The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Rating: 4/10 (31 January 2020)

Directed by Rob Cohen. Starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster, Matt Schulze, Michelle Rodriguez, Chad Lindberg, Thom Barry, Ted Levine, Rick Yune, Johnny Strong, Noel Gugliemi. (PG-13)
The FBI and LAPD send Walker undercover to infiltrate a crew of racing enthusiasts that pulls off highway heists, ends up befriending their leader (Diesel) and getting romantically involved with his sister (Brewster). So..."Point Break" with fast cars replacing surfboards, except this one might actually be even dumber (plus, director Cohen is no Kathryn Bigelow). Drive-in fodder souped up for exploitation cinema's modern era; would eventually spawn a long-running franchise, but in retrospect, feels refreshingly quaint, even grounded. Granted, the script ignores logic and reality at regular intervals, but the stakes are reasonably low and the stuntwork usually seems to exist in the real world. Ardent fans of shiny cars and street racing will probably enjoy it to some degree; for anyone else, it's no better than a way to kill time and appreciate the absence of Tyrese Gibson's witless-cisms. Rapper Ja Rule has a bit part and also contributes a song or two to the ear-splitting soundtrack.
45/100