The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)

The Fast and the Furious (later also known as Fast & Furious 1) is a 2001 action film directed by Rob Cohen from a screenplay by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist, and David Ayer, with the story credited to Thompson. It is the first installment in the Fast & Furious franchise and stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, and Ted Levine. In the film, Brian O'Conner, an undercover cop, is tasked with discovering the identities of a group of automobile hijackers led by Dominic Toretto.
Preparations for The Fast and the Furious began after Cohen was introduced to illegal street racing in May 1998, with the screenplay originally developed by Thompson and Bergquist; Walker and Diesel were cast in late 1999, and Diesel contributed to script rewrites with Ayer as the rest of the cast was finalized. The production attended illegal street races, and is notable for its inclusion of street racers. After setting an initial release date for March 2001, principal photography began in July 2000 and lasted until that October, with filming locations including Los Angeles and southern California.
The Fast and the Furious was theatrically released in the United States on June 22, 2001 by Universal Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics, many of whom praised the performances of Walker and Diesel and the action sequences, but criticism for its storyline and the ending. The film grossed over $200 million worldwide, becoming the 19th highest-grossing film of 2001. It launched a franchise starting with the sequel film 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), which then led to an industry of tie-in products, including video games, amusement park attractions, and spin-off works, and merchandise including toys and clothing. The Fast and the Furious was reissued in a limited release in June 2016, to commemorate its fifteenth anniversary.
Category:Films