Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Director: Rob Cohen
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
A surprise hit at the US box office, Cohen's teen hotrod flick revives fond memories of Roger Corman's B-movie thrills, the kind of unpretentious drive-in fodder directors like Demme and Scorsese cut their teeth on. Walker plays Brian, the good-looking young auto-fiend who none too subtly insinuates himself into the circle of Dom Toretto (Diesel) and his street-racing gang. Brian's an undercover cop, but he has more on his mind than speeding tickets: someone's been jacking trucks in daredevil stunt-driving fashion, and Dom is suspect numero uno. The twists are well signposted. Brian finds an alternate family among the desperadoes and falls hard for Dom's sister; when the time comes to do his duty, it feels like betrayal. It doesn't matter that we know where it's going, what counts is that Cohen keeps his pedal to the floor and that his actors gun their lines with absolute conviction. Loud cars, fast music: this movie knows exactly what it's about.Author: TCh
User reviews of this film
-
- yduric said...
- Posted on Sep 01 2007 01:37 A real and genuine fun. And, most of all, but I think it is its major strength, unpretentious. This lack of pretention, however, does not prevent Vin Diesel from delivering a very good performance, perfectly suited for him, and Paul Walker to a certain degree as well: he is perfect as Vin Diesel's 'constant shadow' throughout the film. There is also a certain lack of credibility for what affects the plot, but finally, who cares? It is maybe also this lack of credibility which turns this real joy ride into a wish for absolute freedom and rebellion.
- Report as inappropriate
-
- Leona Luk said...
- Posted on Jul 28 2007 16:54 I suppose it was fast, however I didn't find this all that furious. I felt that 2 Fast 2 Furious had more to offer, and Tokyo Drift was more fun to watch. Still, I guess one could feel compelled to complete the trilogy by seeing where this madness all began.
- Report as inappropriate
Cast & crew
Director: Rob Cohen
Producer: Neal H Moritz
Cast: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, Matt Schulze, Ja Rule full cast
Duration: 107 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Time Out's 101 Films of the Decade
Ten years, thousands of movies and millions of dollars in international box office, and it all boils down to this
Martin Provost discusses 'Séraphine'
Trevor Johnston talks to the director of 'Séraphine' about bringing a little known French painter back to life
Our verdict on Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson ends a triumphant decade with a sentimental misfire with this lush Alice Sebold adaptation
On the set of Ken Loach's 'Route Irish'
Dave Calhoun meets Ken Loach on the set of his forthcoming Iraq war movie
Stephen Poliakoff discusses 'Glorious 39'
Stephen Poliakoff’s ‘Glorious 39’ is his first film for cinema since ‘Food of Love’ in 1997. Dave Calhoun met him
Is 'Paranormal Activity' the new 'Blair Witch'?
How does a film go from DIY experiment to box-office smash? 'Paranormal Activity' director Oren Peli explains
Steven Soderbergh on 'The Informant!' and 'The Girlfriend Experience'
We talk to Steven Soderbergh about his two forthcoming films: one featuring a porn star, the other a chubby Matt Damon
A gateway to all things 'New Moon'
In anticipation of 'The Twilight Saga: New Moon', Time Out is offering the chance to pick up a limited edition pack with three exclusive magazines and a free poster.
The films that deserve a TV spin-off
With Roland Emmerich suggesting he'd like to make a '2012' TV spin-off, we propose some more movie-to-TV serialisations
Time Out's 50 greatest animated films with commentary by Terry Gilliam
In celebration of the release of Pixar's 'Up' and Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox', read our rundown of fifty classic feature length animations












What do you think?
Post your review now