2 Fast 2 Furious

2 Fast 2 Furious is a 2003 American action adventure film directed by John Singleton and written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas. A standalone sequel to The Fast and the Furious (2001), it is the second installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise and stars Paul Walker, Tyrese, Eva Mendes, Cole Hauser, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Devon Aoki, and James Remar. 2 Fast 2 Furious follows Brian O'Conner (Walker) and Roman Pearce (Gibson) who team up to go undercover for the U.S. Customs Service to bring down drug lord Carter Verone (Hauser) in exchange for the erasure of their criminal records.

Plans for a The Fast and the Furious sequel were developed immediately following the box office success of the first entry. Early treatments for a sequel initially featured the returns of both Vin Diesel and Walker, however, the former declined, instead opting to star in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004). As a result of this, Universal Studios delayed the start of filming to allow for script rewrites, which subsequently allowed for the franchise's long-running characters of Roman Pearce and Tej Parker to be introduced.

In August 2002, John Singleton, who critically praised the first film, was announced to direct the second in place of Rob Cohen, who left the franchise after directing the previous installment. Principal photography began in Miami in October 2002, with the majority of filming being done on location in Miami and South Florida.

2 Fast 2 Furious was released in the United States on June 6, 2003. The film was a commercial success, grossing over $236 million worldwide, quickly becoming the highest-grossing film in the franchise and the 16th highest-grossing film of 2003. It received generally mixed reviews at the time of release, with praise being aimed at the film's action sequences, but was also nominated for two awards at the 24th Golden Raspberry Awards. In later years, however, the film was reassessed by some critics who noted it as an underrated entry in the franchise. Another standalone sequel, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, was released on June 16, 2006.

Plot
After letting Dominic Toretto escape from the authorities in the first film, Brian O'Conner flees from the LAPD to escape prosecution. He subsequently relocates to Miami and makes a living by participating in illegal street races, aided by his friend and local mechanic Tej Parker. Following one race against drivers Suki, Slap Jack, and Orange Julius, the police show up and Brian is arrested. He is taken into custody, but given a deal by his former boss, FBI Agent Bilkins, and U.S. Customs Agent Markham, to go undercover and bring down Argentinian drug lord Carter Verone in exchange for the erasure of his criminal record. Agent Monica Fuentes, who has been undercover with Verone for a year, agrees to assist bringing Brian into the organization. Brian agrees, but only if he is given permission to choose his own partner.

This prompts him to travel to Barstow, where he enlists the help of Roman Pierce, his childhood friend who served jail time for housing stolen cars in a garage. Roman, currently on parole, blames Brian for his arrest, but reluctantly agrees to help in exchange for the same deal Brian was offered. Roman and Brian are later hired by Verone, who tasks the duo to compete against rival drivers to obtain a package from a confiscated car located in a lot. Markham, who mistakenly thinks that the duo are trying to run away, follows them to the lot. However, Roman relents, and shoots at Markham to help maintain his cover. He later confronts him for interference with the mission. Brian is able to gain knowledge of the plan, however, and tells Bilkins that Verone is reportedly aiming to launder his money in Miami, before escaping on his private jet.

Later, the team challenges a pair of muscle car drivers they raced when competing for Verone's hiring, for pink slips. Despite engine and power output handicaps, Brian and Roman manage to win the race and the other two cars. Meanwhile, Roman confronts Brian about his attraction to Monica and the constant threat of Verone's men. However, the two men patch up their differences, and focus on completing the mission.

After witnessing Verone torture Detective Whitworth of the Miami Police Department into giving them a window of opportunity to make their getaway, Brian and Roman are warned by Monica that they will be killed once the drop is made. However, Markham refuses to call off the job, claiming that it's their one chance to catch Verone and before they leave, Brian and Monica kiss.

