The Fast and the Furious Blu-ray delivers great video and reference-quality audio in this exceptional Blu-ray release
Dominic Toretto drives the streets of LA like he owns them. As far as his crew is concerned, he
does. He spends his days rebuilding high performance race cars and perfecting the art of
computer controlled fuel injection. By night, Dom pockets up to $10,000 each time someone
dares to race him in his own earth-bound rocket of a car. Dom lives off of the adrenaline of
street car racing and his fans treat him like a rock star. Brian particularly looks up to Dominic
and seeks his approval, but to the rest of the crowd, he's white bread. After a blazing
encounter with the ruthless Johnny Tran, Dom decides to take Brian under his wing. Dom's
sister Mia sees something she likes in Brian, too. Trouble is, neither of them realize he's an
undercover cop and Dominic and his rival Johnny Tran are both the leading suspects in a case
involving dirty money and big-rig hijacking.
It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning's winning.
Who could have imagined that Rob Cohen's The Fast and the Furious would lead to a trio
of
sequels and become one of Universal's more lucrative franchises? With the fourth film, Fast & Furious,
recently becoming the highest-grossing April release of all
time, the series is, like its title, hard to beat, and for good reason. Viewing movies as a form of
escapism and vicarious enjoyment of activities beyond the wherewithal of the normal theater
patron to actively engage, The Fast and the Furious films set the bar rather high,
showcasing a world of
intense speed where finely-tuned and high-dollar vehicles take the routine endeavor of driving to
a
whole new level. The films take audiences deep into a world of incredible speed that puts both
man
and machine to the ultimate test, each totally dependent on the other, car and driver coming
together for a ride that will end in either the exhilaration of victory or the agony -- and perhaps
even pain and suffering -- of defeat. The films take their stories to another level, adding a layer
of
mystery, danger, and intrigue, placing both heroes and villains on either side of the law and into
the
seats of fast cars that just might determine who lives, who dies, who wins, and who loses.
My bullet is faster than your car.
Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker, Into the Blue) is an
undercover cop cementing a foothold in the world of underground street-racing. His mission is to
infiltrate the gang led by Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel, The Chronicles of
Riddick) and discover who has been hijacking tractor-trailers full of electronic goods in
high-performance, high-dollar
racing cars. O'Conner proves himself worthy with his tricked-out ride and subsequent rescue of
Toretto from the cops after a high-speed, high-stakes race on the streets of Los Angeles. Despite
the suspicions of one of Toretto's friends, Vince (Matt Schulze), O'Conner finds himself a part of
the group,
charged with rebuilding a racer so he may enter "Race Wars" later on. O'Conner finds himself not
in
a gang but rather a family that, superficially, seems to mean well, sometimes operating outside
the law but certainly
not the type, he feels, to maliciously attack the trucks. As O'Conner finds himself deeper and
more sympathetic towards his new friends, he must struggle with the fact that evidence may
indeed point towards Toretto and his crew -- even if he believes otherwise.
Surprise, surprise. The Fast and the Furious is a good movie. It offers a conventional
plot but populates the story with well-developed primary characters that draw the audience in
and make them care about their stories. In the movie, the line between good and bad becomes
blurred to the point that, by the end, it matters not which side of the law the characters call
home. The Fast and the Furious is a movie about family and doing right by friends,
no matter who they are or who they pretend to be. It's about a bond of trust and understanding,
the strength of brotherhood that develops when one looks past superficialities and stereotypes.
These themes are reinforced by the fine performances by Paul Walker and, particularly, Vin
Diesel. Diesel's Toretto is a tough, no-nonsense, street-smart and highly-skilled racer on the
outside, but as O'Conner and the audience come to know him, it is revealed that he is a human
being with feelings, a troubled and hard past, and doing his best to get along, even if it means
skirting or breaking the law. He's the head of a household, and the patriarch of sorts of a gang
that is
more family than it is a collection of members. Diesel brings hard-nosed and gritty energy to the
role, but compliments that with a softer, more accessible side that makes him an odd sort of
antihero, a man clearly in the wrong but not maliciously or spitefully so. Walker, too, is excellent
as the undercover officer that finds the world of underground racing not-so-seedy as it seems.
