Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Giving opinions for several years and showing like a fine vintage
Member since:11.07.2000
Reviews:625
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There are many reasons why we go to the cinema. Sometimes we need to be taken to another world, another reality where unreal things are done. Most of the time this is what happens in actions films, some get it right, some get it horribly wrong. This law applies to many films that feature cars as some of the stars.
I'm glad to say The Fast and the Furious is one that gets it right. You want action -- you've got it. You want good looking guys and girls -- you got it. You want some very powerful mean bitching cars -- you got it.
Paul Walker plays Brian Earl Spilner, a young guy who seemingly works at a car parts shop that supplies state of the art parts for very powerful sports cars. The customers who frequent this shop all take part in illegal racing on the streets of Los Angeles. Brian has his won mean machine and enters a race with his car on the line. One of his competitors is Dominic
"Dom" Toretto (Vin Diesel), the best there is and the most feared and respected guy on the block. When the cops bust the race Brain helps Dom escape and a friendship is struck up. However Dom doesn't know that Brain is actually an undercover cop investigating a recent spate of truck hijacks in which Dom is the chief suspect.
Loyalties and trust are put on the line as Brian finds himself caught up with Dom's sister as well as having to contend with some of Dom's race friends who aren't trusting of him. At the end of the day however Brian goes through with the job he must do it fast and he must do it furious.
Now I'm sure if I really thought long and hard then this film would throw up a lot of plot holes but some films find ways of covering this up and by the end it doesn't really matter. Essentially this is a film about two men on opposite sides of the law with a bond and an enthusiasm for cars.
Vin Diesel is fast becoming the next big thing and deservedly so. He has a strong presecence and a voice that could strip paint at 100 yards. He's been compared to the likes of Arnie but there is one difference. This guy can act. Ultimately Vin is the coolest thing in this film behind the cars. Paul Walker is someone who seems to have been cast for looks more than anything. He's a bit like Keanu Reeves but does a good job although I do feel there are better actors for the role out there.
On the female side the very foxy Jordana Brewster plays Mia Toretto, the sister of Dom. She gets some good stuff to play with and comes through with a good performance even though her role is secondary to the real plot. Playing Dom's girlfriend is Michelle Rodriguez, her role doesn't require her to do a lot but this is one girl with attitude and really I wouldn't want to be on her bad side. The rest of the cast are pretty throwaway but Ted Levine as the police captain is always good.
Director Rob Cohen has a very patchy filmography that has some very routine action films on it. His best film to date has been Dragon-The Bruce Lee Story but here he really grasps the concept with both hands. Last year saw another car movie called Gone In 60 Seconds, that film was very poor and had no real sense of speed. What Coen does here is to employ a very shaky camera and fast editing but thankfully it builds up the feeling of speed instead of being the MTV style of editing. The first real car race made my hair stand on end with its sheer visceral thrills. At one point a car utilizes nitro gas to gain speed. When the button is hit the camera goes flying through the engine giving you a real boost as the flames fly out of the back. It's one of those cool effects that really enhance the pace.
Naturally this film is very loud, too loud for some but it just adds to the experience. The soundtrack is a mix of hip-hop and pulsating score by BT. Add to that the sound designs on the cars and you have some very bass heavy beats.
I like films that provoke discussion but I also going to see films that are just very big, very loud and very entertaining. This is one of them. It's a film that does exactly what it says on the tin and at 107 minutes it moves at breakneck speed, it's easy to see why it was a big hit in the states. I can see the same thing happening here. It has the effect of making you want to come out of the film, jump in your car and burn down the motorway.
Just sit back, relax and please make sure you go to the toilet beforehand. For the first time in ages I had to go midway through the film because of the excitement.
If that isn’t a recommendation I don't know what is.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Action/Adventure - Director: Gore Verbinski - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Bill Nighy, Keira Knightley, Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Chow Yun-Fat
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Advantages: Back to the cruising scene with great cars, great sound systems and great girls. Action packed Disadvantages: It's not as good as Fast and Furious, poor acting, unrealistic story
Advantages: Plenty of action, nice effects, Vin Diesel, no need to think too hard. Disadvantages: Not really any, unless you're expecting something that it's not.
![The Fast and the Furious [DVD] [1954] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/75101444.jpg "The Fast and the Furious [DVD] [1954] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]")
![The Fast And The Furious [HD DVD] [2001]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78158583.jpg "The Fast And The Furious [HD DVD] [2001]")
![3 Classic Racing Films of the Silver Screen: The Wild Ride (1960) / The Fast and the Furious (1954) / The Big Wheel (1949) [DVD]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78499914.jpg "3 Classic Racing Films of the Silver Screen: The Wild Ride (1960) / The Fast and the Furious (1954) / The Big Wheel (1949) [DVD]")
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![The Fast and the Furious [DVD] [1954] [US Import] [NTSC]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/81497500.jpg)
