to this movie.

It used to be all about who has the biggest engine, but now it greatly expanded from just that. From my own experience when I was down in Florida this past summer I attended a street racing event and some people showed up to race, others competed to who’s system sounded better and louder, and some competed with the design of the exterior and interior of the car. There was basically something out there for everybody to compete in. I elieve movies like “Fast and the Furious” are frowned upon by the older age group because

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10 Best Fast & Furious Car Stunts, Ranked

• Fast and Furious franchise's car stunts have evolved from grounded to outlandishly absurd but always maintained practical effects integrity.
• More explosive action awaits in the next installment, which will be the franchise's last movie in the main series.
• From driving under a truck to dropping cars from planes, the Fast and Furious franchise's best stunts are joyously ridiculous, offering thrilling action.

Over the course of 11 movies so far, the Fast and Furious franchise has delivered plenty of incredible car stunts, pushing the limits of old-school practical effects. Although the franchise started out with a relatively grounded crime story in Los Angeles, it has since spun into globetrotting movies about heists, espionage, and threats to humanity. Throughout such turbulent change, the Fast and Furious franchise's ridiculous stunts have gotten bigger and bigger, but they have always maintained an impressive level of practical effects, even in stunts which seem completely unbelievable.

With the Fast and Furious franchise coming to an end with the next movie, there's one last chance for some more explosive action. Stunts so far have included cars being dropped out of planes, sent over steep cliffs and smashed into each other at great speeds, so there's no knowing what could lie in store for the final installment. Dominic Toretto and his family seem able to survive anything that their enemies throw at them, but the absurd nature of the stunts is part of their appeal. Fast and Furious makes no claim to being realistic, and its best stunts are joyously outlandish.

Every Fast And Furious Movie In Chronological Order

Dom drives underneath a truck, the fast and the furious (2001).

Looking back at The Fast and the Furious shows the humble beginnings of the franchise. The stunts may have gotten bigger and more absurd in later movies, but the more grounded stunts of The Fast and the Furious can often be more thrilling by comparison. While the later stunts use CGI to embellish the action, the earliest movies are all about jaw-dropping stunt driving, and everything is real. During one of the crew's earliest heists in The Fast and the Furious, Dom must slide his car beneath a truck when the road becomes too narrow in front of them.

Jumping From Skyscraper To Skyscraper

Furious 7 (2015).

Furious 7 bid farewell to Paul Walker , and it remains one of the franchise's best movies. As well as having an emotional story line, Furious 7 certainly doesn't skimp on explosive stunts. With no other option as they try to make a quick getaway, Dom and Brian are forced to jump a rare supercar from one skyscraper in Abu Dhabi to another. After their brakes stop working, they have to repeat the death-defying feat. The stunt used extensive CGI, but the production team really did drive a car out of a glass building, albeit at a much lower height.

Racing On A Frozen Lake

The fate of the furious (2017).

The submarine was added using CGI, but the massive explosion was achieved using practical effects.

The Fate of the Furious introduces Cipher, one of the most interesting Fast and Furious villains . Cipher adds a whole new type of threat to the franchise, even hijacking a nuclear submarine. As the crew race to trap the submarine in a narrow bay, they are pursued across a frozen lake by a small army of Cipher's goons. The scene features plenty of great stunt driving, and it ends with the submarine bursting up from below the ice. The submarine was added using CGI, but the massive explosion was achieved using practical effects.

The Wrecking Ball Bomb In Rome

Fast x (2023).

The most exhilarating moments in Fast X all involve Jason Momoa's Dante in some way. The flamboyant villain isn't just out for his own self-interest, he also seems to enjoy the theatricality of his duel with Dom and his family. The sequence in Rome is a perfect example of this, as he unleashes a bouncing bomb in the streets and watches in glee as Dom and Letty must evade it. The narrow, ancient streets of Rome are the perfect playground for the stunt drivers. Fast X 's cliffhanger ending sets up an explosive end to the franchise.

The Tank Bursts Out Of A Truck

Fast & furious 6 (2013).

