Review of 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) by Jesse M — 18 May 2013

Inferior to its predecessor in every way, 2 Fast 2 Furious is the result of a lead actor refusing to sign on for a sequel, leaving the producers to recast, come up with an entirely new story, and loosely relate it back to the original so they can market it under the same name. Paul Walker does return as Brian O' Connor, only now he's moved to Florida and is no longer a cop. He's still into street racing, making new friends along the way. Then the FBI rehires him and his friend, Roman (played by Tyrese) to go undercover and help bring down Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), a notorious criminal who is dumb enough not to realize that most of the people around him are undercover agents.

The racing sequences are as cool as you would expect them to be, and the plot follows a generally successful formula. It's just that this whole film feels more like a knock off of The Fast and the Furious than a sequel. It doesn't expand the story because all the characters are new. Director John SIngleton seems to be simply cashing in on the paycheck as he offers no grace or visual flair to the film. Eva Mendes is no Michelle Rodriguez, mainly because she can't act. Tyrese holds his own, but he doesn't have Vin Diesel's screen presence. The only significant thing about 2 Fast 2 Furious is that it reminds you how much better its predecessor is with respect to story, characters, and action.