May not be quite what you were expecting!

Rating: 6/10 (9 January 2002)

This review is intended for people who haven't seen the movie and are considering buying the DVD.
The best advice I can offer is simply this: If you haven't seen the movie yet and are considering buying the DVD, DON'T. Not until you rent it first.
I won't go off and say that this movie is either bad or great. Everyone needs to decide that for themselves. However, as a word of caution, it may not be what you expected. Here's what I found.
Before renting the DVD last weekend, I had considered buying it for 2 reasons:
1) Vin Diesel is one of the best new actors and I liked him in his previous films.
2) I am a former high school drag racer and still love fast cars.
Based on the previews and the promos for the movie, I had thought that Vin played the main character. I was wrong. Unfortunately, Paul Walker gets substantially more screen time and the movie is really about his character, not Vin's. One thing I think everyone can agree on: Paul Walker is no Vin Diesel!!!! Additionally, there really isn't as much action as you would think. As some other reviewers have mentioned, there is a substantial amount of screen time spent with the actors standing around the cars and talking smack. There's also an unconvincing love story (which eats up the minutes) between Paul Walker's character and the sister of Vin's character.
As a result, I'm glad I didn't blow the $20 to buy it. One viewing was plenty for me. However, it wasn't a waste of time either.
Overall, I gave the movie 6 out of 10 stars. It wasn't nearly as good as I was expecting, but it also wasn't trash. Sure, it's a familiar story that's been done several times before, and better, but in general I try not to let previous versions of a story influence me. I try to let each movie stand on its own merits.
I hope you find this helpful.