On the day of the mission, Brian and Roman begin transporting duffel bags of Verone's money, with Verone's right-hand men, Enrique and Roberto, riding alongside to accompany the duo. Before the window is set, Whitworth decides to call in the police to move in for an arrest of the drivers of the cars used by Brian and Roman. This results in a high-speed chase across the city. The duo leads the police to a warehouse, where a "scramble" by dozens of street racers organized by Tej disorients the police. Following the scramble, the police manage to pull over the cars, only to find out that they were driven by Tej and Suki. As it turns out, the duo had switched cars and had escaped in the two muscle cars they had won earlier.

As Brian approaches the destination point in a Yenko Camaro, Enrique tells him to take the Tarpon Point Marina exit, instead of heading to the airfield. Meanwhile, Roman gets rid of Roberto by using an improvised ejector seat in his Dodge Challenger powered by nitrous oxide. At the airfield, Customs agents have Verone's plane and convoy surrounded, only to discover they have been duped into a decoy maneuver while Verone is at a boatyard several miles away. Verone reveals he knew Monica was an undercover agent, and purposely gave her wrong information on the destination point. When Brian arrives at the Marina, Verone forces Monica onto his private yacht and orders Enrique to kill Brian. As Enrique prepares to kill him, Brian's ejector seat fails, but Roman suddenly appears and helps Brian to incapacitate Enrique. Verone makes his escape, but Brian and Roman use the Camaro to drive off a ramp, crashing on top of the yacht. Brian shoots and wounds Verone, who is then arrested by Monica.

Markham grants Brian and Roman full pardons, and in return Roman turns over the second half of Verone's money. The two agree to stay in Miami, and Brian suggests opening a garage - funded by a cut of Verone's money that Roman kept for themselves.

Cast
Producer Neal H. Moritz makes a cameo appearance as a police officer during a chase scene.
 * Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, a former Los Angeles Cop who became a fugitive after letting Dominic Toretto escape in the previous film who has now settled in Miami. He drives a 1999 Nissan Skyline GTR R34 and a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII
 * Tyrese as Roman Pearce, Brian's boyhood friend who is on house arrest after serving time in prison for which he still blames Brian. He drives 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GTS
 * Eva Mendes as Monica Fuentes, a U.S. Customs agent working undercover as Carter Verone's aide and Brian's love interest.
 * Cole Hauser as Carter Verone, a ruthless Argentinian drug lord whose organization the Custom Service sent Monica and later Brian and Roman to infiltrate.
 * Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as Tej Parker, a race host and a friend of Brian's. He arranges high stakes street racing events in which Brian often races and wins.
 * Devon Aoki as Suki, a friend of Brian, Tej, and Jimmy. She is the only named female racer in the movie, and her crew is made up entirely of women. She normally drives a hot pink custom Honda S2000.
 * Drew Sidora as Bootz, a friend of Brian, Tej, and Suki. She is Suki's assistant driver and is also a part of Suki's all girl crew.
 * James Remar as Agent Markham, a U.S. customs agent in charge of the operation against Verone and Monica's superior.
 * Thom Barry as Agent Bilkins, who Brian first met during his undercover work in the first movie, who has come to Miami to oversee the situation. As before, he holds a grudging respect for O'Conner's driving and street racing skills.
 * Mark Boone Jr. as Detective Whitworth, a Miami detective who is forced by Verone to give Pearce and O'Conner a window to deliver his package.
 * Mo Gallini as Enrique, Verone's bald henchman.
 * Roberto Sanchez as Roberto, Varone's henchman and Enrique's partner.
 * MC Jin as Jimmy, a mechanic who works for Tej and is a close friend of Brian.
 * Amaury Nolasco as Orange Julius, a street racer who drives an orange Mazda RX-7.
 * Michael Ealy as Slap Jack, a street racer who drives a gold Toyota Supra.
 * John Cenatiempo as Korpi, a street racer who drives a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Yenko S/C.
 * Eric Etebari as Darden, Korpi's friend who drives a 1970 Dodge Challenger.
 * Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto (flashback appearance)