Fine plotting and characterization aside, The Fast and the Furious, superficially, is a
movie about speed. It's loud. It's extreme. It's fun. And of course, it's all about the NOS. The
movie that made high-dollar, shiny, and sleek auto enhancements, particularly Nitrous Oxide,
household terms to the current young generation of street-racing wannabes, The Fast and
the Furious offers a rather unique and interesting
concept that takes the tired and routine world of undercover cop movies and adds an edgy and
trendy look, feel, and sound that appeals to younger generations. The result is a movie that is a
whole lot better than it deserves to be, where the above-noted themes and the world of
underground speed racing merge into a well-paced and exciting movie that holds up well even
after repeat viewings. The stunts in the film are uniformly excellent. The racing action is fast,
extreme, and dangerous, and it looks great on-screen. Director Rob Cohen (xXx) captures the
excitement and danger of the races with expert skill, and each vehicle becomes a character in the
film, seemingly reflecting the persona of its driver and each appearing distinct one from another.
While the deeper thematic elements of the film work better than the superficial glitz and glamour
of the racing scenes, each segment holds up well and, most importantly, they mesh together to
form a cohesive whole that is always a blast to watch.
Universal brings The Fast and the Furious to Blu-ray with a 1080p, 2.35:1-framed
transfer that yields fine results. The film offers a stark contrast between numerous daytime and
nighttime sequences, both offering viewers stellar imagery and marking a noticeable
improvement over the original DVD release. The film is very colorful, and from the bright green
paint
job on O'Conner's racer seen near the beginning of the film to the subtly-golden and slightly
smoggy tint of the L.A. backgrounds, the film covers a broad spectrum of colors, all of which are
sharp, clear, and eye-popping throughout. Detail is also above-average; the brighter, daytime
scenes in particular reveal plenty of fine detail across the board. Flesh tones tend to the red ever
so slightly, and black levels are good. A layer of film grain covers the image and its retention adds
a nice finishing touch to a solid transfer. The Fast and the Furious makes for a nice,
stable, good-looking image, the Blu-ray never faltering no matter the material thrown its way.
The Fast and the Furious hits the accelerator and never lets up in this oftentimes
awe-inspiring DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Bass is heavy and deep in practically every
instance where it is called upon, from the pounding beats of the score to the revving of the
engines of the speeding vehicles that scream across the soundstage and put sound systems
through a 100-minute boot camp. The opening attack on a tractor-trailer sets the tone for the
remainder of the movie. "Fast" and "furious" aptly describe the action as it unfolds; cars and a
heavy 18-wheeler speed through the soundstage, seemingly breaking up everything in their
paths. It's easily a pedal-to-the-metal experience that never lets up the rest of the way. Every
RPM, every squeal of the tire, every explosion, and every gunshot rings out with both vigor and
clarity, bombarding the soundstage with plenty of automotive and action-packed sonic
excitement, all of it emanating from every corner of the listening area. Rounded out by uniformly
strong dialogue reproduction, The Fast and the Furious makes for another
reference-quality soundtrack from Universal.
The Fast and the Furious offers just about everything but a canister of NOS through this
jam-packed special edition. The grouping is headlined by a commentary track with Director Rob
Cohen. Cohen delivers a quickly-paced and fairly interesting track, offering up a plethora of
behind-the-scenes knowledge but, more importantly and interestingly, the strategies employed in
lending to the film a unique appearance, assembling a diverse and fascinating cast, and shooting
the
racing scenes. Cohen never runs out of things to say; the track goes almost as fast as the cars
and makes for a very intriguing listen. Also included is Universal's U-Control functionality, this
time with two distinct picture-in-picture video tracks. Tech Specs allows viewers to learn
about the cars seen in the film. Picture in Picture is basically a second Cohen
commentary track. Most of the secondary images are of the director speaking into the camera,
with the occasional behind-the-scenes footage thrown in for good measure.
Several featurettes are next. Dom's Charger (1080i, 4:22) takes a close look at classic
Dodge Charger seen in the film and the stunts its driver puts it through. Quarter Mile at a
Time
(1080i, 9:44) examines the thrill of the race and the evolution of the street-racing world.
