So it’s no surprise that the next installment of this action packed series was a box office hit. Let’s take a quick peek as to why!
“The Fast and the Furious” could yet challenge Rocky Balboa, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger for longevity.
So what’s the appeal? Combining heist movie suspense with regular high-speed chase action, “Fast and Furious” takes “Ocean’s 11” downtown, swapping con men for street racers, suits for vests and hair gel for grease (Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson are all chrome domes now). Where Steven Soderbergh aimed for suave and sophisticated, this unpretentious franchise sticks with stunts and sweatpants.
But unlike Michael Bay, who ham-fistedly satirized a testosterone-fueled abs and EZ-money gym culture in “Pain and Gain,” these pumped up B-movies aren’t condescending to their multiethnic, working-class characters or their audience. Instead, they celebrate the loyalty and brotherhood of that outlaw extended family unit, the gang. These criminals don’t have time for traffic regulations, but they still operate under a strict code of their own, a code that echoes Alexandre Dumas’ famous motto for “The Three Musketeers:” All for one and one for all.
