Fast & Furious (also known as Fast & Furious 4) is a 2009 American street racing action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the fourth installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise. The film stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and John Ortiz.
The film serves as a connection from the the first film into a present day setting, with main members of the original cast reprising their roles. The film is chronologically set after the second installment 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and set before the third installment The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). Originally released on April 3, 2009.
Plot[]
| Spoiler Warning: The following contains important plot details of the entire film. |
Still on the run from the law, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel)and his crew, consisting of girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Tego Leo (Tego Calderón), Rico Santos (Don Omar), Cara and Han Lue (Sung Kang), are hijacking fuel tankers in the Dominican Republic. After their latest heist, Han informs Dom that the police are on their trail, making him decide to disband the crew and leave Letty behind to protect them all from being caught. Months later, in Panama City, Dom gets a call from his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster), who tells him Letty has been killed in a car crash. Dom heads to Los Angeles to attend her funeral and finds traces of nitromethane at the crash site. He coerces the local mechanic into giving the name of the buyer, David Park (Ron Yuan), and is informed that the only car that uses nitromethane in the area is a green 1972 Ford Torino Sport. Meanwhile, FBI agent Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) is trying to track down a Mexican drug lord, Arturo Braga, whose identity to the public is unknown; his search also leads him to Park.
Dom arrives at Park's apartment and hangs him out of the window by his ankles before Brian arrives. Brian saves Park, who in turn becomes the FBI's new informant and gets Brian into a street race. Brian selects a modified 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 from the impound lot; Dom also shows up, in his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS. Ramon Campos (John Ortiz), Braga's second-in-command, and Gisele Yashar (Gal Gadot), Braga's liaison, reveal that the winner will become the last driver on a team that traffics heroin between the Mexico–United States border. Dom wins by bumping Brian's car while in nitro, making him lose control. Brian uses his power as an FBI agent to arrest another driver, Dwight Mueller (Greg Cipes), and takes his place on the team. The team meets up with Braga's henchman, Fenix (Laz Alonso), and Dom notices that Fenix drives the same Torino the mechanic described.
They drive across the border using tunnels to avoid detection. Dom confronts Fenix and learns that he kills the drivers after their work is done, and that he killed Letty when she tried to escape him. A stand-off ensues; Dominic detonates his car with nitrous to distract Braga's men, and Brian hijacks a 1999 Hummer H1 with $60 million worth of heroin in it. Brian and Dom drive back to LA and hide the heroin in a police impound lot, where they pick up a modified 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI hatchback; they drive to Dom's house and reunite with Mia. Dom attacks Brian when he learns he was the last person in contact with Letty; Brian explains Letty was working undercover, tracking Braga in exchange for clearing Dominic's record. Brian tells his superiors that in exchange for Dominic's pardon, he will lure Braga into a trap, forcing him to show up to exchange money for the heroin. At the drop site, the man who claims to be Braga is revealed as a decoy, and Campos — the real Braga — escapes with Fenix to Mexico. In the ensuing chaos, Fenix nearly runs over Gisele before Dom saves her. The failed trap results in Brian being taken off active duty.
With Gisele's help, Brian and Dom travel to Mexico to catch Braga in the Subaru and Dom's rebuilt 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, and apprehend him at a church. As Braga's henchmen try to rescue him, Brian and Dom drive through the tunnels back to the United States. Brian is chased by Fenix ahead of the others until he is T-boned and pushed out of the tunnels. Before Fenix can kill him, Dom drives out of the tunnels and into Fenix, killing him. As police and helicopters approach the crash site on the American side of the border, Brian tells Dom to leave, but Dom says he is tired of running. Despite Brian's request for clemency, the judge sentences Dom to 25 years to life. Brian resigns from the FBI and Dom boards a prison bus that will transport him to Lompoc penitentiary. As the bus drives down the road, Brian, Mia, Leo, and Santos arrive in their cars to intercept it.
Cast[]
- Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner
- Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto
- Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz
- Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto
- John Ortiz as Arturo Braga / Ramon Campos
- Gal Gadot as Gisele Yashar
- Laz Alonso as Fenix Calderon
The central cast is rounded out by Sung Kang as Han Seoul-Oh, Dominic's right-hand man, while Puerto Rican singers Tego Calderón and Don Omar feature as Leo and Santos respectively, members of the oil heist team. Shea Whigham plays Brian's snarky colleague Michael Stasiak, and Liza Lapira portrays Sophie Trinh, an FBI agent who works closely with Brian. Jack Conley features as Penning, Brian's boss, and Ron Yuan acts as David Park, a scout of street racers for Braga. Greg Cipes, Neil Brown Jr., and Brandon T. Jackson play Dwight Mueller, Malik Herzon, and Alex, respectively, the other members of Braga's street racing team.
Reception[]
Critical response[]
Fast & Furious received mixed reviews from professional critics. The film is rated at 28% based on 173 reviews collected on the Rotten Tomatoes website and 45 on Metacritic based on 27 reviews.
Roger Ebert, who gave positive reviews to the previous films, gave an unfavorable review of the film, writing, "I admire the craft involved, but the movie leaves me profoundly indifferent. After three earlier movies in the series, which have been transmuted into video games, why do we need a fourth one? Oh. I just answered my own question." Ebert noted the story, dialogue and acting as perfunctory.
Box office[]
The film received negative reviews upon release, but was a box office success grossing $363 million worldwide, and spawned three sequels (Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7).
Videos[]
