#42 The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Directed by: Rob Cohen
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker

So, it all began here. It's spawned various sequels, crossed numerous continents and made a ridiculous amount of money. The Fast and the Furious franchise has been a massive Hollywood hit.

Revisiting this, I wasn't entirely sure what I would make of it. Having seen the newer more special effect heavy sequels, this seemed like I would be returning to petty underground street races for small money. Surprisingly though, it's actually very similar to every other film in the franchise, just everything is done on a much smaller scale.

The dialogue is bad, the story predictable and the performances questionable but that's what every person that has ever seen a Fast and Furious film has come to expect from them. Had I seen this now for the first time without having seen a F&F film, I no doubt would be slating it. The truth, however, is that after watching so many of them, all of the aforementioned problems become, well, part of the film experience!

The biggest positive I can give any F&F film is that it doesn't try to be something it's not. This original follows that to the letter. It knows all it's good for is mindless popcorn street racing and for that, I give it credit. It's probably also the reason i've fallen slightly in love with the whole franchise.