3. The Fast and the Furious

Release Date: June 22, 2001
Starring: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Ted Levine
Director: Rob Cohen (Dragonheart)

The movie that started it all. In comparison to the franchise it birthed, The Fast and the Furious is relatively tame. No exotic locales (though Rob Cohen shoots Los Angeles beautifully) and very few stunts that defy the laws of physics, just a simple story about an undercover cop infiltrating the world of illegal street racing. Still, what this film sets up carries through the rest of the franchise. There’s the supremacy of the American muscle car, the trope that a car with NOS (a Nitrous Oxide System) installed is only as good as the driver behind the wheel. Most importantly, though, is the Torretto extended family dynamic and its unique moral code.

In these movies, “right” is less about the law and more about a sort of cowboy sense of justice and loyalty. That’s embodied here by Dom. He may have beat a man to death and he may be the ring leader of a team of highly-trained bandits, but he might also be a good man at his core. Dom is most interesting when he’s got a dangerous edge and Diesel’s bulk and that intense look of dominance he gets are at peak effectiveness here. In a similar way, Brian and Mia’s chemistry is never more convincing than it is here because this movie is one of the few in the franchise that cares about character motivations and development. But the importance of family/friendship is only half of what makes these movies successful and the action is somewhat lacking.

Outside of a few thrilling heist sequences (I still think Letty driving the car under a truck is the coolest stunt ever), the action mostly consists of a series of quarter mile races and while the NOS effect is fun visually, it gets old quick. Maybe the film would seem more spectacular on its own, but once you’ve seen Brian and Dom drag a vault through the streets of Rio, the two of them racing to beat an oncoming train doesn’t seem that exciting.

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