First Take: Fast & Furious- the rebirth of a franchise

SYPNOSIS:

Brian O'Conner, back working for the FBI in Los Angeles, teams up with Dominic Toretto to bring down a heroin importer by infiltrating his operation.

2009 was a huge year for film, with a lot of people citing this film as one of the reasons why it was a big deal for the big screen experience. And with Justin Lin once again at the helm, Fast & Furious is actually more than just car chases- there is actually a coherent story at last.

Lin directs the film very well, blending both character development and action sequences with ease, and with Chris Morgan’s screenplay blending more espionage into the plot, it feels like all of the criticism that 2 Fast and Tokyo Drift brought has been addressed, and as such, we have one hell of a film as a result.

Performance wise, it’s the return of the old hands of this franchise- Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are back on form, setting up arguably one of the most unique narratives in the process. The cinematography is brilliant, the score from Brian Tyler is good, and as a whole, this is one of the more credible Fast films.

THE VERDICT

With only a few minor pacing issues that stand out, Fast and Furious is the perfect reintroduction into the lives of Dom and his team. And with more of a focus on things outside of racing, this is the film where a box office smash is born.

Rating: 4/5