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The Fast and the Furious

Those looking for an anecdote to last year's lackluster exhaust dispenser "Gone in Sixty Seconds" should find a comfortable remedy in "The Fast and the Furious," which practically ignites the screen in a blaze of frenzied excitement. The story behind the amazing action set-pieces and drag races is mediocre at best, but that's the extent of its shortcomings, as it grips us in a rocket ride of tension and suspense that makes Bruckheimer's flick look like a three-legged race.

The beauty of this movie is its ability to rise above the level of its premise, which any sensible person will be able to see through. It centers around Los Angeles cop Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker), who has been given an undercover assignment to locate the lifters of stolen electronics. The manner in which the goods are stolen leads Brian to the street racing gangs that populate the night streets; their leader, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel), is skeptical of Brian's arrival, but takes him under his wing when he rescues him from pursuing cops after a drag race. Then things start getting tricky: Brian finds himself falling in love with Dom's sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), while also learning of a feud between Dom and a rival street racing gang led by Johnny Tran (Rick Yune). After finding gross amounts of electronic equipment in Tran's garage, Brian returns to his headquarters with his newfound information, but it turns out to be a mislead, and he must start facing the fact that Dom's gang is the one responsible for the thefts.

The plot is pretty basic, reminiscent of a dozen previous undercover cop movies in which a person's loyalty to his occupation is tested by a forged friendship with the enemy. Given the fact that Brian's undercover status must, at some point, be revealed to his new friends, the movie follows a fairly predictable route in which we know what will happen next. The FBI, as portrayed in the film, is also pretty lax in their efforts, and after a few beginning scenes, they are much better left discarded from memory. Despite these minor speed bumps, "The Fast and the Furious" manages to engage the audience with a stunning array of stunts, special effects, and full-speed-ahead action that never stops moving until the blazing, rip-roaring final chase.

In a way, the film's predictability works in its favor, allowing us to focus our attention on what's most important, and that is director Rob Cohen's amazing knack for intensity. Employing an edgy, hardcore techno soundtrack to accompany his magnificent visual thrills, Cohen supercharges each moment with raw, unrelenting suspense. Take, for instance, the beginning drag race, which pits four drivers against one another amidst a terrific crowd of grunge teenagers and gang members. With the use of extreme quick cuts that take us from close-ups of the drivers to the blur of the cars as they pass bystanders, the scene is given a momentous amount of energy, expertly conveying the rush of adrenaline as each speedometer climbs higher.

As the action begins to tie itself more to the story, we soon bear witness to such heart-pounding, breathless scenes such as the botched lifting of stolen goods from an armed trucker, and the final chase sequence, which crowns the film in a blaze of horse-powered glory. The film's cast is equally involving, employing the talents of Diesel and Walker and using them to its full advantage. Walker's credibility as an undercover cop is questionable at times, but he gets the job done with credible results. It is Diesel, however, who steals the show: his brazen demeanor, from his bulging biceps and muscular build to his gruff voice and heavy-duty attitude, all give off the unstable intensity needed to make his character completely unpredictable in the face of such familiar material. His presence is felt with as much tension as the action itself, and this role, if nothing else, should prove his worth as a great actor who knows what he's doing. "The Fast and the Furious" is a cut above the rest, and provides more than enough excitement for those of us who have found this summer's movie season to be somewhat lacking. The film has its shortcomings, but it doesn't concern itself with trying to cover them up or better itself. It keeps our attention, as well as its own, on the superb array of drag races, revving engines, and high-speed chases that are edge-of-your-seat fun from beginning to end. --

Universal Pictures is widely praised for its Collector's Series DVDs, which almost always contain a plethora of special features that are impressive and informative. Of each of these editions I've seen, none up to this point can compare with that of "The Fast and the Furious," a terrific package of features that take us behind the story, the casting, the special effects, and the production of the film in a manner that is as entertaining as the movie itself. The two most informative features are the behind-the-scenes featurette and the commentary track with director Rob Cohen.

"The Making of The Fast and the Furious" takes us into the making of the movie by showing us the subculture that the film portrays, and by revealing that the people of the culture made up a large portion of the extras and actual drivers in the film, which adds to the authentic, raw feel of the overall production. It also talks about casting and special effects, and the interviews with various cast and crew member suggest a happy atmosphere that has transferred well into the final film. Cohen's commentary talks basically about the same aspects of the movie, only focusing on more scenes as they come to pass, and adding more detail when possible. The article "Racer X," which was the basis for this film, is presented in its full form here, and is an interesting read; in looking this feature over, it is easy to see the authenticity that went into making this film.

The deleted scenes are presented with an introductory comment from Cohen, and each scene allows the option of commentary that explains his reasons for dropping each different sequence. The multiple camera angle sequence is very well constructed, giving the viewer the option of watching the final chase scene from a selection of eight different camera angles, all of which were positioned in various different locations. This not only shows Cohen's attention to detail, but also his drive to capture the scene from every angle available to him. All of this can also be watched as it appears in the film.

The interactive special effects feature allows you to break down the sequence involving the final chase when the two cars narrowly escape being hit by a train. The three camera angles taken of the moving vehicles as the train approaches are broken down into the separate plates filmed by themselves before being composited into a final, realistic-looking shot that is also available to the viewer. This will offer an interesting look at how compositing can take the place of computerized special effects to give the shot a better look. The featurette on the MPAA rating and editing takes a look at the toning down of the truck sequence, in which a metal wire is seen wrapped around a man's arm as he hangs from a moving truck.

It's interesting to see that with the cutting of a mere five to ten seconds of footage, the MPAA will be able to grant the film a PG-13 rating rather than the R rating had the scene been left untouched. The visual effects montage is a motion collage of footage from the film's first race intercut with the basic computer animation of the scene as well as concept artwork and blue screen photography, all of which collaborated in the production of what is a very spectacular action piece.

The storyboard-to-final cut comparisons offer pretty much the same thing, allowing us to watch the different images play in progression with the final cut of the film. Both features are an added plus to the background of the film's complex visual effects. As we wind down to the last features, comprised of music videos and promotional material including music highlights and a theatrical trailer, we must bid adieu to this terrific DVD experience, one of the first to be released this year, and possibly one of the best. "The Fast and the Furious" is a good movie made even better by its DVD, which is no small accomplishment. The information is not only abundant, it's also interesting, and that makes it worthwhile. --

While it's not Best Picture material, "The Fast and the Furious" delivers what it promises, and has fun doing so. The acting is first rate, and the action is charged with testosterone and intensity that is invigorating and thrilling. One of the better films of the summer season, and one of the better DVDs to come from Universal in some time.