The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Grade: C+
Actors: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez
Directed by: Rob Cohen
Rated PG-13 for language, violence, and partial nudity


"The Fast and the Furious" is one of those rare summer treats. An action film that embraces the cliches of the genre, but also manages to throw some other stuff at us in the form of character development, themes of loyalty, and of course, new and innovative action sequences. What I'm getting at is that The Fast and the Furious is not as bad as it could have been and probably should have been. Heck, the film is directed by the same guy (Rob Cohen) who directed one of the films on my Worst of 2000 List ("The Skulls").

The story here is pretty simple. In the film, there has been a recent trend of big rigs (carrying important stuff like DVD players and whatnot) being highjacked. So, a cop named Brian (Paul Walker) is sent undercover to infiltrate a ring of souped up cars that race during the quiet hours of the night. Why penetrate the world of illegal racing? Because the main suspects in the investigation are also suspected of heading up these rings.

The ringleader of all of this is a bulky guy named Dom (Vin Diesel). After one of the races is broken up because of cops, Brian saves Dom from impending and inevitable arrest. So now there is a feeling of mutual respect between the two, and Brian becomes one of the gang. He also falls in love with Dom's sister Mia (Jordana Brewster).

As the film goes on there are some tight car chases that were done without computer enhancement (unlike another racing drama from ealier this year, "Driven"). The last highjacking scene is tension filled and well-executed. Props should be given to the choregrapher of all of these scenes. They even manage to make the drag racing portions of the film eventful and exciting, even when the outcome is totally obvious.

The simple storyline of the film is definitely a plus. The writer and the director know better than to put a lot of weight into the film's plot because the audience might get antsy. The relationship between Brian and Mia is also handled well in that it's not overtly and purely sexual (although the characters were first drawn to each other because of the looks-factor). There's a little bit of character development that goes on. As both Dom and Brian let down their guards, it's Dom who makes the first move, telling Brian all about his father and how he was killed. There's also a story about how Dom has been in and out of jail and that he doesn't want to go back. That's the main reason Brian believes the Dom & Co. aren't behind the highjackings, even though as the audience we seem to know better.

As Dom, Vin Diesel (who has played a soldier in "Saving Private Ryan" and has been the voice of an "Iron Giant") is so imposing that I wouldn't even think of double crossing him. That's just the look alone. The character itself is pretty cliche: a rotten kid who wants to go on the straight and narrow but loves the thrill of the crime. Paul Walker is the next Keanu Reeves in that he delivers all of his lines with that "Whoa..." quality. I sure hope he is better in his next project (the promising-looking thriller Joy Ride). Jordana Brewster manages to give Mia some depth. Michelle Rodriguez ("Girlfight") is just there to be the feisty Latina.

As far as summer films go, this one is a cut above the rest, even if my grade may not reflect it. I really did like this film and it was perfect for the the 12 a.m. preview that I saw it at.

-Brian Jones, 2001