The Fast And The Furious
In 1991, Keanu Reeves (The Watcher) starred in Point Break as an undercover FBI agent investigating a spree of bank robberies. Believing the perpetrators to be surfers, Reeves takes up this pastime to find the robbers and bring them to justice. If you substitute illegal street racing for surfing and swap bank robberies for delivery truck hijackings, Point Break becomes The Fast and the Furious.
Paul Walker (Varsity Blues) plays Brian OÕConnor, an undercover LAPD officer inspecting a series of truck hijackings. Tire marks from the crimes match the marks found on the streets of downtown Los Angeles, the site of late-night drag races. OÕConnor adopts the alias ÒBrian SpilnerÓ and attempts to infiltrate the street-racing scene.
At first, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), the most prominent of the street racers, rejects SpilnerÕs presence. The latter is persistent, though; he races Toretto and loses his car. Soon after, the police raid the racing scene, and everyone drives away. The police spot Toretto and are about to bust him when Spilner picks him up, saving him from arrest. Toretto begins to trust Spilner and accepts him as part of his social circle. Brian OÕConnor/ Brian SpilnerÕs opportunity to capture the hijackers has now begun. SpilnerÕs challenge is that he is working in a timeframe. The frustrated truck drivers threaten to use deadly force to protect themselves and the merchandise, unless the police capture the hijackers soon.
The cast consists of several attractive and fresh actors on their way to stardom. Walker, a so-called heartthrob, has a voice that sounds strangely like Keanu ReevesÕs. Vin DieselÕs (Boiler Room) throat and mouth form a booming baritone; this dude commands the other charactersÕ attention and the audienceÕs as well. Jordana Brewster, who plays spunky Mia Torretto, is a beautiful actress from Panama. The remaining cast represents a variety of ethnic and racial groups: blacks, whites, Asians, Latinos, etc. The general acting is not Oscar-caliber, but the characters are believable.
Rob CohenÕs directing has its moments. When the racers prepare to begin the race, you can see how obsessively they soup up their cars. The customizers use combinations of fuel injectors, computers, nitrous oxide boosters, and other high-tech equipment I donÕt know jack about. Cohen takes you from the user interface all the way through the car, letting you see the internal power-ups, and out through the flaming tailpipe - some of the cleverest directing in recent times.
The Fast and the Furious was one of the best action movies of 2001. It discards excessive language and gory violence, while retaining genuine thrills and unpredictability. Unfortunately, this movie is a remake of the mediocre Point Break. Fortunately, the son is smarter than the father this time.
Lastly, Dominic Toretto has a quotable line that sticks in the mind: "Ask any racer, any real racer. It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile; winning's winning." How true!
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Even the beer in this multicultural action thriller originates from another country. Enjoy some ice-cold Coronas, but donÕt forget the slices of lemon or lime.
Seeing Paul Walker shirtless has a good chance of starting your ladyÕs motor.
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