THIS is how you do summer movies

Rating: 7/10 (2 July 2001)

If you want plot, script and oscar-winning performances, go rent Shawshank Redemption or something.
Honestly, I don't know why some people have come down so hard on this movie. It's like saying, "Airplane" was dumb because the characters were poorly developed and shallow, and the plot was unrealistic.
"The Fast and the Furious" is a great summer, action flick. Definitely gets the heart pumping and the adrenaline flowing. The chase and race scenes have some great stunts. The cars are gorgeous and fun to watch. I saw it over a week after it opened, and the audience was still very receptive to the action in this movie.
Now this is where I am supposed to slam the plot and the acting. Well, to be honest, I thought the plot was quite GOOD, given that all they had to work with was the theme of "street racing." I didn't think the acting was all that bad. The entire cast did fine, given the script they had and the kind of movie it was.
One fatal mistake many action movies try to do is weave in too much drama or emotion, which inevitably ends up looking cheesey and just slows down the movie. FnF was guilty of this, but only to a small degree. A brief dive into Vin Diesel's scarred childhood, a little bit of corny romance for Walker, but that's it. I respect a movie that knows what it is and doesn't try to cross any lines.
The movie makers set out to make a movie that presents Import Racing to the masses. So they had to make a plot to house that movie. Personally, I think they did a pretty good job. Definitely worth a go in a theater.
PS: I never saw all of Point Break, but from what I did see, it looked dumb. Like an extended Mellow Yellow commercial.