---
title: "The Fast and the Furious"
year: 2001
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-fast-and-the-furious"
fi1m_id: "the-fast-and-the-furious"
imdb_id: "tt0232500"
tmdb_id: 9799
wikidata_id: "Q155476"
fi1m_score: 72
critics_score: 60
critics_reviews: 8
published: "2026-10-05T02:32:15.593479+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-05T02:32:27.559759+00:00"
region: "KR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Fast and the Furious (2001)

Directed by Rob Cohen · 1h 46m · KMRB 15 · Action, Crime, Thriller

## Identity

The Fast and the Furious

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/the-fast-and-the-furious
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** the-fast-and-the-furious
- **IMDb ID:** tt0232500
- **TMDB ID:** 9799
- **Wikidata ID:** Q155476
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0232500/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/9799, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q155476

**Fi1m score: 72** · Critics 60 from 8 reviews

*In a sentence:* Vin Diesel treats a street race with the gravity usually reserved for a state funeral

> Rob Cohen’s car-racing thriller is noisy, thinly plotted and good fun when it lets the driving do the work. Vin Diesel gives it authority, and the practical stunts compensate for a crime story that needs tidying.

## Synopsis

In Southern California, undercover police officer Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) investigates lorry hijackings linked to the street-racing scene. He wants the confidence of Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), whose circle includes Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster). Brian puts his car on the line in a street race against Dominic, hoping to earn a place among the drivers. The police want evidence, while the racers expect loyalty. As Brian grows closer to Dominic and takes an interest in Mia, keeping those demands separate becomes part of the job.

## Review

*The Fast and the Furious* is good, undemanding entertainment, provided the cars are part of the attraction. Rob Cohen understands the appeal of watching people who take driving seriously, even when the crime story gives us little reason to do the same. The customised vehicles invite close inspection, and the film gives them plenty. At 106 minutes, it has enough sense not to turn this interest into a lengthy obligation.

Vin Diesel supplies the human reason to stay. His Dominic Toretto has an authority that makes the surrounding fascination with him plausible, and Diesel takes the character seriously without asking us to mistake him for a complicated man. Paul Walker, as Brian O’Conner, is a lighter presence, useful in a film that could otherwise become oppressive with male self-importance. Their scenes give the racing some personal weight, even when the writing leaves the relationships looking simpler than they should.

Ericson Core’s cinematography is particularly effective in the Southern California locations, which give this car-centred world somewhere recognisable to exist. The attention to bodies and customised bodywork explains the attraction more efficiently than the dialogue. Waldemar Kalinowski’s production design encourages the same close inspection, although it offers less to anyone who regards a car as transport. The film makes its enthusiasm easy to understand without requiring us to share every last bit of it.

The driving is the strongest reason to watch. We were gripped by the lorry-heist action, because the difference in scale between a lorry and a car makes the danger immediately comprehensible. The practical stunt work gives that danger weight, and the digital assistance usually avoids drawing attention away from it. Cohen is good at making speed feel risky; during these stretches, getting through the next few seconds matters more than sorting out the plot.

Editors Dallas Puett and Peter Honess keep the action moving, but the crime story is harder to follow than it needs to be. The screenplay by Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist and David Ayer struggles to make its complications interesting enough to justify the effort of untangling them. Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz and Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto receive less attention than the male drivers and their vehicles. Both make us wish the film would spend more time with them.

BT’s music is less memorable than the engines, which gradually become wearing through sheer persistence. There are passages when the sound seems determined to provide excitement that the stunts have already supplied. We enjoyed Cohen’s willingness to make a straightforward racing thriller, but there are stretches when turning down the volume would improve it. The noise makes the quieter appeal of Diesel’s presence easier to appreciate.

As a hot-rod film, it delivers the essential pleasure of people doing difficult things at speed. Its character work is broad, but Diesel gives it enough conviction to survive a script that often needs his help. The action earns the attention that the criminal complications occasionally squander. Choose it for the driving, and allow the police work a little less scrutiny.

*Fi1m score 72, published 5 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find The Fast and the Furious entertaining despite its script, with praise concentrated on the car chases, practical stunts and customised cars. The favourable reviews value its energy and unpretentious approach to action, accepting the silliness as part of the appeal. Several find that the driving sequences supply enough excitement to compensate for weaknesses elsewhere. Radio Times also singles out Vin Diesel’s screen presence.

The divide is wide, with enthusiastic approval at one end and outright rejection at the other. Even supportive reviews acknowledge muddled writing, but the strongest objections concern the spectacle itself rather than just the plot. The Guardian finds the racing deafening and self-congratulatory, with relentless engine noise a particular irritation. Eye for Film dismisses the film as a shallow commercial, objecting to its incoherent plotting and fixation on cars and male bodies. What most critics enjoy, these dissenters find grating or empty.

## Straight answers

**Is The Fast and the Furious worth watching?**

*The Fast and the Furious* is worth watching for its practical driving stunts and Vin Diesel’s authority, and we score it 72 out of 100. We recommend it as undemanding entertainment for action and car enthusiasts, though the crime plot needs tidying and the persistent engine noise becomes wearing.

