2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) Review

The funny thing about 2 Fast 2 Furious is that it feels less like a sequel to The Fast and the Furious and more like a companion piece to a lesser known film starring Paul Walker that came out the same year, Joy Ride.

Like John Dahl, who directed Joy Ride, John Singleton shares the sensibilities of independent filmmaking. In each case, Walker's stoic acting style is respectively thrown together to great benefit with the comic relief of male co-stars Tyrese and Steve Zahn. And while 2 Fast 2 Furious focuses strictly on action while Joy Ride blends the genres of action, horror and suspense, both films have an intensity that belies the ambition of their makers. For those who were less than impressed with The Fast and the Furious, the sequel is a welcome blast of fresh air and undeniable proof of Tyrese's star power, but it remains to be seen whether the young core audience that made the first film such a phenomenon will take as kindly in the long run to the second entry's edgier tone and adult storyline. Walker returns as disgraced former LAPD cop Brian O'Conner, who at the film's outset is scratching out a living taking money from unsuspecting street racing competitors on the streets of Miami. Forced to join a federal undercover operation aimed at drug kingpin Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), Walker soon finds himself scrambling across scenic south Florida in the company of a charismatic ex-con (Tyrese), a colorful street racing impresario (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), a young female racer (Devon Aoki) and Verone's helpful girlfriend (Eva Mendes). Singleton essentially structures the three acts of the film around three increasingly epic action sequences: a nighttime race for money through the streets of downtown Miami, a challenge organized by Verone and a final sting operation that splinters off in several different directions. Although these scenes manage to duplicate the technical proficiency of the chase sequences in Mel Gibson's breakout Australian film Mad Max, which was ultimately the source of inspiration for Singleton, they do not have the same visceral impact because of what's at stake with the characters. On the other hand, there is a torture scene halfway through the movie that pushes the limits of a PG-13 rating and had the preview audience squirming in their seats in a manner similar to the experience of watching Sir Laurence Olivier treat Dustin Hoffman to the dentist's chair in The Marathon Man. Eva Mendes 2 Fast 2 Furious (Courtesy of IMDB)  In addition to Tyrese, Cole Hauser, who hails from Santa Barbara, is a standout with his slimy portrayal of Carter Verone. Just as the chase scenes in 2 Fast 2 Furious are much larger in scope than those of the first film, so too is the villain. This as much as anything is responsible for the fact that the film feels more akin to something like True Lies or an episode of Miami Vice in its prime. 2 Fast 2 Furious is perfect summertime entertainment and if that sounds like a backhanded compliment, it's important to understand that this is not nearly as easy as it sounds to pull off. Exactly three years ago, on June 11th, 2000, a $90 million movie by the name of Gone In Sixty Seconds lasted about as long in the minds of moviegoers. Film is and always will be a director's medium. Dominic Sena is no John Singleton and although he certainly had to deal with the higher salary of his leading man, Nicolas Cage, you would never guess that 2 Fast 2 Furious had about $14 million less to work with. What's more, whereas the audience has packed it in by the time Nicolas Cage implausibly vaults over a string of cars stuck atop a bridge in the port of Long Beach, there is far less scrutiny given to a similarly outrageous stunt that closes out 2 Fast 2 Furious because the audience is too busy having fun.