The Fast And The Furious (2001) - Universal

Director : Rob Cohen

Starring : Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Ted Levine

Picture : 2.35:1 Anamorphic, DD 5.1, DTS 5.1, Dual-Layer, Single Disc, Keep Case

Running Time : 107 mins

The story:

If loyalties must be broken, If the lines must be crossed, do it fast, do it Furious

Domenic Toretto (Vin Diesel), the leader of a street gang under suspicion of hijacking expensive electronic equipment lives his life on the edge. Street racing is his life and he never feels more alive than when he is racing the quarter mile. Brian O' Connor (Paul Walker), an undercover police officer attempting to find out who exactly is stealing the equipment, infiltrates the closely knit gang led by Dominic. Facing pressure from his bosses to crack the case and mounting pressure from the street he must deliver. Falling for Domenic's younger sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster) is not what he had in mind.

The summary:

The sub culture of Street Racing is the backdrop for this impressively fast paced movie from Rob Cohen. Inspired by a short magazine piece, Cohen set about researching this fascinating twentysomething culture that is far from cheap and fraught with danger. What you get on screen is a vapid blend of loud engines, screaming turbos and a subplot that occasionally lets the film down.

The film revolves around a street gang led by the perfectly cast Vin Diesel, who apart from being the best at Street Racing, carry out daring highjacks on container trucks loaded with expensive equipment. These hijacks fund their expensive cars and even more expensive tune ups. Paul Walker is an undercover detective who infiltrates the group in order to learn more about who is behind the highjackings - although you would have to be pretty naïve to think it was anyone other than Diesels gang. The tension mounts as Walker befriends the likable leader and also wins the affections of his attractive sister. The usual story of someone torn between his job and his affections ensues.

Watching this plot unfold I was astonished at how similar it was to the Swayze/Reeves actioner Point Break - Different backdrop, same plot. Walker even sounds like Keanu Reeves ! That said the movie does ooze thunderingly realistic races and metal head dialogue to boot. You definitely get the impression that the scriptwriter was over enthused with his love of cars on more than one occasion. For me it wasn't a problem, but for anyone who is not interested in cars the film may lag a little. Overall the movie does exactly what it says on the tin - Its a fast and furious look at a world in which winning is everything and a quarter mile is your battleground. Very entertaining despite its sometimes slow and done before plot.

The DVD is another solid release from Universal. Sound and Picture are both excellent and the extra's, whilst numerous are also very good. This will definitely be on every male twentysomethings wish list and will definitely be a worthy addition to your collection.

Extras:

* The making of The Fast and the Furious- 18 minute documentary that goes behind the scenes on the making of the film. Includes interviews with major cast and crew.

* Commentary - Rob Cohen (Director) talks us through the making of the movie scene by scene.

* Racer X - This is the article that started the idea for the movie. Written by Kenneth Li for Vibe magazine this captured the imagination of the filmmakers so much that they decided to highlight this fascinating sub culture.

* Deleted Scenes- Eight deleted scenes that can be toggled to include directors commentary. Includes an introduction by Rob Cohen on why the editing process is so important and why there are always deleted scenes.

* Multi Angle Stunt Sequence - The final stunt of the movie is broken down into eight different camera angles that can be viewed independently. The finished scene can also be viewed in order to see how the editing process used cuts from all cameras.

* Movie Magic Interactive Special Effects - The train crossing scene is broken down into all the different points of view and the composite shots in order to see how the final scene was put together.

* Theatrical Trailer

* Music Highlights- A scene index feature for the music used in the film.

* Music Videos - The soundtrack trailer plus three music video for songs featured in the movie. They are : "Furious" By Ja Rule, "POV City Anthem" by Caddilac Tah and "Click Click Boom" by Saliva.

* Editing for the Motion Picture Association of America - The truck sequence is reedited in order to gain the relevant rating from the MPAA

* Visual Effects Montage - The main racing Visual effects are seen in production and the finished footage. Set to music from the film.

* Storyboards-to-final Film Comparison - Two major scenes are broken down in order with storyboard's and finished movie.

* Production Notes - Text based look at production

* Cast & Filmmakers - Text based biog's and filmography's

* Recommendations - Movies you may like to watch. No trailers.

* Universal Theme Park Trailer

* Activision Supercar Street Challenge Trailer

DVD-ROM :

* Photo's, Screensaver and Wallpaper - All downloadable to your PC

* Supercar Street Challenge Demo

* Culture- A text based study of the Street Racing Culture

* Music - Six of the tracks from the film

* Music Videos - The soundtrack trailer

* Movie - Text based expanded production notes

* Weblinks - Exclusive Web Links for Universal and the movie

Our Verdict...

A film that captures the speed of the Street racing culture set against a backdrop of stunning hijacks. Well paced, well acted and very entertaining. Everything gone in 60 seconds should have been 7.5/10

Great clarity and detail. The picture looks and feels perfect for the film. No noticeable artifacts or grain. 9/10

Dolby Digital & DTS on offer here from Universal, which is another great package. The sound is loud and very well detailed. The soundtrack is very good with some bass thumping dance tracks. Rear split effects are also used very well. 9/10

Another excellent Universal release for Extra's. A good documentary, commentary and some insightful deleted scenes make this a very solid disc. The Multi Angle feature is also very well presented and DVD-Rom content is unusually comprehensive. 8/10

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