The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Director:

Rob Cohen

Writers (WGA):

Ken Li (magazine article "Racer X")
Gary Scott Thompson (screen story)

Release Date:

22 June 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

If you have what it takes... You can have it ALL!

Plot:

An undercover cop infiltrates an underworld subculture of Los Angeles street racers looking to bust a hijacking ring, and soon begins to question his loyalties when his new street racing friends become the prime suspects.

Plot Keywords:

Undercover | Street Racing | Hijacking | Car | Police

Awards:

8 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Paul Walker	...	Brian O'Conner
Vin Diesel	...	Dominic Toretto
Michelle Rodriguez	...	Letty
Jordana Brewster	...	Mia Toretto
Rick Yune	...	Johnny Tran
Chad Lindberg	...	Jesse
Johnny Strong	...	Leon
Matt Schulze	...	Vince
Ted Levine	...	Sgt. Tanner
Ja Rule	...	Edwin
Vyto Ruginis	...	Harry
Thom Barry	...	Agent Bilkins
Stanton Rutledge	...	Muse
Noel Gugliemi	...	Hector (as Noel Guglielmi)
R.J. de Vera	...	Danny Yamato (as R.J. De Vera)

Also Known As:

Racer X (USA) (working title)
Redline (USA) (working title)
Street Wars (USA) (working title)
The Fast and the Furious (Germany)
A todo gas (Spain) [es]
Fast and Furious (France) [fr]
Halálos iramban (Hungary) [hu]
Hizli ve öfkeli (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Hurjapäät (Finland) [fi]
Oi mahites ton dromon (Greece) [el]
Rápido y furioso (Argentina) [es]
Rapides et dangereux (Canada: French title) [fr]
Rychlo a zbesilo (Slovakia) (video title) [sk]
Szybcy i wsciekli (Poland) [pl]
The Fast and the Furious (Austria) [de]
The fast and the furious (A todo gas) (Spain) [es]
Velocidade Furiosa (Portugal) [pt]
Velozes E Furiosos (Brazil) [pt]
Wild Speed (Japan: English title) [en]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language.

Runtime:

106 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:14A (Ontario) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #38053) | France:U | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:18SG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Greece:K-13

Filming Locations:

Cha Cha Cha Restaurant, Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Film-makers asked owners of houses in backgrounds to re-paint their houses with more muted colors to show off the colorful cars.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When the racers are on their way to the first race, there is an aerial shot of above the street, and in the right side of the screen a lighting tower is visibly illuminating the street.

Quotes:

Johnny Tran: I'll see you in the desert next month. Be ready to have your ass handed to you.
Dom: You're gonna need more than that crotch rocket.
Johnny Tran: I got something for you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Double Dip or: How Four Discs of Pearl Harbor Ruined My Life (2005)

Soundtrack:

Good Life (Remix)

There's something about Vin

Every summer a film comes around that takes everyone by surprise. Last year it was Scary Movie and I'm sure in 1977 it was a film like Star Wars and then in 1981 it was Raiders of the Lost Ark. Now I am not saying that The Fast and the Furious is in the same class as Raiders and Star Wars, just that it surprised everyone on the same level. F&F is short on plot and dialogue and even some of the acting is lame, but what it is oozes is testosterone. It pumps your blood, increases your adrenaline and attacks you with fast cars, sexy women and that one invariable that I think it has going for it... Vin Diesel. There is just something about the guy, something that you really can't put your finger on, but he just has it. Maybe it is charisma, maybe it is charm, maybe it is just that he resembles some of the action heroes from the 80's with his chiseled triceps and his slabs of pecs. Maybe it is all those things and maybe it is none of those things, all I know is that F&F is exactly what I had hoped it would be and nothing more. This is the summer movie that I have been waiting for. It's not that the films that have been out so far aren't that great because some of them are, it's just that this is the one that epitomises what summer as a teen ager is all about. It is no wonder that exit polls for this film were around 65-70% under the age of 21. And maybe that is why I enjoyed it so much. I am pushing 30 but isn't it cool to lose yourself in a film that reminds you what it was like to be in highschool. And isn't it cool to watch street racers break 140 miles an hour wile they shoot NOS through their vehicles? Well isn't it?

F&F doesn't contain any machinations similar to a film like Mission Impossible and it doesn't dazzle us with special effects of impending doom like Armageddon did, but it takes us into a world where people live life "a quarter of a mile at a time."

Vin Diesel plays Dominic Toretto, a massive, bald mechanic that owns a garage but street races on the side to make some extra cash. Paul Walker ( The Skulls, Varsity Blues) plays Brian Spindler. He is a cop that has infiltrated the street gang to find out who is highjacking trucks and stealing all their merchandise. There are about four rival street gangs in L.A. and one of them is pulling this off. He has to figure out which one. Of course along the way he seduced by the life, but that is not what we really care about. All we want to see is lots of racing, a few crashes, some fights and some sex. F&F doesn't disappoint. If what you have seen in the trailers of the film excites and entices you, then you know exactly what you're in for. This is not going to win any Oscars for anything but what it will do is entertain you. It will expedite you for 90 minutes into a world where Honda's are souped up to look like Dragons and junkyard scraps are rebuilt from scratch to be better than they were before, better, stronger and faster. If this film appealed to you in the commercial, it will appeal to you on the screen.

And of course there is Vin Diesel. He first made a name for himself in Saving Private Ryan where he played Capparrzo. Then he jumped onto the scene with his excellent and grandiose turn as Riddick in Pitch Black. I think this is the film that got him noticed because no one had even heard of him before this. Then he did Boiler Room and he showed a different side to him. But F&F is all muscle and sheer bravado. I think Vin is going to do great things in the years to come. He is not a nobody anymore. This film will take care of that. And face it, isn't it cool to see the genesis of a new action hero?

8 out of 10- The ultimate summer rush!