The Dull and the Boring

Rating: 3/10 (1 February 2002)

Why did this become a box office smash? It has action, it has fast cars and it has no intellectual value whatsoever. Not to mention, it has Paul Walker and Vin Diesel--who will appeal to the female audience. OK, so it has the potential to be a slam-bang, entertaining action flick...but I wasn't entertained.
Many will be blown away by the stunts. But I found them to be far from spectacular. The movie does keep a fast-pace--almost in the style of an MTV music video--but it can't seem to escape from dullness. Director Rob Cohen, who has actually directed some good movies in the past, tries too hard to be flashy. The soundtrack, though full of great songs, is out of whack. The songs seemed to have been chosen at random. And of course Cohen felt this is going to appeal to a predominantly young audience, so he jumped at any attempt to insert a song from Ja Rule or any other popular rap artist into each scene, whether it's appropriate or not.
As for our two leads, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker--ever consider acting lessons? The two of them are stiff as a board. In one scene, Diesel is telling a story about his father's death and he doesn't let out the slightest hint of emotion. Walker's got the looks, Diesel's got the bod. I guess that's all they need to qualify! Standards are getting lower and lower by the minute, in the world of cinema. Michelle Rodriguez unfortunately has a very small role. Too bad, because she seems like she has real potential. I haven't even seen her debut role--which everyone was raving about--in "Girlfight," but she has great ability and a strong presence, and I'm sure she can rise to the top if given the right outlet. BTW, she's also from Jersey City. Representin'!!!!
The dialogue is downright awful. The characters are flat. The plot is far from compelling and sometimes predictable, with tired action cliches planted here and there. How many movies are we gonna see where the hero ends up falling in love with the villain's sister?
And I think the movie would've worked better if it took itself less seriously. "Gone in 60 Seconds" was no gem either, but it was campy and it was meant to be campy. And it was done with a tongue-in-cheek approach, with some very funny moments of comic relief. "The Fast and the Furious" actually tries to be A-class entertainment, but it doesn't even deserve to be in the D-class.
There are some nice shots of scantily clad babes, and that's the only reason why I'm not giving this movie a rating of 1. If you're an automobile fanatic or is this is simply your kind of entertainment, have fun. If not...be prepared for the Dull and the Boring.
My score: 3 (out of 10)