The Fast and the Furious

We all know the Fast and Furious series is a strange bird.  It started out as a laughing stock to a lot of people where they couldn’t understand why another would come out every couple of years.  “Who’s still seeing this shit?”  Then it turned a corner where folks started to get on board and rethink their stance.  Finally such a big fan base was amassed that it’s not only expected that more movies will be made, it’s desired.  Has any other singular film series gone through such an emotional transformation with the audience?  Probably not.  So let’s take a look at what started this whole phenomenon.

First, I saw this when it came out in 2001 but it had been so long and the series has grown so much that I didn’t remember much of anything upon the re-up last week.  It was like I was seeing it for the first time.  What made the watch so fascinating is the context it’s in now.  I think it’s safe to say that for at least half the fans the series started at number four (Fast & Furious) or even five (Fast Five) and the first three installments are blissfully forgotten about.  “Those damn Fast pictures took a while to get their shit together, right?”  I would disagree.  The original is actually really good and should not be casually swept under the carpet like an embarrassing set of old clothes you used to wear or haircut you used to have (which really are acceptable to wipe from memory).

We got undercover cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker (Pleasantville)) trying to find out who’s been robbing trucks full of goods, while at top speed on the highway.  He infiltrates a street racing team led by Dom (Vin Diesel (xXx)) to gather evidence, but he doesn’t suspect that particular outfit.  Brian falls in love with Dom’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster (The Faculty)), he learns he really loves racing cars and has a hard time taking down Dom because they get to be close buds.  Yea, it’s a Point Break knock off.  We know.  In fact there are so many similarities that I don’t have the energy to go through them all.  It’s kinda bizarre that this isn’t considered a remake in my opinion.

Point Break

The Fast and the Furious
I mean both movies have a scene in Neptune's Net for Christ's sake

However even though it’s not the masterpiece that Point Break gloriously is it still has a bunch of cool shit going on.  There’s a lot of tension throughout with not just the undercover cop angle but Brian has to deal with a rival street racing gang, there’s pressure from his superiors to get results and Brian doesn’t want to screw up his relationship with Mia and Dom who he’s gotten so close to.

There’s a lot of action with fast moving cars and even a few hand to hand fights mixed in for variety.  There’s also a bunch of racing so it lives up to that too.  And what I absolutely love is that almost all of it is not done with CGI.  The first street race unfortunately uses quite a bit in terrible ways like going inside the souped up engine to get a slow motion view of what’s going on mechanically, and cartoonish-ly  blurring some shots to make it seem like the cars are going…really…really…fast?  But other than that one scene and the very last street race with the horrible looking slow motion effect those stunt drivers are out there doing some awesome shit.  And it’s all captured in a clear and exciting style.  The big crash at the end is particularly insane with Dom’s car corkscrewing through the air over Brian’s car.  And I love how Dom calmly says afterwards “that’s not what I had in mind”.

The acting is no better or worse than what we would get in the sequels but the characters are in different places here which should be kept in mind.  Like Paul Walker plays Brian with a surprising and welcoming childlike wonder when exposed to the world of underground street racing.  Like he loses his first race but he’s got a big smile on his face because it was the thrill of just being in the event, not what the outcome is.  Mia is much more innocent and not involved at all in the hijackings.  Dom is probably the one that’s most consistent.  He’s stoic yet can let that anger lose when it’s required, knows what he’s doing at all times and has the “we are a tight goddamn family” vibe with his crew.

One thing that’s interesting is how less capable all of the characters are at driving.  In the sequels every member of Dom’s outfit can drive with un-fucking-believable precision to the point where they can pick off tiny transmitters the size of a tennis ball from their cars by swooping past a concrete column.  Everyone drives more realistically crazy in the original but it’s still very cool and impressive work.

Rob Cohen did this one.  If you’re not familiar with the man he has a long and remarkable history in the film business.  From producing shit like The Wiz and The Running Man, to directing second unit on Wes Craven’s The Serpent and the Rainbow, to directing multifarious stuff like the Bruce Lee biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story to the family adventure movie Dragon Heart to the sexy thriller The Boy Next Door.  And he’s the sonuvabitch that laid the groundwork for the action adventure minimum seven sequel producing (!) saga The Fast and the Furiouses.  This guy’s no tenderfoot and been a part of so many intriguing projects for over forty goddamn years.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you’re shit may be a mixed bag but you’ve definitely got my respect Rob.

Now I know what you’re dilemma is.  You’re kinda into the later Fast pictures but haven’t heard much about the first three so you’re inclined to skip ‘em.  Well I’m here to tell you to check out at least the first one (the verdict is out on two and three, I need to re-watch those as well).  Sure it’s a bit dated with the early 2000’s clothing, bad CGI (though used minimally) and tame storyline when compared to the more recent installments.  And I can’t recommend this purely if you’re a big Point Break fan because this might remind you of it too much in a bad way.  But guys, The Fast and the Furious is a helluva good time (excellent title too that was appropriated from an unrelated 1955 Roger Corman joint). 

I can’t believe how much I liked it this round.  It’s so weird that I can call it a forgotten gem even though it’s the first in an extremely popular current film series.  But that’s exactly what it is.  Almost everything the series is known for was started right here with numero uno: outrageous car stunts, a high tension plot, strong identifiable characters, street racing, ogling shots of women in skimpy getups and a techno/dance soundtrack.  And it’s great because it’s all done well for the most part.

Be fast and be furious my friends.