Fast and Furious is the fourth film in the franchise, but also heralds the return of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in their original roles.
The film was a surprise hit at the box office, defying predictions and earning nearly 350 million. Certainly, the box office return means that you’ll probably see a fifth film soon.
Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) is in the Dominican Republic hijacking fuel tankers with his gang and girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). When the law gets too hot on their trail, Dom takes off in the middle of the night leaving Letty behind for her own safety.
He goes to Panama City some time later but gets a call from his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) that Letty has been murdered in Los Angeles. Dom is a wanted man in the states, but travels back there to attend Letty’s funeral from afar and swears to find her killer.
FBI agent Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) is on the trail of an international drug runner, who just happens to be the key to Letty’s murder. Dom, Mia, and O’Conner are reunited as Dom and O’Conner have to compete in street racing to impress the drug dealer’s second-in-command Ramon Campos (John Ortiz).
Dom is trying to infiltrate the organization because he discovers that one of the men in it named Fenix (Laz Alonso) is responsible for Letty’s murder and O’Conner just wants to stop the drug trade.
Now the two men will have to work together to accomplish both goals as well as keep the drug dealers from killing them.
If films were judged by the amount of box office they produce, Fast & Furious might well knock Citizen Kane down a peg or two. Fortunately, films are judged more on their merit and not on the money they take in so Charles Foster Kane is safe.
However, there are times when you just want to pop the corn and put in a mindless entertainment. Fast & Furious might just be that entertainment. We talk about “chick flicks” and F&F might just be a “guy flick” with the amount of car and babe eye candy, though it is the PG-13 variety.
I’ll also not be expecting to hear Vin Diesel’s name during this years Oscar announcements as he continues to be this generation’s Telly Savalas (of course, this generations responses is “Who is Telly Savalas?” Who loves ya baby?). I would give Telly an up in the acting department though, but I guess Vin’s career is still going.
Vin rarely changes expression and gives a pretty one-note performance. He also doesn’t seem too fazed by the death of his girlfriend, besides going on the mandatory trek for revenge. At least he doesn’t chew the scenery and grate on my nerves like cartoon villain Fenix.
The major event in this film is the return of Vin and the original cast to the franchise. Vin starred in the first film and had a cameo in the third, but has since neither been fast or furious in this franchise.
The film was a surprise moneymaker at the box office so I’d imagine that the cast could write their own ticket for a fifth entry. Just turn off your brain, go along for the ride, and admire the cars and chicks. It’s fun when you watch it that way. If you think too hard about it then you might blow a tire.
Fast & Furious is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features on disc one include a commentary by director Justin Lin and a 5-minute gag reel.
Disc two contains the 20-minute short “Los Bandoleros” that is directed by Vin Diesel and shows his character assembling the team that will rob the tanker trucks. Next are two featurettes that profile the cars in the film, Muscle Cars (7 minutes) and Imports (5 minutes). The 10-minute “Getting the Gang Back Together” tells how the cast was assembled eight years after the first film.
The 4 minute “Driving School with Vin Diesel has the actor getting behind the wheel at a stunt driving track. The 9-minute “Shooting the Big Rig Heist” is about the opening fuel tanker theft. The 11-minute “Races and Chases” is about the chase sequences in the film. The 11-minute “High Octane Action” is about the complicated stunt work in the film. The 3-minute “South of the Border” is about shooting in Mexico.
The 4-minute “Blanco” music video is by Pitbull and features Pharell (though the music is used heavily on the disc’s menu and it was grating on me that I really didn’t watch the music video). There are also 8 minutes of trailers for all the Fast & Furious films.
A digital copy is also included for your PC or portable device. A single disc version is also available separately that features the special features on disc one.
It made a lot of money and is an okay action/car flick. It’s nothing that you’ll want to turn your brain on for or you’ll find that it hasn’t got much under the hood. If you are in the right mood, Fast & Furious will fire on all cylinders.
Fast & Furious (Two-Disc Special Edition) is now available at Amazon . It is available at AmazonUK for a Sept. 21st release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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