The Fast & The Furious

Effortlessly pissing all over any of the last few Bruckheimer-produced precursors in terms of pure braindead adrenaline-rush exhilaration, The Fast And the Furious’ title tells you all you need to know about what’s in store, and true to promise, the film goes on to serve up probably the most breathlessly enjoyable episode of speed overkill since cult Kraut hit Run Lola Run. Never allowing its essence to be polluted at any stage by anything as wearying as intelligence, narrative complexity or characterisation, the film will likely be of little interest to the arthouse sophisticates and Bergman enthusiasts among us, but anyone in search of a damn fine two-hour rollercoaster trip should hop aboard for the ride without a moment’s hesitation.

The drill is gloriously straightforward: in some darkened outpost of sprawling inner-city LA, organised gangs of otherwise idle kids race each other in souped-up cars at speeds verging on 170mph, to the immense irritation of the cops who make periodic attempts to infiltrate them. Slow-witted Brian O’Connor(US soap star Walker), who may or may not be a cop, finds himself in the middle of one of their livelier nights, and… cutting to the chase here, this particular film is about car chases, car chases and more car chases.

One of the oldest ‘plots’ in the book, it’s true, but still one of the most effective if it’s properly done – and this gloriously cheesy slice of work pounds along furiously with such good-natured charm and doggie-dumb stupidity that it’s impossible not to roll along. Cars zip by at blinding pace, smash headlong into other cars, roar past the camera at speeds of150+... and most importantly, it‘s all filmed in impeccably stylish and spectacular fashion. While last year’s alleged entry in the fast-car canon (Michael Bay’s Gone In Sixty Seconds) contained so little genuine action it defied belief, The Fast And The Furious serves up an object lesson on how it should be done, never once taking its foot off the pedal and generally delivering more in the bang-per-buck department than you might dare to hope.

While by no stretch of the imagination 2001’s best film, The Fast & The Furious is without doubt one of its most enjoyable. And you don’t even need to bring your brain. Jump in.