The Fast and the Furious
Brian (Walker) is an undercover cop looking for the team responsible for repeated trucking heists. Suspecting street racers, he investigates the underground culture of street racing, fast cars and even faster women, gathering nightly to prove their mettle on the streets of Los Angeles. King of the street racers is Dominic (Diesel), the racing guru whose run-in wi
Brian (Walker) is an undercover cop looking for the team responsible for repeated trucking heists. Suspecting street racers, he investigates the underground culture of street racing, fast cars and even faster women, gathering nightly to prove their mettle on the streets of Los Angeles. King of the street racers is Dominic (Diesel), the racing guru whose run-in with Brian build in to a friendship that threatens his investigation, not helped by his 'fit as a butchers dog' sister Mia (Brewster).
The Fast and The Furious really does run at a hundred miles an hour. Although the storyline is fairly straightforward, borrowing heftily from Point Break, the sheer energy on screen keeps you rapt for the entire movie. Turn up the volume, switch to DTS sound and it feels like you're actually under the bonnet of these cars. Special effects are used conservatively, but to great effect, enhancing the mood and making you almost smell the fuel (and testosterone - ugh) in the air during the race scenes. Not forgetting the car stunts, some of which (especially the finale) are breathtaking.
It's a very cool film which is head and shoulders above similar efforts such as Gone in Sixty Seconds, and worth special mention is the performance of Vin Diesel. This guy amazes me in every film I see him in, and as the guru \ protagonist in this movie, he puts in a dazzling performance, showing a genuine ability to act which is unexpected given his appearance. At times he puts the others to shame, but there isn't really much time to act, it's the cars and the race scenes that take center stage, and this is why you want to watch the film. My biggest complaint is the ending, which I thought was quite weak, although it does leave things open for a sequel, which I wouldn't mind seeing. Despite this, it's a great way to spend a couple of hours, and well worth repeat viewings.
The DVD impresses right from the cool packaging. Menus are smart and the Anamorphic picture is crystal clear. The sound, whether DTS or DD is full and engaging, this is a great disk to show your setup off to your friends. Extras include a making of featurette, including interviews with director and Vin Diesel, and a host of deleted scenes with optional commentary.
Although these were removed for pace reasons, the film would benefit from their re-insertion for DVD as they round the film up for fans. The original article, "Racer X" is included, but I don't really bother with reading text on a TV screen, a featurette about the article would have been better for a DVD.
Also included are special effects deconstructions for some of the stunts. These are very interesting, showing how they composited the shots. Add to this music videos by Ja Rule, caddillac tah and saliva, additional DVD ROM material and one of those "music highlight" things, and you have a feature-packed disc supporting a good movie.
Four out of five.
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