The Fast and the Furious

THE GIST: A series of high-speed truck robberies draws the attention of the police towards Dominic Toretto, widely known in the illegal street racing circuit. Officer Brian O'Conner is tasked with going undercover, join the racing world, and take down Toretto's operation. In the process however, Brian falls for Toretto's sister Mia, complicating matters.

I highly doubt that The Fast and the Furious was concocted as anything more than an action-crime-summer-flick for rising action-star Vin Diesel and strikingly good looking Paul Walker.

I say that because the screenplay is fairly boilerplate and the outcome predictable. The acting is average as well and the characters are mostly stereotypical.

Ultimately, however, Diesel and Walker turned out to be perfectly matched as buddy-action-heroes go, and a new franchise was born. Seven movies have already followed this one, with F9 set to premiere next year, and the franchise even got its own first spin-off in 2019.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Grab your popcorn and favorite beverage and get comfy for a couple hours of guilty fun. Just don't forget to turn off your brain, since it won't have much to do here.

Grade: 6