Movie Info
Movie Name: 2 Fast 2 Furious
Studio: Original Film
Genre(s): Action/Adventure
Release Date(s): June 6, 2003
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Just the good ol’ boys never meanin’ no harm!
When Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) is arrested in Florida during a street race, he finds himself pulled back into the world of law enforcement. Teaming with an old friend named Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) that he helped put away, O’Conner must infiltrate a drug runner’s ring with the help of an undercover agent named Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes). O’Conner and Pearce fear they are headed for a double-cross and must plot their own escape plan.
Directed by John Singleton, 2 Fast and 2 Furious was the follow-up sequel to surprise hit The Fast and the Furious of 2001. The makers of the film were unsure if Vin Diesel would return to the movie and commissioned two scripts to cover their bases when Diesel chose not do the film (he was filming xXx at the time). The movie was critically destroyed and nominated for two Razzie Awards for Worst Escue for an Actual Movie (All Concept/No Content!) (losing to Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat) and Worst Remake or Sequel (losing to Charlies Angels: Full Throttle).
On the street…totally fast and furious…
2 Fast 2 Furious should have taken a little more heed to its own title. The movie is just too much (or 2 Much). I generally like John Singleton’s films and it is a bit of a disappointment to find him involved in this film.
The script for 2 Fast 2 Furious just isn’t there. The first movie had a nice rounded plot (like it or not) and did provide some thrills. Here, the characters just seem to be sleepwalking through a generic story of a drug dealer. The movie snoozes along and feels like just a bad episode of Miami Vice.
Car scramble!!!
The biggest problem with this film isn’t the poor script, but the horrible acting all around. Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster are no great actors, but they are sorely missing from this sequel lacking energy. All the acting in the film is very wooden and Paul Walker continues to just read lines. His bad boy friend Tyrese is also rather weak as a back-up and the two too easily becomes “best buds” again after Tyrese’s alleged betrayal. Mendez also might be nice to look at but her character and role has no spark. Other appearances include Cole Hauser as the drug lord Carter Verone, Ludacris as Tej Parker, James Remar as one of the agents, Devon Aoki as Suki, and Thom Barry returns as Bilkins from the first film.
Hmmm…for some reason that doesn’t look like it would reach that boat…
The effects of 2 Fast 2 Furious still do help implement the high octane feel of the first film. The racing is fun (though if you watch The Fast and the Furious back-to-back with this one, it also feels less impressive), and the stylized look of the film does work for the most part. The end sequence of this film involving the yacht feels very anticlimactic, and the so-so visuals in the sequence don’t help.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the first film The Fast and the Furious, but next to 2 Fast 2 Furious, the first film looks like art. The story is weaker and the acting is weaker, leading to an overall weaker production. Despite these problems the film still made money and the series continued. 2 Fast 2 Furious was followed in 2006 by The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Related Links:
The Fast and the Furious (1955)
The Fast and the Furious (2001)
