[The] Fast and [the] Furious — A viewing and over analysis
[The] Fast and [the] Furious — A viewing and over analysis
When I learned Filmbar at Pemberton PHX would be showing The Fast and the Furious at an outdoor movie theater, I snapped up tickets faster than you could overnight parts from Japan. It had been nearly 20 years since the first film debuted in theaters and and the idea of reliving that nostalgia, for a film I’ve seen well over a dozen times was enticing.
One might understand my shock when the first frame of the film opens in an expansive mountain range with the words DOMINICAN REPUBLIC setting the scenes. “Wait,” I said aloud, “This isn’t right, they’re showing the fourth film!” The sparse, spread out audience of about fifteen people was unfazed, passively watching without concern for the discrepancy.
Discussing the differences of The Fast and the Furious (2001) and Fast & Furious (2009), can be challenging for those who aren’t intimately familiar with the nuances of the Fast Saga. Questions that one might have when stumbling into Fast & Furious after a long absence:
Why are the names so similar? I don’t know.
The only difference in titles is adding “the” twice? Yes. Also, the ampersand replaces the word “and” stylistically.
Isn’t Han dead? His character dies in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, which takes place after Fast & Furious. To further complicate matters, the F9 trailer (2021 scheduled release) reveals the return of Han, so the validity of his death becomes an open question.
Huh? Does that make Fast & Furious a prequel or a sequel? Chronologically, Fast & Furious takes place after 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) but before The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), which was the third film of the Fast Saga. Fast Five (2011) and Fast and Furious 6 (2013) take place chronologically AFTER Fast & Furious, but BEFORE Tokyo Drift. Furious 7 (2015) and The Fate of the Furious (2017) take place after Tokyo Drift. This makes the numerical chronology of the released films: 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8.
What about Hobbs and Shaw? This spinoff used Fast & Furious for the franchise name but does not have direct storyline continuity with Fast & Furious. The full title of the spinoff is, Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, and was released in 2019.
While enthusiasts typically agree that Fast Five was the strongest film of the saga, Fast & Furious sets the table for a remarkable franchise reboot. After eight years of Dom and Brian not sharing the same screen, they’ve reunited.
Letty’s murder, so shortly after her “Ride or die” declaration for Dom is tragic. Salt is poured on the wound by Fenix, Braga’s heel henchman, who is spectacularly written as the foil to Dom’s alpha male persona. Do you remember her face? Cause I don’t. makes your blood boil worse than tuna on white, no crust. While the romantic tension between Dom and Gisele seemed unnecessary, we were given one of the best one liners when Dom describes his type of woman:
Dom: It starts with the eyes. She’s gotta have those kind of eyes that can look right through the bullshit, to the good in someone. 20% angel, 80% devil. Down to earth. Ain’t afraid to get a little engine grease under her fingernails.
Gisele: That doesn’t sound anything like me.
Dom: It ain’t.
The film concludes in spectacular fashion, with Dom being given a maximum prison sentence and on a bus en route to Lompoc federal prison. The joy on Dom’s face when he hears the roaring engines and excessive gear shifting of Brian, Mia, and his two buddies from the Dominican is so silently emotive, it could be an album cover. It of course, brings the film and franchise full circle with cars speeding down the freeway off to make a heist. Side note: one of the Dominicans is portrayed by Don Omar, the artist of Danza Kuduro, which rolls in the closing credits of Fast Five.
Still left unanswered is how this happy little mistake happened. Was the film incorrectly billed? Did the movie operator select the wrong film? Will I have a chance to rewatch the original The Fast and the Furious at this wonderful outdoor theater? Will there be an eight film marathon ahead of F9, and will the order be by release date or chronological story? Attempts to reach the event organizer were not immediately answered.