**How long is The Fast and the Furious, and what is it rated?**

*The Fast and the Furious* runs 1h 46m and is rated 15 by the KMRB in South Korea. It is an action and crime film.

**Where can I watch The Fast and the Furious in South Korea?**

*The Fast and the Furious* is streaming on Netflix in South Korea, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV from ₩2,500. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Fast and the Furious, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Fast and the Furious* carries a UK 15 certificate, making it unsuitable for children under 15. The racing and lorry-heist action create tension through speed, risky driving and the visible danger of cars alongside much larger vehicles; we find those stunts gripping, while the persistent engine noise can become wearing.

**How does The Fast and the Furious compare to Fast X?**

*The Fast and the Furious* is the more satisfying choice for a straightforward action evening than [*Fast X*](https://film.one/film/fast-x), keeping its attention on street racing and an undercover investigation. We find its crime plot untidy, but Diesel and the practical stunts hold it together; *Fast X* has an enjoyable Jason Momoa and a strong Rome set piece, but leaves three story strands unfinished.

**What order should I watch the Fast & Furious films in?**

Release order is the safe choice for Fast & Furious, and it is the order [our collection page](https://film.one/collections/fast-and-furious) lists them in. *The Fast and the Furious* is the first of the 3 Fast & Furious titles on Fi1m; after it [*2 Fast 2 Furious*](https://film.one/film/2-fast-2-furious). [The full order.](https://film.one/collections/fast-and-furious.md)

### Reviews we read (8)

- **Empire**, Adam Smith (90/100, inferred): The critic finds the film deliriously entertaining despite its deliberately silly tone. The high-speed car chases and seamless mix of stunts and CGI stand out for praise. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/fast-furious-review/)
- **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (4/5): Jones praises the film as a high-energy action thriller that successfully launched a franchise. He singles out its customised cars, turbo-charged stunts and Vin Diesel’s screen presence. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-gbgdh3/the-fast-and-the-furious/)
- **Evening Standard**, The Standard (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film entertaining despite its less-than-smart script. The near-unbelievable practical stunts are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-fast-and-the-furious-7433194.html)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Kirk Honeycutt (70/100, inferred): Honeycutt finds the film an energetic, character-driven hit, despite a messy script and an implausible ending. He especially praises the heart-stopping stunts and Southern California location work. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/fast-furious-2001-movie-review-905568/)
- **Time Out**, TCh (70/100, inferred): The review presents the film as enjoyable, unpretentious drive-in entertainment. It praises the way the teen hot-rod flick recalls the thrills of Roger Corman’s B-movies. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-fast-and-the-furious)
- **The New York Times** (64/100, inferred): The accessible page does not expose the critic's verdict. It provides no praise or complaint to summarize. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/22/movies/film-review-getaway-drivers-take-note-this-one-s-made-for-you.html)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (10/100, inferred): Bradshaw gives the film a sharply negative verdict, finding its car-racing spectacle deafening and self-congratulatory. He singles out the relentless engine noise as the film’s most grating feature. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2001/sep/14/culture.reviews)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (15/100, inferred): The critic dismisses the film as a shallow, testosterone-driven commercial with an incoherent plot. He singles out its fetishistic focus on cars and male bodies, while finding the earlier street-gang films more seductive. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-fast-and-the-furious-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Rob Cohen
- **Director:** Rob Cohen
- **Screenplay:** David Ayer, Gary Scott Thompson, Erik Bergquist
- **Story:** Gary Scott Thompson
- **Cinematography:** Ericson Core
- **Editor:** Peter Honess, Dallas Puett
- **Music:** BT
- **Production design:** Waldemar Kalinowski
- **Costume design:** Sanja Milkovic Hays
- **Producer:** Neal H. Moritz
- **Cast:** Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner; Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto; Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz; Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto; Rick Yune as Johnny Tran; Chad Lindberg as Jesse; Johnny Strong as Leon; Matt Schulze as Vince
- **Runtime:** 1h 46m
- **Certificate (KMRB):** 15
- **Release (South Korea):** 21 September 2001
- **Genres:** Action, Crime, Thriller
- **Part of:** [Fast & Furious](https://film.one/collections/fast-and-furious.md) · 1 of 3
- **Budget:** $38 million
- **Box office:** $207 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIU1xlDbbQk

## Where to watch in South Korea

- Netflix: streaming
- Apple TV: rent ₩2,500, hd
- Apple TV: buy ₩7,000, hd

*Checked 2026-10-05.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *The Driver* (1978): A spare crime thriller that gives its getaway driving proper attention.
- *Initial D* (2005): Mountain-road racing and young drivers who take each corner personally.
- *Taxi* (1998): French car chases with more comic fuss around the police work.
- *Point Break* (1991), Fi1m 82: Another crime thriller where belonging becomes more tempting than doing the job. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/point-break.md)
- *Le Mans* (1971): For anyone more interested in racing machinery than explanations of the plot.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/the-fast-and-the-furious