The Fast and the Furious

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So, I have a decided on a whim to go back and review the first six Fast and the Furious movies. Why? Because I felt like it. Looking back at 2001's The Fast and the Furious, it seems almost quaint. It relatively small scale compared to some of the later films in the franchise. No, this isn't the most groundbreaking or original plot. Think Point Break with cars. The acting isn't spectacular. I think most of the cast finds their footing later on in the franchise (in particular Michelle Rodriguez and Paul Walker). There are two people in this film I think give solid performances. Vin Diesel has practically made a career out of playing anti-heroes (this movie came out one year after Pitch Black). The man does have a pretty limited acting range, but Dom Toretto doesn't really force Diesel to stretch. The character actually plays to his strengths. A similar case can also be made for Ted Levine, who plays the lieutenant for Paul Walker's undercover cop. Levine might be on autopilot here, but cops and dirt-bags are roles he really excels at. The characters aren't very deep, but I like them well enoughThe special effects are pretty bad, mostly because I think they just haven't stood the test of time. If I'm being honest, I didn't actually see this movie in its entirety until I was in middle school, so I can't really say that I know how they looked in 2001. There is some sense of nostalgia for me, but nothing huge. I've always enjoyed this film on some level, even if I have never considered it to be among my favorites. There are some rough patches, and I think this film shows a lot of initial growing pains that the franchise would eventually learn from. If I were to take The Fast and the Furious on its own, I wouldn't consider this a film that would launch one of the biggest action franchises of the 21st century. 

7 / 10