First Take: The Fast and the Furious- the film that began a mega franchise

SYPNOSIS: Los Angeles police officer Brian O'Conner must decide where his loyalty really lies when he becomes enamored with the street racing world he has been sent undercover to destroy.

For the next week, I’m looking back on the Fast and Furious films that brought us to the release of Fate of the Furious- so where else do we begin? Rob Cohen’s film that kicked it all off with a lot of nitrous.

This first outing for the team is generally very decent, the direction is good from Cohen, and there isn’t much to fault with the pacing of the film, however, I did have a few issues with the writing from Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist and David Ayer, with a little too much exposition here and there, but it can be argued that this is a nice foundation for the films to follow.

The performances still stand up nearly 16 years on from its release though, with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker undoubtedly becoming the two poster boys for the franchise from the very first frame. Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster also put some great supporting work in, and with some brilliant cinematography by Ericson Core and a very full on score from BT, this is a film that really defined the Fast and Furious mentality.

THE VERDICT

The Fast and the Furious is simply what it says on the tin- fast, furious, but not without faults. Only a few issues with the script ruined my enjoyment, but aside from that, this is a solid start.

Rating: 4/5