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March 24, 2017

F&F 1: Fast and the Furious (2001) --- "An Undercover FBI Agent Falls In Love With The Wrong Side Of The Road."

Copyright
Plot Summary
LA street racer Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) falls under the suspicion of the LAPD for a string of high-speed electronics truck robberies. Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) an officer of the LAPD, joins the ranks of Toretto's highly skilled racing crew undercover to convict Toretto. However, O'Connor finds himself both enamored with this new world and in love with Toretto's sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster) As a rival racing crew gains strength, O'Connor must decide where his loyalties lie. (1)







Review
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Hello, Movie Buffs!
     Fast and the Furious has by far the best car racing scenes ever filmed, as well as the best cars and these can guys certainly drive them. It does not contain any of the intrigues similar to Mission Impossible; it does not dazzle us with special effects of impending doom like Armageddon nor is it another Gone in Sixty Seconds where all they did was steal cars. Here we have a great story that takes us into the world where people live life "a quarter of a mile at a time" without needing all the frou-frou aforementioned. And while there were not as many race scenes as you would expect, almost every shot is filled with cars and lots of them.

     The acting is superb with two main characters who were played by two amazing actors. First, we have Vin Diesel, who as usual gives a brilliant performance, as Dominic Toretto; a massive, bald mechanic that owns a garage but street races on the side to make some extra cash. Diesel first made a name for himself in Saving Private Ryan, as Private Capparrzo, and while he was working alongside two well-known actors, Tom Hanks and Matt Damon, his screen time and lines were very minimalistic, which is why not many people remember his role in the film. Next, he jumps onto the scene with his excellent and imposing portrayal as Riddick in Pitch Black and later on the following Riddick films. Here we see him portray a character that is all muscle and sheer bravado, a more “human” version of Riddick. I believe that Fast and the Furious is the movie that made his career.  Second, we have Paul Walker (The Skulls, Varsity Blues) who plays Brian O’Conner; an undercover cop that has infiltrated the street gang in order to find out who is highjacking trucks and stealing their merchandise out of the rival gangs in L.A. Of course along the way he is seduced by the life considering the past he has had with fast cars. But that is not what we really care about and Fast and the Furious does not disappoint.

     Over the years the Fast and the Furious franchise has earned a massive following, filling viewers with a rush of adrenaline leaving you with the feeling and need to race. Everybody I have talked to has said the same thing; Fast and the Furious carries this crazy adrenaline rush and it imparts that its viewers. My mother is a big fan of the Fast and the Furious franchise, most probably due to her love of fast cars and driving fast. It is no wonder that the exit polls for this film were around 65-70% under the age of 21. This film allows the audience, no matter the age, to lose themselves in a film that does stunts and tricks normal people can’t necessarily do in real-life. We are basically living one of our wildest dreams, going 140 miles an hour while simultaneously shooting NOS through your vehicle.

     Overall, if this film appealed to you in the commercial then it will appeal to you on the screen. It will drive you (pun intended)  into the world where average Honda's are souped up to look like monsters and junkyard scraps are rebuilt into unbelievable cars that are better, stronger, and faster. I highly recommend Fast and the Furious to not only fans of cars and racing but also fans of other tastes. This movie has something for everybody and you have to see it, in order to discover what that something is. 


“I live my life a quarter-mile at a time. Nothing else matters; not the mortgage, not the store, not my team and all their bullshit. For those ten seconds or less, I'm free.”
- Dom.

Final Vote
Worth Seeing:  4.5 of 5 stars
Worth Buying:  4.5 of 5 stars

I hope you liked this post, subscribe to my blog via email HERE, send in your comments, and watch Fast and the Furious (2001).


Movies Similar 
F&F 2: 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
F&F 3: Tokyo Drift (2006)
F&F 4: Fast & the Furious (2009)
F&F 5: Fast Five (2011)
F&F 6: Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
F&F 7: Furious 7 (2015)
F&F 8: The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Gone in 60 Seconds (2000)
Italian Job (2003)
Mission Impossible (1996)
Mission Impossible 2 (2000)
Mission Impossible 3 (2006)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011)
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation (2016)
Need for Speed (2014)
Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Ocean's Twelve (2004)
Ocean's Thirteen (2007)
xXx (2002)
xXx: State of the Union (2005)
xXx: Return of Xander Cage (2017)


Cast & Crew

Directed by: Rob Cohen

 

Writing Credits:

   (Magazine Article “Racer X) Ken Li
   (Screen Story) Gary Scott Thompson.

 

Produced by 

   Creighton Bellinger   ---    associate producer
   Doug Claybourne       ---    executive producer
   Neal H. Moritz           ---    producer
   John Pogue                ---    executive producer

 

Cast:

Paul Walker --- Brian O'Conner
Vin Diesel --- Dominic Toretto
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
Noel Gugliemi --- Hector
R.J. de Vera --- Danny Yamato
Beau Holden --- Ted Gassner
Reggie Lee --- Lance Nguyen
Glenn K. Ota --- Johnny's Father
Monica Tamayo --- Monica
Megan Baker --- Gimel

Tammy Monica Gegamian --- Edwin's Babe


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