The Fast and the Furious


         For a reviewer with much less testosterone than the common man, The Fast and the Furious was a very difficult movie to enjoy.  My main interests in life do not include fast cars, fast women or furious men who want to kick my ass.   The Fast and the Furious is for all those macho personalities who do take a liking to these things. 
             Paul Walker plays an undercover cop who infiltrates the lifestyle of California street racers.  Using cars more souped up than anything I’ve seen since Jackie Chan’s Subaru in Cannonball Run, these tough guys compete for cash, titles, and respect.   While attempting to discover the identity of truck hijackers, Walker befriends a gang led by Vin Diesel who’s sister he ends up falling for. 
          I expected to get a huge adrenaline rush from this surprise hit.  Instead I got action that reminded me of a scene from Footloose.   It is also easily comparable to Point Break in both story and the fact that Walker is the worst lead actor I’ve seen since Keanu Reeves.   I have to admit, though, that I like Vin Diesel a lot.  He is today’s action hero, embodying the stone face of Buster Keaton, the intelligence of Harrison Ford, the build of Jean Claude Van Damme and the style of C & C Music Factory.
           It scares me that a film this bad can be so popular.  What are audiences thinking when they go see a movie with excitement no greater than a Kevin Bacon movie?  Could it be the macho bullshit that attracts them?  Is our country filling up with young animals bred on wrestling, gangster rap, and the pursuit of ego?  If so, I fear that our future will be a lot like The Road Warrior except maybe not as intense. 

The original press photo for Aaron Spelling's "The Fast and the Furious" pilot that became a hit motion picture.