The tank's sudden appearance in the highway chase in Fast & Furious 6 is among the franchise's most shocking moments. Just as Dom and the rest of the crew think the odds may be in their favor, the tank bursts free from the back of a truck, tearing it to shreds like tissue paper. The souped-up tank accelerated off of a special ramp built into the back of the truck , and the effect of it obliterating parts of the highway is all genuine. It may be utterly implausible, but the tank scene is undeniably fun to watch.

A Gas Tanker Tumbles Off A Cliff

Fast & furious (2009).

Fast & Furious may not be considered among the best Fast and Furious movies , but it still has its fair share of remarkable stunts. The opening scene sees Dom orchestrating a heist on a massive gas truck in the Dominican Republic. The movie hits its highest point early on, as the truck spins out of control and crashes over the side of a cliff, igniting the gas into an immense fireball. The explosion was shot using practical effects, and this gives it even more impact. Unfortunately, the rest of Fast & Furious struggles to live up to this thrilling start.

Driving Through A Minefield

F9: the fast saga (2021).

F9 took on the difficult task of raising the stakes once again, and the early sequence in the fictional Central American country of Montequinto stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the franchise's best. The scene uses real land mines buried in the ground , sending real cars flying into the air with each explosion. The scene abruptly shifts gears between thrilling fun and nervous tension when Roman must clamber out of a car which is dangling perilously over a mine. The chase across a minefield is an early highlight of F9, and it helps reintroduce the danger that Cipher carries.

Raining Self-Driving Cars

The Fast and Furious franchise is well-known for treating cars like toys, smashing them together and throwing them around haphazardly, and very few scenes illustrate this as clearly as The Fate of the Furious' raining cars scene . Cipher manages to hack into every self-driving car in New York City, and she sends them hurtling toward a Russian Minister of Defense's convoy. Even cars which are several floors off the ground in parking garages start to shoot toward the convoy. The result at ground level is wonderfully choreographed chaos, with the city transformed into a war zone.

The Vault Chase

Fast five (2011).

The bank vault scene used a few different vaults, one of which could be driven from the inside, with the wheels low to the ground so they wouldn't show up on camera.

Fast Five brought Dwayne Johnson to the Fast and Furious franchise, and it began to pull away from all-out racing and move toward a broader style of action. Some action scenes, like Hobbs and Dom's rooftop chase through the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, don't involve any cars, but the movie's climax returns to its roots. The bank vault scene used a few different vaults, one of which could be driven from the inside, with the wheels low to the ground so they wouldn't show up on camera. In some shots, it's a genuine steel vault causing damage.

Dropping Cars Out Of A Cargo Plane

Furious 7 's cargo plane drop is the most impressive and outrageous stunt in the entire franchise. It may look like pure fantasy, but the scene uses a remarkable amount of real footage. Furious 7 actually dropped cars from 12,000 feet above the desert in Arizona, and it used a team of skydivers with cameras strapped to their helmets to shoot the action from both above and below. Plenty of other movies would have used excessive CGI, but the Fast and Furious franchise's commitment to practical stunts helps it stand out from its competitors.

Screen Rant

Predicting the ending of all 13 fast & furious characters in fast 11.

The Fast Saga is set to conclude with Fast & Furious 11 – or Fast X 2 – but how will Dom Toretto and his family's stories come to a definitive end?

• Dom will likely sacrifice himself for his family, mirroring Iron Man's fate in Avengers: Endgame.
• Brian and Mia will finally get a proper sendoff in Fast 11, bringing closure to their story.
• Letty may assume leadership of Dom's family if he dies, ensuring the saga ends on a fitting note.

The Fast Saga is set to conclude with Fast & Furious 11 – the second volume of Fast X – but how will Dominic Toretto and his family’s stories come to a definitive end? Throughout its entire run, the Fast & Furious franchise’s M.O. has been to keep going indefinitely. The mainline series is 10 movies deep and seems to still be going strong, but the plan is to conclude the saga with Fast 11 . Fast X was intended to function as the first part of a two-part finale, Avengers -style, and Fast 11 will be the final chapter of Dom’s cinematic journey.

