Big, dumb, fast and fun

Rating: 6/10 (23 June 2001)

Big dumb fast and fun.
I was talking with a friend of mine who is into customizing cars - he has a gorgeous Honda Accord that has a new addition every time I see him - when I saw the first trailers for this movie. We agreed that there would be some great cars, gorgeous women, awesome racing sequences and people condemning the film for irresponsibly promoting street racing. All our suspicions proved correct, but most surprising was the lateness of the negative publicity for the film - I didn't see an article until today (interesting side note, the author had been cruising the international custom car bulletin boards for weeks trying to get interviews, but no one would bite).

Blond haired blue-eyed Brian Spindler is sent to find the people responsible for several precision big rig hijackings. He searches for his quarry among the street racing gangs of LA, where he meets and tries to ingratiate himself with Dominic Torreto, the prince of the racing set. Brian soon finds himself in the middle of a bubbling gang war, and is being pressured by his superiors to get a bust. Things get complicated when Brian finds himself falling for Dominic's sister and at odds with the other members of Dom's crew. But just when he thinks things can't get any worse, Brian gets an unpleasant surprise.
I'm not going to rave about an intricate plot, zippy well scripted dialogue or in-depth character studies, because they simply aren't present, indeed there are several laughingly bad lines, and the acting is generally subpar This film is about action, and the sequences are some of the best to grace the movie screen in a long time: the driving is phenomenal, that stunts are amazing (no digital enhancement here) and the cars are very impressive. Although the film is a little over the top in some aspects - not every car customizer uses Nitrous Oxide or races their cars (most would be terrified that they might scratch or god forbid crash, their cars)- I think they have managed to capture the spirit of this unique subculture. The acting is definitely a mixed bag.
I've enjoyed Vin Diesel's roles, even though I've not been that enamoured of the films he's been in. In a recent interview, he explained that he's drawn to anti-heroes as he finds them more interesting than the white shirted good guys, and I tend to agree with his observations. As Diesel recently stated, Dominic is a man of his word, who believes in honor, but happens to "live outside the law" and his is the only character that is adequately fleshed out in the film. Paul Walker plays Brian as possibly the most inept undercover cop to grace the screen - the only way he could stand out more in the group he's trying to infiltrate would be to wear a Village People costume. Donnie Brasco he ain't. This is exacerbated by the fact that Walker's portrayal is virtually bereft of any real emotion, and his soulless delivery of several corny lines renders them even worse than they were written- quite a feat. The biggest disappointment for me was the waste of Michelle Rodriguez - who distinguished herself in "Girl Fight" - whose soul purpose is to linger on screen and scowl. A tremendous waste of a valuable commodity.
If you're looking for a punchy matinee, without a lot of dialogue or plot to get in the way, settle in for the ride.