# The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)
**The Fast and the Furious** is a 2001 American action crime film directed by [Rob Cohen](https://www.edgepedia.org/rob-cohen), in which an undercover Los Angeles police officer infiltrates an illegal street racing crew suspected of high-speed cargo hijackings[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0232500/). It stars [Vin Diesel](https://www.edgepedia.org/vin-diesel) as [Dominic Toretto](https://www.edgepedia.org/dominic-toretto), Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, Michelle Rodriguez as Letty, and Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto[2](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/the-fast-and-the-furious/). Released by Universal Pictures on June 22, 2001, it launched one of the studio's most lucrative franchises, which has since grown to 11 films grossing more than $7 billion worldwide[3](https://petersen.org/pages/petersen-exhibit/a-fast-furious-legacy-25-years-of-automotive-icons).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | June 22, 2001, wide release in the United States; PG-13; 1 hr 46 min[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0232500/) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1108372-fast_and_the_furious) |
| Director / producer | Rob Cohen; Neal H. Moritz[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/62011) |
| Source material | Kenneth Li's 1998 *Vibe* magazine article "Racer X" on illegal street racing in New York City[6](https://www.cineworld.co.uk/static/en/uk/blog/the-fast-saga-the-story-so-far) |
| Budget and opening | $38,000,000 budget; $40,089,015 domestic opening weekend[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0232500/) |
| Worldwide gross | $212,981,194 (69.9% domestic, 30.1% international)[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0232500/) |
| Critical reception | 56% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 163 reviews; 74% audience score[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1108372-fast_and_the_furious) |
| Signature cars | Brian's green 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Toretto's red 1993 Mazda RX-7 Twin Turbo, and a 1969/1970 Dodge Charger[7](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/June-22/blockbuster-hit-movie-the-fast-and-the-furious-released) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and characters
The film is set in the underground street racing world of Los Angeles. Dominic Toretto, the reigning "king of the streets," dominates night races with nitrous-boosted cars, while [Brian O'Conner](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-oconner), an LAPD officer, goes undercover to infiltrate Toretto's crew and convict him of a string of high-speed electronics truck robberies[2](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/the-fast-and-the-furious/) • [7](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/June-22/blockbuster-hit-movie-the-fast-and-the-furious-released). O'Conner becomes enamored with the racing world and falls in love with Toretto's sister Mia, and as a rival crew led by Johnny Tran gains strength, he must decide where his loyalty lies[2](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/the-fast-and-the-furious/). The opening hijacking sequence shows the crew's method: cars surround an 18-wheeler, shoot out the passenger window, fire a cable into the cab, and climb into the truck at speed[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-fast-and-the-furious-2001).
## Origins and production
The project began when director Rob Cohen read "Racer X," Kenneth Li's 1998 *Vibe* article detailing illegal street racing in New York City; producer Neal Moritz joined, a script was written, and the film went into production in 2000[6](https://www.cineworld.co.uk/static/en/uk/blog/the-fast-saga-the-story-so-far). A Universal executive, Kevin Misher, also flagged the article as material worth developing[9](https://www.eastwestbank.com/ReachFurther/en/News/Article/Rob-Cohen-The-Fast-and-Furious-Movie-Business). The screenplay is credited to [Gary Scott Thompson](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-scott-thompson), Erik Bergquist, and [David Ayer](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-ayer)[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/62011).
Cohen, who had learned computer-generated effects on *Dragonheart* (1996), wanted to apply that technology to a car movie, including a shot that follows Diesel's arm down through the stick shift, drive shaft, and fuel injection to the explosion of the nitrous oxide boost and out through the exhaust[10](https://www.cinema.com/articles/594/fast-and-the-furious-the-production-notes.phtml).
**Stunt work.** Stunt coordinator and second unit director Mic Rodgers designed a camera vehicle called the Mic Rig, an elongated van with a flatbed low enough that a car could rest on it and appear to be driving on the road[11](https://atlasf1.autosport.com/magazine/print.php?url=%2F2001%2Ffra%2Ftopel.html). More than 50 stunt performers worked on the film[12](https://d24udp600h4lxn.cloudfront.net/fh/live/media/06-fs-ffurious-1-43-uk-low/06-fs-ffurious-1-43-uk-low.pdf). The truck-jacking sequences were staged on the Domenigoni Highway near [Hemet, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/hemet-california)[10](https://www.cinema.com/articles/594/fast-and-the-furious-the-production-notes.phtml).
**Race Wars.** The film's large racing-festival sequence, Race Wars, attracted about 1,500 import car owners and enthusiasts to San Bernardino International Airport, where daily temperatures exceeded 100 degrees and hit 112 one afternoon; production designer Waldemar Kalinowski built an entire tent city for the scene[10](https://www.cinema.com/articles/594/fast-and-the-furious-the-production-notes.phtml).
## Cars and authenticity
The film drew on the import tuner scene of the 1990s, in which young racers modified low-slung Japanese compact cars such as Acura Integras and Honda Civics to reach speeds of around 160 mph[7](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/June-22/blockbuster-hit-movie-the-fast-and-the-furious-released). The production consulted Craig Lieberman, head of the National Import Racing Association, and RJ De Vera, a former street racer, as advisors[10](https://www.cinema.com/articles/594/fast-and-the-furious-the-production-notes.phtml). The heist Honda Civics were chosen because the filmmakers felt it would be a crime to make a street racing movie without acknowledging the [Honda Civic](https://www.edgepedia.org/honda-civic)'s domination of the 1990s scene[13](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1124587_deep-dive-heist-honda-civics-from-the-fast-and-the-furious). [Nitrous oxide](https://www.edgepedia.org/nitrous-oxide), the film's signature boost, is a real performance tool used in drag racing and drifting, though the film exaggerated its use[14](https://www.autoblog.com/features/these-are-the-mistakes-in-the-fast-and-furious-series-that-gearheads-point-out).
