 |
Speed is their drug of choice and the elixir that keeps them forever youthful and forever carefree.
No one who drives the incredible neon-coloured vehicles seems to have a legitimate job.
They just race their cars and party.
It's pure fantasy but it sure looks good up there on the screen.
The Fast and the Furious was the surprise hit of summer 2001. Made for $39 million it grossed more than $210 million worldwide, becoming a cult hit on DVD and video.
It was a familiar formula for an action movie: Cop must infiltrate illegal street racing culture to uncover the identity of a notorious crime lord.
For the sequel that opens today, there are faster and more colourful cars, sexier women, higher stakes and laughs.
The Fast and the Furious took itself way too seriously because Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriquez are actors void of humour and heavy on scowling.
The only major cast member of the original to return is Paul Walker as undercover cop Brian O'Conner. He's been disgraced and had his badge confiscated for letting the Diesel character escape at the end of the film.
Brian has moved from L.A. to Miami, where's he's tearing up the pavement at nights to make ends meet when Special Agent Markham (James Remar) picks him up.
Brian has a chance to redeem himself, if he can get himself and a buddy hired as couriers for Carter Verone (Cole Hauser) an Argentinian businessman suspected of serious money laundering.
Brian chooses his boyhood friend Roman Pearce (Tyrese), who's just out of prison and on probation. If Roman helps Brian and the cops, he'll have his record erased.
Brian and Roman are a staple for films like this recalling every mismatched duo from Miami Vice to Lethal Weapon.
Brian is the serious one, so Walker adopts a kind of Steve McQueen or young Robert Redford veneer.
Tyrese recycles early Eddie Murphy and a hint of Will Smith for the laughs. Whenever the cars are idling or parked, he steals the spotlight because he's effortlessly funny.
Eva Mendes, the striking beauty from Training Day, is Agent Monica Fuentes. Brian is instantly smitten with her, but he's not quite certain what her agenda is.
2 Fast 2 Furious features two major racing sequences, two high-octane chase sequences, two fist fights, one spectacular road crash and a steady stream of curvaceous women in skimpy outfits.
What's not to like about a movie where the actors are as model-perfect as the cars?
(This film is rated 14-A)