Based on a newspaper article about street racing in Los Angeles, the first 'The Fast and the Furious' made a splash, launching Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Michelle Rodriguez to stardom. The story itself isn't very creative, a kind of 'Point Break' with souped-up cars instead of surfboards, but it delivers action in spades and is still the perfect portrait of early 2000s urban culture. Nobody knew at the time, but the movie would also be the starting point for one of Hollywood's longest-running and most profitable franchises. Check out the complete franchise and get ready for your marathon.
After the success of the first movie, Vin Diesel went to enjoy the stardom and left Paul Walker as the only star. Not that it's because of that, but '2 Fast 2 Furious' drops the ball a bit compared to the first feature of the series. However, it delivers the expected high-octane entertainment, with even more intense chases and at an accelerated pace. It won't require much attention to understand it. Therefore, it's ideal if you want a little escapism or to see the complete saga of 'Fast & Furious'. Watch the full saga!
With the departure of Paul Walker and Vin Diesel's reduced role to a cameo, Universal had to reinvent 'The Fast and the Furious' in this third movie. They called Lucas Black to star in a feature film that, for many, is the "black sheep of the family," being the most criticized within the series. Still, 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' brings good racing scenes and introduces director James Wan, who would become responsible for revitalizing the franchise in the next movie.
"Fast & Furious" is the point of restart for the franchise. After the huge commercial and public success of the first movie, but with the slips of the second and third, the fourth chapter of the series brings back stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, now in a story of revenge and with high-speed chases that almost border on the absurd. The cast still has the addition of Gal Gadot ("Wonder Woman").
With its fifth installment, the 'Fast & Furious' franchise took an important turn to attract a larger audience, shifting away from underground racing and going for international heists with plenty of action both in and out of the car - and by 'international', understand that a good part of the plot takes place here in Rio de Janeiro. The result of this mix is 'Fast Five: Rio Heist', one of the most successful movies of the series and which marks the debut of Dwayne Johnson in the franchise.