2 Fast 2 Furious Review

by Bob Bloom (bobbloom AT iquest DOT net)
June 10th, 2003

2 FAST 2 FURIOUS (2003) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Paul Walker, Tyrese, Eva Mendes, Cole Hauser Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, James Remar and Thom Barry. Story by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas and Gary Scott Thompson. Screenplay by Michael Brandt & Derek Haas. Music by David Arnold. Directed by John Singleton. Rated PG-13.

2 Fast 2 Furious will satisfy any young boy's need for speed.
This turbo-charged escapist feature is Hot Wheels on film, a live-action PlayStation game.
2 Fast 2 Furious definitely aims for the adolescent male audience with its testosterone-inducing high-powered chases and explosive street races.

Attitude and style take precedence over substance in this John Singleton directed vehicle. The plot is negligible and well-worn; the one about going undercover to nail the bad guy, in this case a money laundering kingpin trying to flee the country with his ill-gotten stash of cash.

Basically, the plot is well-worn Miami Vice.

Back from The Fast and the Furious is Paul Walker as Brian O'Connor, the disgraced ex-cop recruited by the Feds to nail the elusive Carter Verone (Cole Hauser). For help, Brian turns to a boyhood chum, an ex-con named Roman Pearce (Tyrese), who blames Brian for his incarceration.
There is nothing original about 2 Fast 2 Furious, but Singleton keeps the story moving at such a fast clip and gives it such a light touch that you simply shrug off the various clichés. This is a non-demanding, good time, guilty pleasure, a guy's night out at the multiplex.
It's big, fast, loud cars and scantily-clad beautiful women. It's every adolescent's fantasy pasted onto the screen.

The cars, though, are the film's center of attention. The death defying stunts leave you breathless as the drivers weave in, out and around traffic and corners and along highways — all at incredible speeds. At times, they are just blips that zoom by the camera, mechanical road runners on radials.

The acting requirements are minimal here. Walker and Tyrese merely need to strike cool poses and look like they know what they're doing behind the wheel.

But 2 Fast 2 Furious is not about acting. It's about being cool and our fascination and love affair with big engines, dynamite wheels and speed.

Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, IN. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Other reviews by Bloom can be found at www.jconline.com by clicking on movies.
Bloom's reviews also appear on the Web at the Rottentomatoes Web site, www.rottentomatoes.com and at the Internet Movie Database:
http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom

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