Diesel fuel

Fast & Furious

Produced by Neal H. Moritz, Vin Diesel and Michael Fottrell; Directed by Justin Lin

Universal Pictures

2009; Color – Approx. 117 min.

Fast & Furious (Universal Pictures, 2009)

 By C. Daniel

It’s high octane; we’re talkin’ sacrifice; revenge and family. It’s Fast & Furious.

The fourth installment of the action-packed, full speed series, Fast & Furious recasts Vin Diesel (also the film’s producer) as Dominic “Dom” Toretto, a high-powered racing fugitive who returns to Los Angeles following the death of his girlfriend, Letty (played by Michelle Rodriguez). In the midst of his return to avenge Letty’s death, Dom reunites with his former nemesis: FBI agent and fellow racer Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker, also from the first and second installments of the series). Dom and Brian team up through a series of high-speed car chases; dynamic racing sequences; fiery explosions and revved-up engines to take down the cartel responsible for a murder and a multi-million dollar drug operation. Fast & Furious also stars Jordana Brewster; John Ortiz; Laz Alonso; Tego Calderon; Don Omar; Gal Gadot and Sung Kang.

Shown entirely in Widescreen, Fast & Furious upgrades the ride. The film goes on location in the Dominican Republic; Panama City; Los Angeles and along the Mexican border. The action sequences and car chases come equipped with shaky, crisp cinematography and GPS-savvy computer imagery that heavily resembles 3D video game techniques. Viewers can enjoy the film not only in English but in Spanish and French (audio and subtitles).

The ride is definitely fully equipped. A five-minute gag reel of dialogue screw-ups and acting bloopers are included on the main disc along with feature commentary from Justin Lin, also the director of the third installment of the film’s series. Fast & Furious’s two-disc special features allow fans to download a digital version of the film onto a PC; iPhone or iPod. Mini-documentaries highlighting the muscle cars (the Dodge Charger; ’72 Gran Torino; ’70 Chevrolet Chevelle and Buick Regal) and imports (Subaru SF-I and Nissan Skyline) give a closer look under the hood. The original cast of the Fast & the Furious franchise is profiled. Pitbull’s video for “Blanco” featuring Pharrell rocks in addition to being the film’s main soundtrack. The Bonnie-and-Clyde-esque opening sequence gets a behind-the-scenes treatment much like Diesel’s driving training in pre-production; the stunt doubles and coordinators; the car chases and the filming in the Mexican border. Los Bandoleros, a pivotal 20 minute short film that Diesel also stars; directs and produces, sets the pace for Fast & Furious’s opening sequence; it’s an incredible candid portrayal of the disenfranchised community in the Dominican Republic affected by high gas prices and how the community struggles to survive the financial crisis that plagues the nation. Los Bandoleros also highlights the blossoming love affair between Dom and Letty.

Fast & Furious shifts gears for an incredible feature; fans of the previous three installments will not be disappointed with the high intensity and fast pace of this series.