Opened: June 22, 2001

Directed by: Rob Cohen

Starring: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, Matt Schulze, Ted Levine, Thom Barry & Ja Rule

Though it started a long-standing franchise, The Fast and the Furious easily shows its age as an early 2000s action flick.

When a series of truck hijackings take place, police officer Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) goes undercover to infiltrate a street racing crew led by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel). Brian gets caught up emotionally when he begins to fall for Dominic’s sister Mia (Jordana Brewster).

As with a lot of action films from this time, the women are mostly sidelined and used as props for the men. However, Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty gets some great time to shine near the end.

The plot is thin, and the music is atrocious, but there’s an excitement that comes with watching the races and heists that make it hard to look away – or breathe for that matter.

Final say: Fast is the good part. ★★★☆☆