Overview
Fast cars and high stakes collide in the underground racing scene of Los Angeles.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- kinetic
- aggressive
- glossy
- action movie night
- car enthusiast gathering
What critics said
Critics broadly viewed it as a sleek, energetic, sometimes cheesy exploitation-style action film whose car sequences and charisma outweighed its familiar story.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Brian O'Connor joins Dominic Toretto's racing crew while secretly working for the LAPD, increasingly identifying with the group.
Street races, auto-tuning, modified vehicles, and racing crews define the film's social world and visual appeal.
Brian must choose between convicting Dom and protecting the people with whom he has formed personal bonds.
The film foregrounds illuminated customized cars, night races, freeway pursuits, and polished high-speed set pieces.
Films like The Fast and the Furious, and why
Point Break
shares undercover police infiltration, criminal crews, kinetic action, and a conflicted protagonist torn between duty and loyalty
Gone in 60 Seconds
shares street-level crime, charismatic outlaw culture, high-speed vehicles, and muscular early-2000s action filmmaking
The Italian Job
shares stylized car chases, criminal crews, romantic subplots, and glossy urban action spectacle
Need for Speed
shares crime-thriller tension, undercover identity, found-family loyalty, and heavily stylized driving sequences
Movie Details
- Director
- Rob Cohen
- Release Date
- 2001-06-22
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (11182)
Cast
- Paul Walker
- Vin Diesel
- Michelle Rodriguez
- Jordana Brewster
- Rick Yune
- Chad Lindberg
- Johnny Strong
- Matt Schulze
- Ja Rule
- Ted Levine
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Fast and the Furious about?
- An undercover LAPD officer infiltrates Los Angeles street-racing culture and finds his loyalties shifting between the law and the outlaw crew he comes to call family.
- What is The Fast and the Furious like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Fast and the Furious as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Fast and the Furious violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Fast and the Furious as mild.
- What did critics think of The Fast and the Furious?
- Critics broadly viewed it as a sleek, energetic, sometimes cheesy exploitation-style action film whose car sequences and charisma outweighed its familiar story.
- Which films are like The Fast and the Furious?
- Films with a similar feel include Point Break, Gone in 60 Seconds, The Italian Job, and Need for Speed.
- How long is The Fast and the Furious?
- The Fast and the Furious runs 106 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Fast and the Furious?
- In United States, The Fast and the Furious streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