## Reception and box office
Opening without a big-name star and to middling reviews, the film earned $40 million on its opening weekend and stayed among the top 10 earners for another six weeks[15](https://time.com/3770961/fast-and-the-furious-greatest-action-movie-franchise/). It finished with $148,961,825 domestically and $64,019,369 internationally, a $212,981,194 worldwide total against a $38 million budget[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0232500/).
Critics treated it as a B-movie with strong action. Roger Ebert, the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) critic and 1975 [Pulitzer Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize) winner, called it "not a great movie" but one that "delivers what it promises to deliver" and knows a chase scene is about more than special effects[8](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-fast-and-the-furious-2001). Screen's Emanuel Levy described it as a B-movie elevated by A-level stunt work but dragged down by formulaic plotting[16](https://www.screendaily.com/the-fast-and-the-furious/406027.article). Rotten Tomatoes' critics consensus calls it sleek and shiny on the surface, recalling 1950s teenage exploitation flicks[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1108372-fast_and_the_furious).
## Legacy
The film's success spawned a franchise that outgrew its street racing premise. Universal released *2 Fast 2 Furious* in 2003 without Diesel, and after the poorly received *Fast & Furious* (2009) the series pivoted to large-scale heist action under [Justin Lin](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-lin) and Chris Morgan, eventually grossing more than $7 billion across 11 films[15](https://time.com/3770961/fast-and-the-furious-greatest-action-movie-franchise/) • [3](https://petersen.org/pages/petersen-exhibit/a-fast-furious-legacy-25-years-of-automotive-icons). Commentators have noted that the first film is essentially a street racing version of *Point Break*, with an undercover officer drawn into the criminal world he is investigating[17](https://www.gamesradar.com/fast-and-furious-movies-in-order/).
The film also moved import drag racing into mainstream popular culture, though some Asian American participants in the [Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/southern-california) scene saw the films as an appropriation of a scene in which [Asian Americans](https://www.edgepedia.org/asian-americans) were significantly present but given minimal roles[18](https://webfiles.ucpress.edu/oa/9780520973152_WEB.pdf). The [Petersen Automotive Museum](https://www.edgepedia.org/petersen-automotive-museum) marked the film's 25th anniversary with an exhibition including screen-used vehicles such as the 1993 Toyota Supra and 1996 Acura Integra GS-R from the original film[3](https://petersen.org/pages/petersen-exhibit/a-fast-furious-legacy-25-years-of-automotive-icons).
## References
1. [The Fast and the Furious (2001), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0232500/)
2. [The Fast and the Furious, Festival de Cannes](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/the-fast-and-the-furious/)
3. [A Fast & Furious Legacy, Petersen Automotive Museum](https://petersen.org/pages/petersen-exhibit/a-fast-furious-legacy-25-years-of-automotive-icons)
4. [The Fast and the Furious, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1108372-fast_and_the_furious)
5. [The Fast and the Furious (2001), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/62011)
6. [The Fast saga: the story so far, Cineworld](https://www.cineworld.co.uk/static/en/uk/blog/the-fast-saga-the-story-so-far)
7. [Blockbuster hit movie "The Fast and the Furious" released, HISTORY.com](https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/June-22/blockbuster-hit-movie-the-fast-and-the-furious-released)
8. [The Fast and the Furious movie review, Roger Ebert](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-fast-and-the-furious-2001)
9. [Rob Cohen: The Fast and Furious Movie Business, East West Bank](https://www.eastwestbank.com/ReachFurther/en/News/Article/Rob-Cohen-The-Fast-and-Furious-Movie-Business)
10. [Fast and the Furious, The: Production Notes, Cinema.com](https://www.cinema.com/articles/594/fast-and-the-furious-the-production-notes.phtml)
11. [Behind the Scenes of The Fast and the Furious, Atlas F1 Magazine](https://atlasf1.autosport.com/magazine/print.php?url=%2F2001%2Ffra%2Ftopel.html)
12. [The World of Fast & Furious: Stunt Performers](https://d24udp600h4lxn.cloudfront.net/fh/live/media/06-fs-ffurious-1-43-uk-low/06-fs-ffurious-1-43-uk-low.pdf)
13. [Deep dive: "Heist" Honda Civics from "The Fast and the Furious", Motor Authority](https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1124587_deep-dive-heist-honda-civics-from-the-fast-and-the-furious)
14. [These Are The Mistakes In The Fast And Furious Series That Gearheads Point Out, Autoblog](https://www.autoblog.com/features/these-are-the-mistakes-in-the-fast-and-furious-series-that-gearheads-point-out)
15. [Vroom to Grow: How The Fast and the Furious Became Hollywood's Greatest Action-Movie Franchise, TIME](https://time.com/3770961/fast-and-the-furious-greatest-action-movie-franchise/)
16. [The Fast And The Furious review, Screen Daily](https://www.screendaily.com/the-fast-and-the-furious/406027.article)
17. [How to watch the Fast and Furious movies in order, GamesRadar](https://www.gamesradar.com/fast-and-furious-movies-in-order/)
18. [Cruising the Pac Rim, University of California Press](https://webfiles.ucpress.edu/oa/9780520973152_WEB.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Franchise and series entries as standalone works › Action, thriller, and crime series film entries › Entries released in the 2000s › Released 2000 to 2004*
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