2 Fast 2 Furious Review:

THE FILM
Seven months after he let Dominic Toretto go, Brian O’Connor (Walker) has been booted out of the police force and now lives in Miami, making his money as a street racer. When the US customs authority and the FBI ask him to assist them in an investigation into Miami crime lord Carter Verone’s activities, O’Connor reluctantly agrees but on one condition, he gets to choose this partner. Enter childhood friend Roman Pearce (Tyrese), one of the best drivers in California in need of a deal to wipe this criminal record clean. All the pair has to do now is impress Verone with their driving so they can break into his inner circle.

Fast cars and furious action return to the big screen with an added injection of nitro.

The Fast and the Furious was an unexpected success in 2001, propelling star Vin Diesel into the major leagues and re-igniting director Rob Cohen career but when the two of them refused to return for the inevitable sequel expectations weren’t the most optimistic. 2 Fast 2 Furious however, is basically more of the same and should appeal to everyone who loved the original or anyone who reads Max Power magazine.

Paul Walker returns to his role of Brian O’Connor and brings a more streetwise attitude to the character. Tyrese make the move from rap star to actor with ease, as many of them do, bringing attitude and brashness to his first big starring role. The two make an affable screen pairing and they look like they are genuinely having fun. They are supported well by fellow rapper Ludacris and Devon Aoki as Suki and Cole Hauser makes a decent villain. Eva Mendes is very underused however, having to do nothing more than look beautiful and turn the leading man’s head.

Director John Singleton does a decent job with the action and creates some extremely frenetic car chases. While he captures the look and style of the original he adds some of his own touches with some excellent use of the camera that portrays the element of speed superbly.

The real thing that lets the movie do is the very slight script. The story only serves as filler between the next chase seen and the dialogue never really taxes any of the actors. But what you have to remember is that this is a no-brainer, popcorn movie that is never really going to win awards for scriptwriting.

The real stars of the movie are the cars and they get most of the screen. Petrol-heads can rejoice at the sight of Skylines, Evo’s and American muscle cars all custom fitted and bursting with nitro.

2 Fast 2 Furious delivers to the market it caters for. If you loved the original you will get a lot out of this. The car chases are superb and Walker and Tyrese make a good rebellious pair. For the rest of us, switch you brain off at the door and enjoy the mindless action, the cool cars and the good-looking people.

Star Rating = * * *

PICTURE/SOUND
The film is presented in 2.40:1 Anamorphic Widescreen and is a stunning transfer. Universal has done a great job, as the colours are very sharp allowing you to capture that Miami feel.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is also extremely good especially during the car race and chase sequences. Sound shifts around the speakers superbly, drawing you into the thick of the action.

EXTRAS
The nitro fuelled DVD is custom fitted around the three main drivers in 2 Fast 2 Furious. The first menu screen allows you to choose which driver you would like to highlight and they then get their own special features…

Roman (Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder)
Spotlight on Tyrese (2.14) - Highlighting what Tyrese brings to the sequel, his character and his love for cars
The Ride (2.37) - Technical Director Craig Lieberman takes a look at Roman’s Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder
Driving School (2.08) - See how Tyrese learnt to drive fast and furiously for the movie

Brian (Mitsubishi Evo VII)
Spotlight on Paul Walker (2.16) - The star talks about coming back for the sequel, his love of the cars and his relationship with the director and co-stars
The Ride (4.10) - Technical Director Craig Lieberman shows us the new Mitsubishi Evo VII
Driving School (2.46) - Paul Walker shows what a good stunt driver he has become since the first movie

Suki (Honda S2000)
Spotlight on Devon Aoki (2.21) - Highlighting the model turned actress’s first major film role
The Ride (2.23) - Technical Director Craig Lieberman talks about turning the Honda pink
Driving School (1.50) - See how Devon Aoki copes with driving super cars when she hasn’t even driven a car before

Turbo-charged prelude to 2 Fast 2 Furious (5.52)
A short film charting what happened to Brian from the end of the first movie and the beginning of the second. This sets up the events of the second movie by showing how he got to Miami and when he got his Nissan Skyline.

Commentary by Director John Singleton
While John Singleton is on his own for this commentary, he provides a very interesting insight into the making of 2 Fast 2 Furious. He talks about creating his own look for the sequel while respecting the original, the use of different camera techniques, editing and locations (the mansion used for Cole Hauser’s character’s home was once own by Sylvester Stallone). He also goes into great detail about his casting decisions and the chemistry between Paul Walker and Tyrese been central to the success of the movie. His main topic of conversation is about the stars of the show, the cars. He has a real passion for them and the street racing culture, which he hopes to put across on film.

Animated Anecdotes
Information appears on screen about the movie. Everything is covered from actor introductions to reasons behind a scene.

Inside 2 Fast 2 Furious (9.58)
Behind the scenes of the movie with cast and crew interviews. Mainly just patting each other on the back and saying how good it is to work with the director John Singleton and the rest of the cast. Doesn’t really go into too much detail.

Deleted Scenes (5.26)
Five deleted scenes introduced by director John Singleton. He gives reasons why they are cut but you can see that most would have interrupted the flow of the film. So don’t expect a director’s cut.

Outtakes (2.43)
A collection of bloopers involving most of the cast. Tyrese is the main protagonist for much of the fun, seeming like a bit of a character on set.

Tricking out a Hot Import Car (3.22)
Technical director Craig Lieberman takes us through what it takes to make an already cool production car, the Mitsubishi Evo VII, into a street racer. $50,000 dollars worth of extras that’s what!

Supercharged Stunts (5.28)
Charting the climatic car jump from storyboard to screen. Highlighting all the different techniques used from green screen to crashing a car onto a $5 million boat.

Making Music with Ludacris (4.59)
Behind the scenes of Ludacris’s music video for ‘Act the Fool’, which is featured on the 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack. Includes cameos from stars Paul Walker, Tyrese, Devon Aoki and Eva Mendes.

DVD ROM content
Includes Interactive games, screensavers, desktop wallpapers and information about the movie, production, cast and crew.

OVERALL
While the DVD does seem to offer a lot of content, the featurettes only add up to just over 50 minutes worth of information. More info on the cars, the cast and even the music video to accompany the behind the scenes footage would have made for a much better DVD. John Singleton’s commentary is good however and Universal has produced a great transfer of the actual film but 2 Fast 2 Furious fans will be left aching for more.

DVD Star Rating = * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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