Overall-
Cast&Crew-Paul Walker as Brian O'Connor, Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, Michelle Rodriguez as Lefty, Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, and Rob Cohen in the director's chair.
Plot Synopsis-An undercover cop tries to infiltrate a crime ring by racing in illegal street races.
Reflections on the Movie-The Fast and the Furious was the suprise hit of 2001. I must admit when I first heard about the movie I didn't think it would be good but boy was I wrong. The movie blends a fresh cast with a decent storyline. The thing that makes this movie so enjoyable though is the cars and the great action sequences. In short this is a great adrenaline rush of a movie.
The movie features rice rockets. These Japanese import cars are souped up to go at outrageous speeds. Without the speed brought by these cars the movie would be just an average film. The movie also features a young cast which is highlighted by Vin Diesel. In my opinion, Diesel is poised to become a full fledged action star. He brings some weight to his role as a tough guy with some emotional baggage. The rest of the cast carry out their roles well although they look like they're just playing themselves and not acting. That is not necessarily a bad thing as the cast has a certain freshness and edginess to it.
In the end, Director Rob Cohen suceeds in finding the right balance between story and action which is let the cars and the action do the talking. The movie never really lags at any point. The ending stunt is worth the price of admission itself. The ending leaves room for a sequel. This movie just had a certain lightning in a bottle feel to it which I doubt that the people at Universal could duplicate. Overall this movie succeeds in its objective of giving the audience a highly entertaining experience.
Dvd highlights-Just like the title of the movie, the Dvd sports a bunch of extras that are done quickly. Despite this, there are some worthwhile bonus materials. The commentary with Director Rob Cohen highlights the extras. Cohen's commentary is one of the best I have listened to so far as he really spews out a lot of interesting info about the movie while not taking long pauses in between his comments. The Making of the Fast and the Furious featurette is another good extra. It lasts 18 minutes and takes a look at the cast, the crew, and the stunts. In addition to the these two extras there are seven deleted scenes which are really short and are just basically filler material. Rounding out the extras are music videos, storyboards, production notes, and a cast and filmmakers feature. In all, the extras are fairly good.
Final Recommendation-A must buy for fans of this movie. Others should probably take this disc for a test drive(rental).
