The Fast and the Furious
***
Cinema
Releases - September 14, 2001
Rated on a 4-star scale. Certificate 15. 107
minutes. Directed by Rob Cohen. Written by David Ayer, Erik Bergquist, Gary
Scott Thompson; from a screen story by Thompson and a magazine article by
Ken Li. Starring Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana
Brewster.
The subtlest thing about "The Fast and the
Furious" is that the screen doesn't actually go so far as to explode
in our faces. This is the cinematic equivalent of the atomic bomb, roaring,
snarling and flashing until we react. It's often annoying, but more often
it's exhilarating, and so I guess I must recommend it.
The film stars Paul Walker as an undercover cop
who infiltrates the world of streetcar racing to catch a gang of truck hijackers.
He manages to impress a king of the illicit sport played by Vin Diesel, as
well as his girlfriend (Michelle Rodriguez), and he even starts a romance
with the guy's sister (Jordana Brewster). "You break her heart, I'll break
your neck," warns Diesel, in a line that typifies the movie's
dialogue.
A moving car is not a thing of suspense, as last
summer's version of "Gone in 60 Seconds" proved. Nothing happened in that
movie -- Nicolas Cage needed to steal a bunch of automobiles, he stole them,
and then the credits rolled. "The Fast and the Furious" could have been just
as dull, except that it really is fast, and really is furious. The movie
makes engines sound so loud and threatening that I'm convinced its soundtrack
has left permanent scratches on my eardrums, and aside from shots of cars
zooming around streets, there are hyperkinetic camera movements that actually
go into the inner workings of engines, through fuel linings and brake fluid
and carburretors and out again. The characters in this film are the type
of people who put nitrous oxide in their cars with the intention of blowing
it up for extra speed, and casually call it 'nos'.
The plot of "The Fast and the Furious" is of course
functional, although it doesn't quite function well enough to find an excuse
for a love scene. I yearn for the days when the studios were good enough
to give us a bit of sex with our violence. But the picture has a level of
energy that is impossible to ignore and hard to match; it rattles you, and
you'll leave with tussled hair.
COPYRIGHT©
2001 Ian Waldron-Mantgani
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