The “Fast and Furious” franchise has seen its fair share of ups and downs. The franchise started way back in 2001 with “The Fast and the Furious” and has made ten films as of now. With the saga coming to an end after a two-part finale starting with “Fast X” (2023) and an untitled eleventh film coming out in 2024, now would be the best time to talk about some of the best the franchise has to offer. Note that the rankings are purely subjective, and your opinion could differ from ours.
The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
The Fast franchise went international with its third installment. Lucas Black stars as Sean Boswell, a teenager with love for street racing and a knack for causing trouble. He gets sent to his dad in Tokyo, Japan, after he causes trouble once too many times. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” doesn’t feature any of the characters from the main Fast Saga and is its own thing, save for an after-credits scene. The movie explores the drift racing scene in Tokyo. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” while not terrible, isn’t that great either. With an okay-ish plot and some not-so-interesting characters, especially the main character Sean. Lucas Black, unfortunately, shows that he doesn’t have the acting skills necessary to pull off the main lead, as he lacks charisma in his portrayal. What holds up the movie are its great drift racing scenes and good-looking cinematography.
The Fast And The Furious (2001)
The first movie of the fast saga was a solid film. The movie follows undercover police officer Brian O’ Conner played by Paul Walker, as he tries to infiltrate a local street racing gang. Paul Walker carries the movie with his charismatic performance, along with Vin Diesel, who shines as the gruff and tough Dominic Toretto. The two form a brotherly bond, and their chemistry holds up an otherwise weak script. What saves the film, though, is its slick and adrenaline-pumping action sequences. The street racing culture is also portrayed really well here, and the race sequences are especially unique and entertaining. It could be argued that the Fast franchise revolutionised the filming of street racing in Hollywood. All in all, “The Fast and the Furious” was a fun, action-packed movie with lots of adrenaline and good performances.
Furious 7 (2015)
“Furious 7” was the final movie featuring Paul Walker after his tragic passing during the production of the film. The entire cast and crew were greatly affected by the tragedy, and the production had to be suspended for a while. “Furious 7,” however, didn’t falter. It was a hit among the fans of the franchise. Directed by James Wan, the movie is a high-octane action blockbuster that isn’t afraid to meddle with physics from time to time. There were action scenes in the movie that were a bit too over the top and dumb, to be honest, but the franchise came to realise that the fans actually wanted these overkill sequences and made a run with them. Some of the few weaker parts of the movie were its plot, as some storylines felt like they belonged in another film and lagged the runtime; also, James Wan’s direction of some hand-to-hand combat scenes wasn’t extraordinary as his use of quick cut technique made it hard to focus on what’s going on. That being said, the movie does have a ton of great action, especially the skyscraper scene in Abu Dhabi and the one-on-one versus Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jason Statham, who were menacing in the film but were criminally underused here. “Furious 7” had good potential to be one of the best in the franchise, but it was weighed down by an inconsistent and messy plot along with some average action scenes.
Fast And Furious 6 (2013)
Coming off the immense success of “Fast Five,” expectations were high for the sixth movie of the franchise, and “Fast and Furious 6” did not disappoint. Justin Lin and the rest of the cast return to make an over-the-top, adrenaline-fueled movie with spectacular action sequences. This movie has everything a fan of the “Fast and Furious” franchise could ask for. The racing sequences are slick and have a breath of class about them, something the previous movies lacked, and the stunts are really well done here. Luke Evans plays the villain here, and he does a good job along with Dwayne Johnson, who is easily the best part of the film. Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson blows it out of the park with his charisma and manliness. The other performances were good enough for a cheesy, over-the-top film like this. Vin Diesel was Vin Diesel, as usual, and Paul Walker was good as well. What sets “Fast and Furious 6” above most other films in the franchise, apart from its amazing action sequences, is a good story. This movie is one of the best in the franchise in terms of the plot, and sadly one of the last as the succeeding movies turned more and more cartoonish and silly.
Fast Five (2011)
“Fast Five” is the first truly successful film of the franchise. Up until then, fast movies were fun, but that’s it; it wasn’t a big phenomenon like it is now. “Fast Five” changed it all. “Fast Five” is an action film extravaganza with the kind of action and stunt work rarely bested by any other movie. From an action perspective, the movie has everything you can wish for, from rooftop and parkour chases to fight scenes to car races and heists—you name it. Justin Lin proves to be a maestro of action filmmaking as he utilises wide angles and long shots that are also perfectly edited, resulting in insanely good and realistic sequences. The movie brings many characters from various movies in the franchise together to form a super team. Apart from the franchise mainstays Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, you get Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Gal Gadot, and Sung Kang, among others. Another plus of the movie is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “Fast Five” was his first appearance in the franchise, and he knocked it out of the park, and his beef with Vin Diesel was a treat to watch. The movie is also surprisingly funny, thanks to the back and forth between Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris, and the location of Brazil allows the audiences to see their favourite band of mercenaries in an all-new terrain. “Fast and Furious” was the pinnacle of the high-octane action blockbuster, and it stands as one of the best action movies ever made.