Review of The Fast and the Furious (2001) by Darren C — 25 May 2012

Because of Fast and Furious 5: Rio Heist hitting the cinemas, Inner Sanctum Reviews will be reviewing all of the previous movies in the series leading up to the new one, starting with where it all began, The Fast and the Furious. An undercover cop infiltrates an underworld subculture of Los Angeles street racers looking to bust a hijacking ring, and soon begins to question his loyalties when his new street racing friends become the prime suspects. The Fast and the Furious doesn't try to be something it's not and the story isn't really all that great but it is entertaining enough to introduce the main attraction; the action scenes. It also doesn't help that there are quite a few plot holes and a few scenes that left you wondering why the characters did what they did but all in all, it's not badly-written. The characters depicted in The Fast and the Furious are quite bad as they all say that they're a family and they have each other's backs but they're constantly bitchy and quite nasty to each other most of the time, leaving only a couple of scenes where we are supposed to be seeing character development and yet we get so little of it. The script is constantly repetitive and a bit tedious in some parts but hey, you can't expect something groundbreaking in a movie that bows down to car chases and explosions, right? Even though the characters are quite awful and the script is just bad, the cast actually manage to pull off a good performance as their characters. Paul Walker and Vin Diesel were great and Michelle Rodriguez is good in playing the familiar role of bad-ass tomboy chick she always seems to play in the majority of the movies she is in.

Right now, you may be thinking that The Fast and the Furious is getting an absolutely terrible review, and maybe you are right but you would also be a little wrong in thinking this because, even though a lot of things are bad and could have been improved, it works. Yes, the story, the character development and the script may take a back seat but the action scenes make up for it and then some. With absolutely fantastic action choreography and some brilliant fast-paced moments, The Fast and the Furious will never fail to amaze you where the action scenes and the stunts are concerned. Overall, if you are looking for something with great action and if you are a fan of films filled with action, cars and attractive women, this may be the movie for you.

This is a very enjoyable movie and is one of those movies where you must leave your brain at the door. Although the writing isn't really good, it works very well with the action scenes and the car races and chases. If you are expecting a masterpiece in the action genre then you should not watch this movie. However, if you are looking to kill some time and have a love for action movies, you'll like this. Overall, The Fast and the Furious gets a six out of ten for being enjoyable and easy to watch.