The Fast and the Furious will be showing in cinemas for the first time since 2001, this coming Friday (14th August) at Odeon. In this article, I will be revisiting the film and compare it to the manner of which this franchise has evolved. There will be a specific focus on the films visual style.
The fast and the Furious is the most grounded film of them all. Its style, although gritty and exciting is the most washed down in the franchise, especially when you compare it the Fast and Furious films of today and most of the action thrillers that are typical in big studio productions. However, this is not a negative point, in fact the action set pieces feel more plausible then the set pieces in The Fate and the Furious (2018), which is one of the weakest entries in franchise. With a respectable budget of 38 million dollars, the film grossed over 200 million dollars world wide and introduced audiences to Paul Walker and Vin Diesel, who would form a pretty iconic and inseparable pairing in the later films. The themes in the story feel the most personal of all. These themes are translated in the action sequences. Most of the action set pieces don’t include super wide long shots from the sky, panning down on our characters. As the franchise evolves, we see Justin Lin utilizing this approach because the set pieces become more stuffed and the budget has obviously increased. This argument applies to Fast Five (2011) onwards in the franchise.
It has been said that the story is a tainted retelling of the film Point Break (1991). Although the execution and stories are very similar. I cant help but consider the two films as completely different. The style, humour and action set pieces are all shot through a more vibrant lens. The cinematographer was Ericson Core, who most notably lens the action thriller, Payback (1999) and he definitely injects adrenaline in every frame of the action scenes. Also, just because the plot is similar to Point Break (1991) that does not mean the film is less exciting or even original in that matter. Upon the films release, we had not experience an exciting street racing film. Especially one that had been executed in the manner this film was.
If you are a fan of cars, especially street racing, this film will provide you with a rip roaring experience. The range of cars this film puts on display is a lovely combination of admiring the vintage and making room for the new. Dom’s car is the now relished and beloved, Dodge Charger 1970. Where as Brian O’Connor typically goes for a more fresh model which packs speed and practicality. His car choice includes Nissan Skyline 1999, Toyota Supra 1994 and the Subaru Impreza 2009 to name a few. Symbolism is the theme that comes into play here. From the first film, Dom tells Brian the tragic and compelling back story to his Dodge vehicle. This actually provides weight to Dom’s character and again it makes the film more personable as this theme is still used in the later films. The fact that Dom uses an older vehicle shows that he has more experience in the street racing world then Brian, who uses the newer models. This provides subtle context into the characters. It could be said, the cars are used in some cases as a gateway into the characters personalities and what they believe in. Its a way to telling the audience who they are without initial effort of their behalf. Dom is incredibly focused on family, which is a very moral and universal theme that appeals to both young and adult audiences. His car is responsible for the death of his father, he carries that tragedy with him throughout the entire franchise. Therefore, it makes sense that he so dearly values family and the importance of keeping loved ones near you. This gives the car a certain personality, a dangerous one.
As mentioned before the visual style is bold, however this film uses a good amount of practical effects. In particular, the last scene has no barriers holding it back. When Dom’s car is flipped over, it is all done in one shot and it feels real. This definitely lens a formula for good reasons to see this on the big screen. The film will be showing in cinemas this Friday (14th August) and I cant wait. It packs nostalgia and will serve as a good reminder of the film that started it all.
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