THE Fast And The Furious
reviewed by: ReelReviewz@aol.com

Movie BIASES: mid 20s black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare Missed a review?
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MAJOR PLAYERS: Paul Walker (The Skulls), Vin Diesel (Pitch Black), producer Neal Moritz (Cruel Intentions), and director Rob Cohen (The Skulls).

Wow. This movie made how much? Forty million out the box? I admit, I took my little brother to go see this flick, as he obsesses over cars as much as the next 14 year old boy. But I had no idea they had such buying power and interest in a film with no visible plotline from the trailers. A sexy intro to the underground world of illegal car racing and the like, "Furious" is a loud, adrenaline rushed piece of summer entertainment that runs out of gas at the end, nothing more. Let the sequels start their engines.

Brian (Walker) is an Aryan looking guy trying to jump into the diverse world of illegal street car racing. His entrée into this world is through Mia (Jordana Brewster), the cute sister of mechanic-by-day, street-car-badass-by-night Dominic. Not only does Dominic lord over the San Fernando Valley street car circuit, but also he has links to the Asian mob and, quite possibly, a trucker hijacking ring. As Brian gets deeper and deeper into this world, he befriends Dominic - and finds his loyalties and moralities compromised by this fast-paced, seductive life - and by the girl, of course.

Actors? Who needs actors when you got these sexy, high powered Honda Civics with thirty grand under the hood? Walker plays Brian as a low-key charmer, affable enough yet someone whom you take seriously just because of his reserved, take-it-all-in demeanor. Actually, Walker is what the monotone David Duchovny should aim to be - low-key but with enough facial variation to denote emotion somewhere. Vin Diesel is the opposite, bombastically charismatic and an imposing force whenever on screen. The former New York City club bouncer has more than earned his now seven figure asking fee. While some of his quieter moments still need a little work, he's a believable, attractive presence. In this diverse ensemble cast that (probably) reflects the multiethnic appeal of street racing, Michelle Rodriguez (Girlfight), Brewster, and Rick Yune also do fine as human set dressing. Ja Rule fills the obligatory "lemme-have-five-lines-and-I'll-drop-a-track-on-the-soundtrack" rap-actor slot as a street racer named, of all things, EDWIN.

But let's get to the cars. Everything else, save some impressive, computer enhanced cinematography, takes a back seat to these phat, high-powered rides. In some shots, I don't know what's sexier - the cars and their parts or the bubblicious women who fan up the drivers. No wonder the cops nationwide are in a tizzy over this movie - it makes you wanna speed. Cohen lovingly films the many chase, racing, and car part scenes in a fashion that is far superior than what this movie actually is. This movie's plot, which is somewhat better than described above, still suffers from some implausible plotting, particularly at the end. In fact, the ending is so bad, it feels as if they just gave up in the movie's last five minutes. If my 14 year old brother can point out that this movie's third act sucks, then no amount of shiny carburetor shots can disguise how fundamentally weak this movie is. For those who loved "Belly" - i.e. all flash and no substance - this is your movie. But if you want just a teeny-tiny bit of coherence to your summer action fare like the rest of us, this ain't your movie. When your focus is on cars that fly in excess of 150 miles per hour in under ten seconds, little things like character and plot are left in the dust. It's fast, it's furious, but it ultimately signifies nothing.

@@ REELS (TWO REELS) Extra medium.
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