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A rookie cop, Brian Spindler (Paul Walker), goes undercover to investigate a series of truck
hijackings by a top-notch drag racing team. He poses as a daredevil racer, earns a place with the team by helping out its leader, Dom Torreto (Vin Diesel), while trapped in a
car chase, and even wins the love of Dom's sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster). Caught prowling around theteam's hideaway, he becomes suspect despite his newly-forged connections,
thus setting the stage for a rip-roaring showdown.
The movie is an explosion of fast cars, reckless drivers, death defying stunts and wreckage,
of guns and violence, set against an ear-splitting sound track. Depending on the viewer, it can either be a breath-taking audiovisual feast or just an endless warfare of
wheels and guns. The plot is flimsy, with unexplained scenes such as the Asian motorcycle gang appearing out of nowhere. The characters are so-so, except for Hollywood hunk
Vin Diesel who comes out strong, focused and confident. However, the photography is great and the stunts excitingly spectacular, though a surfeit of it can be quite wearisome,
except perhaps for die-hard drag racing 'afficionados'. The film described as a rapidly moving experience, is really not that moving nor challenging.
Watching the movie depict an angry world where speed and noise are of the essence, one wonders
how these people ever find quiet time for prayer or reflection. Because of the film's vulgar language, sex scenes, criminal acts of hijacking and destruction of property, and
terrible violence in the shooting and killing, this is no movie for young people, especially those with a yen for fast driving. Such car-crazy kids might attempt to work on
those dangerous stunts, not realizing that they were done by professional stunt drivers with their safety gear on and an ambulance nearby.
The Fast and the Furious is definitely a film for men with themes of trust, respect, team unity and caring, and above all, of finishing first. Most
of the film's characters are car-freaks—eating, drinking, talking, and perhaps even sleeping and dreaming of nothing but their 'babies' (read their home-made and nurtured
hot rods). While it is not wrong to be passionate about cars or planes or even our jobs, there are more important realities clamoring for attention.
(Date reviewed: September 28, 2001)
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