After the open-ended cliffhanger in the final scene of Fast X , the sky is the limit for Fast 11 ’s finale. From Dom to Brian to Letty to Hobbs and Shaw, there are a lot of characters whose stories need to be wrapped up in the final Fast & Furious movie. Dom could die, Hobbs could ride off into the sunset, and Roman and Tej could be set up for a spin-off series – there are plenty of theories for the Fast & Furious series’ long-awaited ending. Here are some predictions for how the characters’ endings will shake out in Fast 11 .

10 Dominic Toretto Will Sacrifice Himself For His Family

Dom will be the iron man of fast & furious' endgame.

If Fast 11 is being modeled after Avengers: Endgame as the big finale of an action-packed cinematic saga, then one of the heroes is likely to die in the final battle – and it’ll probably be Dom. If Fast 11 is Fast & Furious ’ Endgame , then Dom is its Iron Man. Dom’s entire character has been defined by his undying love for his family and his willingness to do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

In that spirit, it would make sense for Dom to make the ultimate sacrifice for his family in Fast 11 . The franchise’s penchant for keeping the story going for as long as possible has resulted in a lack of stakes and consequences. No characters in this series stay dead. Killing off Dom would be a heartbreaking way to end this saga with some bittersweet finality.

9 Brian O'Conner & Mia Toretto Will Properly Settle Down

Brian and mia have been settled down for a while, but they need a proper ending.

Ever since Paul Walker passed away, Brian O’Conner – and, by extension, his love interest Mia Toretto – have been kept off-screen. They’ve been mentioned in passing, usually to say that they’ve settled down with their family. Vin Diesel has already teased that Fast 11 will give Brian a proper goodbye . This is a good sign, because Brian deserves a true farewell, and the final movie has to acknowledge him.

This could mean that Walker’s brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker, who stood in for him in Furious 7 , could return to give Brian one last Fast & Furious scene. It’s one thing to say that Brian and Mia have settled down, but it needs to be shown on-screen. For Fast 11 to feel like a conclusive ending to the saga, audiences need to see Brian and Mia at peace, enjoying their life together, even if it’s just for a second.

8 Letty Ortiz Will Assume Leadership Of Dom's Found Family

If dom dies, letty will take his place as the head of the family.

If Dom does make the ultimate sacrifice and die to save his family in Fast 11 , then it’s likely that his wife Letty Ortiz will take up his mantle. With Dom out of the picture, someone else will have to become the head of his found family. Since Letty is Dom’s closest ally and his partner-in-life as well as his partner-in-crime, she would be the best candidate to lead the family in his absence.

This would mean that the franchise could continue with a new chapter – this time, led by Letty – and Michelle Rodriguez has the movie star chops to assume franchise leadership after Diesel’s departure. Even if the franchise doesn’t carry on after Fast 11 , making Letty the new leader would leave the family in safe hands. It would be a fitting ending to this long-running story.

7 Roman Pearce & Tej Parker Will Go Off On Their Own Solo Adventures

Roman and tej are primed for their own spin-off series.

Just because the mainline Fast & Furious series is ending with Fast 11 , it doesn’t mean that Universal is done making money from Fast & Furious movies. Fast 11 is likely to set up a couple of spin-offs to give the franchise a second life after the end of Dom’s journey. Two characters who are primed for the spin-off treatment are Roman Pearce and Tej Parker, who could headline a series of great “buddy cop” actioners.

Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris have shared terrific on-screen chemistry throughout their entire Fast & Furious tenure. It feels like their dynamic is being underutilized with supporting roles in these films. Their chemistry is strong enough to support an entire movie franchise of its own. After Fast 11 , a series of Roman and Tej movies could be on the cards.

6 Han Lue & Gisele Yashar Will Be Reunited

After gisele's return, she has to be reunited with han.

Han Lue was killed off as far back as The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift , then reappeared in the next three movies, which all took place before Tokyo Drift , before the series finally caught up with his death in Fast & Furious 6 . In both the post-credits scene of Fast & Furious 6 and flashbacks in Furious 7 , Han’s death was shown again to remind viewers of what happened to him. This was just after Han lost the love of his life, Gisele Yashar, who sacrificed herself to save him in Fast & Furious 6 ’s final battle.

