The Fast and the Furious

The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 crime action adventure film directed by Rob Cohen and written by Gary Scott Thompson and David Ayer. It is the first installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise and stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, Ted Levine, and Matt Schulze. The Fast and the Furious follows Brian O'Conner (Walker), an undercover cop tasked with discovering the identities of a group of unknown automobile hijackers led by Dominic Toretto (Diesel).

Development for The Fast and the Furious arose after Cohen read a Vibe magazine article in 1998 titled "Racer X", which detailed the illegal street racing circuit operating within New York City. After contacting producer Neal H. Moritz, Moritz was able to present the script to Universal Studios, who greenlit The Fast and the Furious in 2000. Walker was the first actor to sign onto the project, while Diesel initially had to be persuaded to participate in the film, accepting after proposing several script changes.

Principal photography began in Los Angeles in July 2000, with the majority of filming being done on location in Los Angeles and southern California, which ended in October 2000.

The Fast and the Furious was released in the United States on June 22, 2001. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $200 million worldwide. It received mixed reviews, with praise directed at Walker and Diesel's performance, and the film's action sequences, but criticism for parts of the storyline and the ending. It was later re-released on June 22, 2016, to commemorate the film's fifteenth anniversary.

The Fast and the Furious soon launched a media franchise and a series of seven sequels, starting with 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2003.

Plot
On a deserted highway, a heist crew driving three modified Honda Civics assault a truck carrying electronic goods, steal its cargo, and escape into the night.

The following day, a joint Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and FBI task force sends LAPD officer Brian O'Conner undercover to locate the crew. He begins his investigation at Toretto's Market, ordering his regular tuna on white, no crust, and flirting with its owner Mia, sister of infamous street racer Dominic Toretto, while Dominic ostensibly sits in the back office reading a newspaper. Dominic's crew, Vince, Leon, Jesse, and his girlfriend Letty, arrives. Vince, who has a crush on Mia, attacks O'Conner until Dominic intervenes.

That night, O'Conner brings a modified 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse to an illegal street race, hoping to find a lead on the heist crew. Dominic arrives in his Mazda RX-7 and initiates a drag race between himself, O'Conner and two other drivers. Lacking funds, Brian is forced to wager his car. Dominic wins the race after O'Conner's car malfunctions, but the LAPD arrive before he can hand over his vehicle. O'Conner, in his car, helps Dominic escape, but they accidentally venture into the territory of Dominic's old racing rival, gang leader Johnny Tran and his cousin Lance Nguyen, who destroy O'Conner's vehicle. Later, Dominic reiterates that O'Conner still owes him a car. The two then walk back to Dominic's house together, where an altercation between Vince, who is upset that Brian is at the house, and Dominic breaks out.

O'Conner brings a damaged 1994 Toyota Supra to Dominic's garage as a replacement. Dominic and his crew begin the long process of restoring the vehicle, and O'Conner starts dating Mia. He also begins investigating Tran, convinced that he is the mastermind behind the truck hijackings. While investigating one garage at night, O'Conner is discovered by Dominic and Vince who demand an explanation. O'Conner convinces them that he is researching his opponents vehicles for the upcoming desert Race Wars. Together, the trio investigate Tran's garage, discovering a large quantity of electronic goods.

O'Conner reports the discovery to his superiors and Tran and Lance are arrested. The raid fails however when the electronics are proved to have been purchased legally. O'Conner is forced to confront his suspicion that Dominic is the true mastermind. O'Conner is given 36 hours to find the heist crew, as the truckers are now arming themselves to defend against the hijackings. The following day, Dominic and Brian attend Race Wars. There, Jesse wagers his father's Volkswagen Jetta against Tran in his Honda S2000, but flees with the car after he loses. Tran demands Dominic recover the vehicle, and accuses him of reporting him to the police. Enraged, Dominic attacks Tran.

Later that night, O'Conner witnesses Dominic and his crew leaving and realizes that they are the hijackers. He reveals his true identity to Mia and convinces her to help him find the crew. Dominic, Letty, Vince, and Leon attack a semi-trailer truck, intending it to be their final heist. The armed driver shoots Vince and runs Letty off the road. O'Conner arrives with Mia, and is forced to reveal his identity to call in emergency medical care to save Vince. Dominic, Mia and the rest of the crew leave before the authorities can arrive.

Some time later, O'Conner arrives at Dominic's house to apprehend him as he is reversing his father's 1970 Dodge Charger R/T out of the garage. Jesse arrives, pleading for protection. Tran and Lance ride by on motorbikes and shoot Jesse for reneging on their bet. O'Conner and Dominic give chase in their separate vehicles, finding and killing Tran and Lance. Brian then pursues Dominic, with them both eventually acquiescing to a quarter-mile drag race. The pair barely cross a railroad before a train passes, which ends the race in a draw, but Dominic crashes his car into a truck. O'Conner gives the keys to his own car to Dominic, asserting that he still owes him a car. Dominic escapes in the Supra as O'Conner walks away.

In the post-credits scene, Dominic is seen driving through Baja California, in a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS.

Cast
The central cast is rounded out by Ted Levine and Thom Barry as Tanner and Bilkins respectively, members of the team that organized the investigation to place Brian undercover. Noel Gugliemi appears as Hector, the organizer of the drag race. Musician and rapper Ja Rule and car tuner R.J. de Vera also act as Edwin and Danny, fellow drivers at the drag race who race against Dominic and Brian. Vyto Ruginis plays Harry, an informant and owner of The Racer's Edge. Reggie Lee portrays Lance Nguyen, Tran's cousin, and right-hand man. Neal H. Moritz and Rob Cohen both appear in cameos; Neal plays a unnamed driver of a black Ferrari F355 convertible who is given a challenge by Brian while Rob plays a pizza delivery man.
 * Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, An LAPD officer sent undercover to infiltrate a crew of hijackers. Mia's love interest.
 * Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, Leader of the heist crew and a professional street racer. He was banned from professional racing after a violent retaliatory attack on the man who accidentally killed Dominic's father.
 * Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz, A member of Dominic's crew and his girlfriend.
 * Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, Dominic's sister and owner of the Toretto general store. Brian's love interest.
 * Rick Yune as Johnny Tran, A Vietnamese gang leader and rival of Dominic.
 * Chad Lindberg as Jesse, A member of Dominic's crew. Highly intelligent with maths, algebra, and in computing, but he suffers from Attention deficit disorder.
 * Johnny Strong as Leon, A member of Dominic's crew
 * Matt Schulze as Vince, A member of Dominic's crew and his childhood friend. He harbors an unrequited love for Mia.