2 Fast 2 Furious is the second film in the long running car-based action series (if you look very carefully, you'll see that the number '2' replaces the word 'Too' in the title! Clever that!). It's essentially the same cocktail of hot motors, hot girls, hot guys and hot locations as before, but with no Vin Diesel, his character having driven over the horizon at the end of the first film (only to return later in the series, once the actor had lowered his asking price).
Instead, star Paul Walker—reprising his role as cop turned street-racer Brian O'Connor—is teamed up with Tyrese Gibson, who plays Roman Pearce, a criminal given the chance to wipe his record clean if he helps the FBI bust crime boss Carter Verone (Cole Hauser). With help from lovely Latino undercover agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes) and their super cool street-racer homies (who include rapper Ludicrous as garage owner Tej and model Devon Aoki as sexy driver Suki), Brian and Roman successfully outmanoeuvre the bad guys (and the feds) at every turn.
Director John Singleton does a pretty good job handling the action, utilising all sorts of whizzy camera trickery and CGI effects to allow the camera to sweep from one driver to another during the high-speed racing scenes; it's technically impressive stuff that makes up somewhat for the extremely predictable plot and clichéd characters. Some of the stunts are extremely silly—a jump over a raised bridge that sees Walker leap his vehicle over his opponent's car takes the biscuit—but for a film that is all about excess, it all seems very apt and does little to spoil one's enjoyment.
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.
Instead, star Paul Walker—reprising his role as cop turned street-racer Brian O'Connor—is teamed up with Tyrese Gibson, who plays Roman Pearce, a criminal given the chance to wipe his record clean if he helps the FBI bust crime boss Carter Verone (Cole Hauser). With help from lovely Latino undercover agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes) and their super cool street-racer homies (who include rapper Ludicrous as garage owner Tej and model Devon Aoki as sexy driver Suki), Brian and Roman successfully outmanoeuvre the bad guys (and the feds) at every turn.
Director John Singleton does a pretty good job handling the action, utilising all sorts of whizzy camera trickery and CGI effects to allow the camera to sweep from one driver to another during the high-speed racing scenes; it's technically impressive stuff that makes up somewhat for the extremely predictable plot and clichéd characters. Some of the stunts are extremely silly—a jump over a raised bridge that sees Walker leap his vehicle over his opponent's car takes the biscuit—but for a film that is all about excess, it all seems very apt and does little to spoil one's enjoyment.
6.5/10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.