Director: John Singleton
Starring: Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Eva Mendes, Cole Hauser, Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges, James Remar, Devon Aoki, Amaury Nolasco, Michael Ealy, Mark Boone Junior.
I'm assuming the sequel to the marginally successful Fast and the Furious got the immediate green light straight after it's release, I could be wrong but it's clear there was a rushed decision into making a sequel but not having any real concrete idea to where to take the story. I read there was two scripts penned, one with Diesel, should he return to the fray and one without, which was originally set in Japan. *coughs* Tokyo Drift maybe?
Obviously Diesel doesn't return, in fact, including his cameo, it's the only one of the Fast franchise he doesn't appear in. Walker returns, but due to the concluding end of the first film, he's now an outlaw himself, wanted by his previous employers. He's caught and is given the chance to expunge his record by doing what he does best, race and compete for the good graces of a Floridian drug cartel boss. Being a avid car racer in real life, Walker brings his own Skyline to the film, he also chose the rest of the vehicles to be used for the film. Probably like child in a candy shop.
John Singleton takes the helm, the same director who gave us the iconic Boyz N the Hood, and he seems to bring along R&B singer/songwriter Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, having previously worked with Singleton on Baby Boy. Roman is a childhood friend of Brian O'Connor (Walker) who can't get to grips with the fact he joined the law. He isn't the only musician to join the fast ranks here, keeping the trending tradition of having a rapper in the film. Ja Rule from the first declined making way for Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges to be cast as Tej, the Miami local hustler, tech expert, another friend of O'Connor.
It's essentially a buddy con movie with a blossoming bromance between Roman and Brian, though starting off fighting with some improv'd brawling, they eventually rekindle their friendship. Cole Hauser does a convincing bad boss, but unfortunately the weak plot let's all sides down and even Mendes' role seems totally unnecessary and out of place with Remar probably giving the worse performance in his life.
Whilst the races/chases are entertaining and well captured the overall action is, as the hilarious blooper reel states, ridiculous, being borderline Dukes of Hazzard and silly towards the end. Whereas the previous film was more believable, keeping it in the confides of street racing, this one pushes the boundaries of believability a little further, though not as far as some of the later films. It's just this one seems to raise the bar that little bit further.
Keeping the trend, producers must have realised a good accompanying soundtrack is a must, and this is one of the great successes of this film with tracks from Ludacris, Lil' Flip, Trick Daddy and Sean Paul, including Tyrese and Ludacris' "Pick Up The Phone" (featuring R. Kelly.) You can listen to my Fast & Furious playlist here.
The film falls victim of most sequels, but not only is this a terrible sequel, it's a weak film that possibly suffers due to the lack of Diesel. Probably the worse of the series in my opinion. However, the hype was real, I remember being in Hollywood at the time of filming and promotional gear was plastered everywhere, even though most of it being filmed in sunny Florida.
Running Time: 7
The Cast: 6
Performance: 4
Direction: 6
Story: 5
Script: 5
Creativity: 6
Soundtrack: 9
Job Description: 5
The Extra Bonus Point: 0
Would I buy the Blu-ray?: Already do.
54% 5/10
