Cars and crime. Everybody needs a hobby...

Rating: 6/10 (17 December 2016)

If I had seen this before any of the sequels had come out, I would never have thought that this summer action crash-test movie would have gotten enough attention and revenue to spark a series that is working on its eighth movie fifteen years later. It was not all that impressive. The script is slightly less than mediocre in a craft sense, and it isn't helped by the mindless action sequences and sub-par acting. The ending was good, but aside from that the story was pretty flat. However, I can see how it might have had some resonance with people who go crazy for cars as well as the Hispanic crowds. If nothing else can be said of this franchise, it is perhaps the only one that combines big budgets with lower class people. Most action movies involve middle class government workers or high class assassins. But with the FAF movies, working class characters get big action treatment, which is nice in its own way.
Though there is some substance to the story with Brian having his mission to arrest Dom, much of the movie exists for the purpose of establishing the world of drag racing. One in which people love cars and love the thrill of racing them. This is what they live for, and while it may not be the greatest hobby to have from a safety and legal standpoint, it seems to have some real emotional value to Dom. It may be a community run by criminals, but it still has its own pride, and this same theme is carried into many of the sequels.
Even though much of the plot is driven by action sequences and car races, there remains the human conflict beneath it. It isn't a great emotional story line, but there are some decent character conflicts within it. The progression of Brian's relationship with Mia is not that great, but it is good in how it impacts Brian and Dom's relationship. There are a number of minor characters who help give us a sense of the world of car racing. Letty falls into this category, having some prominence, but no real arc of her own. The only larger function she serves is being part of the original "family" that becomes more established as the series goes on.
If you have seen the later movies (fast five and on), but have not seen the original, just know that you're in for a different kind of movie. This first installment, though it does not have action of the same grand scale as the later movies, is much grittier and more violent in its own way. I sensed that it wanted to be an R-rated movie, but they held back enough for it to retain a PG-13 rating. If you feel like you have to see the movies in order, I can tell you firsthand that the more recent installments still make plenty of sense on their own. It may be better to see them in order, but it's not necessary. Overall Rating: 7.3/10