The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Genre

Action | Crime

Director

Rob Cohen

Country

USA

Cast

Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, Matt Schulze, Ted Levine, Thom Barry, Ja Rule, Vyto Ruginis, Stanton Rutledge, Noel Gugliemi, R. J. De Vera, Beau Holden, Reggie Lee, David Douglas, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, F. Valentino Morales, Neal H. Moritz, Rob Cohen

Storyline

LAPD officer Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) undercover into Los Angeles' street racing circuit to take down Toretto (Vin Diesel), the leader of a street gang that is under suspicion of stealing expensive electronic equipment.

Opinion

It happens very often that the first film of a series is also the best – or one of the best -, but this is not the case. Other than being an action movie cult and having inspired many sequels in years to come, "The Fast and the Furious" isn’t anything special and doesn’t really stand out from the crowd.

There isn’t much of a plot here. All the film has to give is a simple and predictable plot filled with clichés of the genre, like the gang’s leader being the only one trusting the new guy, and the rest of the gang, expect for one guy, eventually following him. There’s the typical problems with rival gangs, and the pointless romantic subplot.

However, what really counts here is the characters. They are not brilliant, but they are well defined, a bit developed and quite interesting despite being very stereotypical, and Toretto definitely stands out.

But I doubt people who watch this kind of films care for a solid plot, mind blowing characters and great dialogue. It is all about the action and adrenaline, and the film does deliver that wonderfully. Despite all the flaws above mentioned, the film manages to be quite engaging and exciting.

Also people like eye-candy, and this film is filled with gorgeous, hot girls, and stunning, fast cars.

Just like his character, Vin Diesel has a dominating screen presence and does a fairly good job as Toretto. The rest of the cast is okay.