In F9 , it was revealed that Han wasn’t really dead after all. And in Fast X , it was revealed that Gisele wasn’t really dead after all. In Fast 11 , these two lovebirds need to be reunited so they can resume their relationship.

5 Luke Hobbs Will Ride Off Into The Sunset After One Last Victory

Dwayne johnson has already teased how hobbs' journey will end.

The end of Luke Hobbs’ story isn’t just confined to Fast 11 ; he’s also taking center stage in a Hobbs-centric sequel to the Fast & Furious franchise’s first official spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw . Dwayne Johnson already teased how Hobbs’ story will end , promising that audiences will see him “ walk off into the sunset. ” This is the typical ending for notorious gunslingers in the western genre.

Hobbs was always an outlier in Dom’s family. He’s not as closely tied to the group as Letty or Brian; he’s a friend and ally who stops by to help them when they’re in a jam. Hobbs’ ending will likely see him as more of a lone wolf than a ride-or-die member of the family. After one last victory, he can finally hang up his hat and head off to lead a peaceful existence.

4 Deckard Shaw Will Continue His Mercenary Career For Good Causes

Shaw won't change his ways too much, but he has become more heroic.

By the end of the Fast & Furious saga, it’s unlikely that Deckard Shaw will change too much, because he’s very set in his ways. But he has gotten a lot more heroic since he saved Dom’s son and made peace with Dom’s family. Shaw will probably still be a mercenary for hire by the end of Fast 11 , but he might be taking jobs that hurt bad people and save innocent people, sort of like a vigilante.

Since Hobbs’ spin-off series is continuing without Shaw, Shaw could similarly go off on his own solo adventures. He could become the guy who does bad things for good people. If he becomes the kind of mercenary that Joaquin Phoenix played in You Were Never Really Here , it would set up a really exciting, really gritty Shaw solo series.

3 Ramsey Will Get A Cushy Government Job

Ramsey can put her hacking skills to good use with a government job.

Ramsey is a late addition to Dom’s family, but her skills as a hacker have been invaluable to the team’s exploits. The movies have demonstrated that Ramsey is so proficient at figuring out computer systems and cracking their security that she’s being underutilized as the I.T. technician of a mercenary squad. If Dom’s family disbands at the end of Fast 11 , Ramsey could take a cushy government position in the field of surveillance.

While most of Dom’s comrades are ne’er-do-wells who couldn’t hack it in a normal job, Ramsey is a good person. At the end of Fast 11 , following her final rubber-burning adventure with Dom and co., she might go legit. She’s always been a likable character, so it would be great to see her get a happy ending (with a steady government income).

2 Cipher Will Complete Her Transition From Villain To Hero

Cipher is in the midst of a redemption arc.

When Cipher was first introduced in The Fate of the Furious , she was the ultimate Fast & Furious villain. She managed to blackmail Dom into turning against his family, which is something that no Fast villain before her or since has been able to do. Cipher is a great character, so she’s continued to pop up in the subsequent movies, and in Fast X , she started a redemption arc.

In Fast X , Letty was locked up in a black-site prison in Antarctica and was surprised to find Cipher locked up in the same prison. Since they both faced a common enemy, they reluctantly joined forces to break out of there. Based on Cipher’s arc so far, it seems as though, at the end of Fast 11 , she’ll have completed her transition from villain to hero.

1 Dante Reyes Will Make Peace With Dom's Family

Dante will follow in the footsteps of every other fast & furious villain.

Dante Reyes is one of the only Fast & Furious villains whose tenure has extended beyond a single movie. Reyes’ revenge plot is so extravagant that Dom and co. aren’t even close to thwarting it by the end of Fast X , ending the movie on a cliffhanger to be resolved in Fast 11 . It might seem like Reyes is too far gone to be redeemed, but that’s the pattern followed by almost every past Fast & Furious villain.

From Shaw to Cipher, every villain who has sought vengeance against Dom’s family has eventually made peace with them and become an ally. If Reyes doesn’t do the same by the end of Fast 11 , it’ll be tough to get a real sense of closure on the Fast & Furious saga. Fast 11 could even set up Reyes for a future team-up.