I remember when The Fast and The Furious first came out in 2001. I’ve been trying to find the reason why I have seen the sequels ever since. 2 Fast 2 Furious was a one liner fest from Tyrese Gibson (who tried and failed to replace Vin Diesel) and had absurd car chase after absurd car chase/gunfight. 3 Times as fast...no wait they just called it Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift introduced this car noob to the sport of drifting and attempted to restart the series with a new group of rowdy driving maniacs. It didn’t work well but still you left with some ungodly idea that you had been entertained. When Fast and Furious came out a few years later, reuniting the fans of the series with Vin Diesel and all his growling goodness, I was in line with my peeps for the show.
Now comes Fast Five which picks up right at the end of Fast and Furious but still before Tokyo Drift. This time Dom, Bryan and Mia are on the run after breaking Dom out of jail in spectacular fashion. Ever think a bus couldn’t be taken out by a Honda? You’d be wrong. Granted it was a Honda and a telephone pole. Anyway Paul Walker and his wooden delivery ends up with Jordana Brewster (seriously what has she done that wasn’t a Fast and Furious movie, I thought she might be dead) driving through Rio DeJaniero to visit a pal from the first movie. He sets them up with a “job” and the story is well on it’s way.
Soon the gang is all together and in order to get the vengeance on the drug dealer that tried to kill them, enlists the help of the cast of the other 3 movies not counting Tokyo Drift because still for some reason the are behind the timeline of that film. Ludacris shows up with Tyrese from the second film. The Asian guy from the last movie was there as well although his ability to “Blend in anywhere” is seemingly non existent. I could eat chips and stare at a guy too while he rubs a hot ladies ass. Does not mean I blend. It comes down to an improbable gamble to steal 100 million dollars. As Tyrese said “this job just went from mission impossible to mission in freaking sanity”.
“The Rock” Dwayne Johnson shows up as an FBI tracker with a bug up his ass over something. Needless to say, when the moment is at hand, Vin Diesel and The Rock throw down in spectacular throwing through walls excitement. I don’t know about you but I could not drink from a sippy cup if someone throws me through a few walls let alone drive with the precision these guys do. Yet this movie is not about the fights or the crimes. This isn’t about the characters growing older, gaining responsibility or keeping themselves alive. This movie is about fast cars, hot women and gloriously perfect one liners from Tyrese.
Jordana Brewster does a fine job. Vin Diesel does a job. Paul Walker is there. That is about all you can say. I’d love to tell you why I love to see a man driving a really nice car off a cliff, two men leaping from said car from about 200 feet in the air, the car crashing into the river below mere moments before the two men hit that water and then swim away with nary a scratch on them. I’d love to know why when a movie with the words fast and furious comes out my balls tickle a little. I can’t tell you why to see Fast Five or why this series of movies continues to succeed time and time again.
The critics (like me) seem to have given up trying to not like these movies. They have stopped rolling their eyes at the improbable scenes and simply roll with it. That’s perhaps the best thing you can say about these movies. When you see a man with a nitrous canister driving headlong at the police flinging a safe about, you just need to go with it. Just roll with every improbable twist and turn. You don’t need to know how they pull off the things they do. With 2 more of these movies coming, all I can say is... I’m there and when I drive home after I might just fondle my automatic shifter and pretend that my PT Cruiser could beat Dom’s Dodge Challenger down the quarter mile. Hey, if these guys can steal 100 million dollars and kill 50 Brazilian police officers... a guy can dream.
For those who can't keep it straight.
The Fast and The Furious movies in chronological order:
The Fast and The Furious - $144,533,925 Box Office Revenue
2 Fast 2 Furious - $127,154,901 Box Office Revenue
Fast and Furious - $155,064,265 Box Office Revenue
Fast Five - $86,198,765 Box Office Revenue (one week)
The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift - $62,514,415 Box Office Revenue
I'll admit, I was speeding on the freeway on my way home after seeing this movie.
ReplyDelete-Teresa