The Making of 'The Fast and the Furious' (480p, 18:03) is a rather standard
behind-the-scenes piece that features cast and crew discussing various aspects of the making of
the film, looking at the cast, the cars, the stunts, and more. Featurette on Editing for the
Motion Picture Association of America (480p, 4:36) takes an all-too-brief look at the editing
of a particular sequence to earn the film a PG-13 rating. Tricking Out a Hot Import Car
(480p,
19:13) looks at what makes a racer street-worthy. More Than Furious (480p, 2:23) is
an alternate ending to the film.
Turbo-Charged Prelude to '2 Fast 2 Furious' (480p, 6:12) is a short piece that serves as a
bridge between the films. Sneak Peak at '2 Fast 2 Furious' (480p, 5:11) is a brief piece
featuring interview clips with the stars and behind-the-scenes footage of the second film.
Multiple
Camera Angle -- Stunt Sequence allows viewers to watch the film's climactic race sequence
from eight different angles. Movie Magic Interactive -- Special Effects looks at the
construction of the film's finale. Hot Off the Street (480p, 4:42) is a series of additional
scenes. Paul Walker Public Service Announcement (480p, 0:36) features the actor
warning viewers not to replicate the stunts seen in the film, brought to you by Castrol Syntec.
'The Fast and the Furious' Video Mash-Up allows users to assemble their own The
Fast and the Furious scenes. Visual Effects Montage (480p, 3:44) looks at the
evolution of several scenes through various stages of completion. Storyboards-to-Final
Feature Comparison (480p, 6:50) features the original storyboard on the top half of the
screen and the final, filmed sequence on the bottom. Next up are three music videos --
Furious by Ja Rule (480p, 4:08), an edited-for-content version of Caddillac Tah's POV
City Anthem (480p, 4:20), and Click Click Boom by Saliva (480p, 3:58) -- and an
advertisement for the film's soundtrack (480p, 0:44). Concluding the supplements are a series
of eight deleted and extended scenes (480p, 6:24) with optional director commentary, the film's
theatrical trailer (480p, 1:43), D-Box functionality, and BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0)
interactivity. Disc two of this set features a digital copy of The Fast and the Furious.
Sampled on a second generation iPod touch, The Fast and the Furious looks and sounds
as
good as any digital copy out there. The picture is sharp, clear, and offers good colors, solid blacks,
and minimal blocking. It also features a rather robust soundtrack that sounds adequately good
coming through as a small two-channel presentation.
A surprisingly wonderful movie that realizes that fast cars alone do not make a story, The Fast
and the Furious sets the bar for the franchise at a lofty height, an elevation none of the
subsequent three films have been able to attain. Whereas Hollywood so often leaves good
storytelling at the door in movies such as this, banking on flashy special effects, fast cars, and girls
in revealing outfits to sell tickets, Rob Cohen's The Fast and the Furious does incorporate
those traits but also builds a cohesive, rather smart, and wholly engaging backstory that lends
importance to the racing and, far more importantly, builds its characters to levels often reserved for
upper-echelon Dramas. Therein lies the success of The Fast and the Furious; the film takes
itself seriously while still existing in a fun, inviting environment, and it expertly meshes the two
distinct worlds in ways few other films have. Universal's Blu-ray release of The Fast and the
Furious excels. Delivering a high quality 1080p transfer, a full-throttle lossless soundtrack, and
a trunk full of supplements, this disc comes with a high recommendation.
The Fast and the Furious: Other Editions
1-disc $10.45
2-disc set $11.99
Blu-ray bundles with The Fast and the Furious (2 bundles)
Amazon's current Blu-ray Boxed Set of the Week is for The Fast and the Furious Trilogy (comprised of The Fast and the Furious, 2 Fast 2 Furious and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift), which can now be had for $29.99 (70% off, or $10 per movie). The price history ...
Universal Studios Home Entertainment has announced that they will bring 'The Fast and the Furious', '2 Fast 2 Furious', and 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' to Blu-ray on July 28th, day-and-date with the Blu-ray release of 'Fast & Furious'. Originally only ...
In an announcement to retailers, Universal Studios Home Entertainment has
disclosed that they will release 'Fast & Furious' on Blu-ray on July 28, day-and-date
with the DVD. This will be a two-disc special edition with a digital copy included. The film will ...
