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Street Racing Movies

The Fast and the Furious

Review:
The Fast and the Furious is considered by many to be the first movie to portray the street racing scene in America. It follows the operations of Los Angeles Police Officer Brian O’Conner, who goes undercover in a street racing gang in an attempt to obtain information about recent truck hijackings, which are believed to have been committed by members of the street racing community. Within this world, modified cars, drag races, gang wars, and corruption are the norm and we are thoroughly exposed to all it has to offer.

The gang O’Conner is assigned to befriend is headed by Dominic Toretto, an ex-convict with a violent history. Through the course of his sting, O’Conner becomes unusually close to the group, and especially to Dominic’s younger sister, Mia, who is his love interest. Throughout the movie, the team competes with rival gangs for the fastest cars while O’Conner investigates them for their connection to the hijackings. All the while, it is the very group he infiltrates that is the perpetrator. His intimate relationship with the crew blinds him from reality and handicaps his ability to do his job, which eventually costs people their lives. In the final scene of the movie, O’Conner proves his insight has truly left him, when he lets Dominic Toretto, whom he knows is guilty, escape.

The movie couldn’t be appropriately titled The Fast and the Furious without the appearance of some high-performance import sports cars such as the Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Acura Integra, Honda S2000, Nissan Skyline, and the classic American muscle car, the Dodge Charger. Every conceivable staple sports car found in real world street racing scenes can be seen in this movie, complete with many modifications.

This movie does well in incorporating a plot into a subject that is not stand-alone. We do get fast cars and intense race sequences, but these can get old quite easily. The intriguing storyline keeps the viewer glued to the screen, with love twists and fragile relationships. I do feel that it was a prelude to more shallow and uninventive street racing movies that came out afterwards. As they say, the original is always better than the sequel.

Pictures:

Photos © Universal Pictures.

2 Fast 2 Furious

Review:
After being discharged from the Los Angeles Police Department in the first movie, Brian O’Conner, played by Paul Walker, is now a full-fledged street racer and is recruited to go undercover once again for the authorities. This time, his motives are completely involuntary, as he faces judicial punishment for past crimes if he doesn’t comply. O’Conner chooses an old acquaintance, Roman Pearce (Tyrese), who he helped send to prison during his tenure as a police officer. Far-fetched as it may be, Pierce forgives his friend for years of misery in seemingly a few seconds. Though it helps that his criminal record also gets expunged if he goes undercover with O’Conner, you don’t just return trust to the man who put you away. Their assignment together is to take down a Columbian drug king, Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), with the help of undercover agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes).

I would not exactly say that this movie was better or worse than the original; it would depend on your preference. Unlike the first movie, 2 Fast 2 Furious was more like the typical hollywood action flick. The street racing scene was all but absent from this movie, probably inserted in small amounts only to make the presence of fast cars seem more plausible and to keep up with the genre. We have a drug lord, weaker (but more fun) plot, repartee, and unreal car races and chases. The very thought of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution turning forward momentum at highway speeds into reverse gear at the same pace defies the very laws of physics, but not Hollywood physics.

This movie detracts from the street racing theme from the first The Fast and the Furious movie, but is nevertheless more humorous and more enjoyable. Notable cars that appeared include the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, Mitsubishi Eclipse Spider, Honda S2000, Toyota Supra. Personally, I feel this movie is just a recycled storyline wrapped around fast cars to help make it sell. It has all the elements needed to just entertain but not intrigue.

Pictures: