Fast & Furious countdown: All films till Fast X ranked

The Fast & Furious films are slotted as action dramas. These films are actually soap operas — about a big ‘family’ that sticks together and fights together no matter what, in the face of crisis. The difference is in the imagining of the crisis. Unlike Latin American telenovelas, the brand of soap opera that directly influences the screenplays, the thrust here is not on mush. The crisis here is invariably high-octane. It has to do with hi-tech crime and car chases — heck, this is a hell of a family when it comes to hot wheels and gizmos!

Soap opera mixed with action is an unlikely combo, one that has let the franchise survive and thrive for over two decades, hawking films that have a unique identity without original plots. A family fending against crisis together is always an easy ticketseller at the box office anywhere in the world, and the F&F makers merely package these protagonists as high-octane heroestoplined by the hunkiest action stars.

Vin Diesel and his throttle-happy gang are back in Fast X, and the fans are queueing up at the ’plexes. The latest Fast & Furious film is manufactured to thrill hardcore fans, a made-to-order package of crime, action, car chases, and, of course, family melodrama. By Thursday, trade experts at Variety were predicting a minimum opening weekend of $220 million at the international box office with another $60 million pouring in at North American ticket windows.

Those are monster figures, driven by massive hype. Yet, the point of a franchise that has entertained for over two decades with 10 films plus one spin-off is not whether a new addition would make big money. It is bound to. The question is would Fast X live up to the F&F legacy? If the Fast & Furious films were to have a countdown, where would Fast X stand?

Here’s looking at all the films of the franchise, spin-off included, arranged as a reverse countdown. We judged these films considering which ones were best suited to stand the test of time.

#11

2 FAST 2 FURIOUS (2003)

The best thing about 2 Fast 2 Furious, second film of the series, is perhaps its catchy title. John Singleton, whose directorial resume ranges from the critically acclaimed Boyz N The Hood to the cop action hit Shaft, was awfully in the wrong lane trying to steer a Fast & Furious flick. He merely rehashed all that worked the first time but there was a catch: Vin Diesel’s Dom Toretto was absent from this one, and it badly showed

#10

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT (2006)

By Tokyo Drift, the franchise’s third film, it became clear that the sparks weren’t flying without Vin Diesel at the wheel. So, after his absence in 2 Fast 2 Furious, Diesel returned in a cameo right at the end of Tokyo Drift, dropping hint that he would be back in the next film. Tokyo Drift marked director Justin Lin’s entry into the series. While Lin would go on to helm some of the franchise’s best films, he was clearly out of loop with this one, grappling with an incoherent script and fishing for a plot in the world of street racing. The franchise would subsequently move on to espionage and heist themes, though the drift races here were worth a watch.

#9

FAST & FURIOUS (2009)

By 2009, F&F had become a blockbuster franchise and, importantly, a trove for Hollywood inclusivity, with the makers realising a star cast flaunting multiple ethnicity served as magnet for the global box office. The new addition this time was Israeli sensation Gal Gadot in her Hollywood debut. Gadot’s Gisele Yashar wowed, and the character would return in three more F&F films before Wonder Woman and inter-galactic stardom beckoned. Director Justin Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan kept the fans happy by packing in essential set-pieces and bringing back Paul Walker’s Brian with Vin Diesel’s Dom. Importantly, the franchise’s focus noticeably shifted from carraces to hi-tech violence.

#8

FAST X (2023)

Stars, cars, stunts — they have lined up everything. Yet, as Fast X plays out its runtime, you realise they have lined up nothing new. Jason Momoa’s Dante Reyes is the revenge-seeking villain here, and the film features a clutch of cameos adding to the glamour. French director Louis Leterrier has put together a functional sequel to woo the ever-burgeoning fan base. Leterrier, whose resume ranges from working with Luc Besson in Unleashed to directing Transporter 2 and The Incredible Hulk in Hollywood to helming the ditzy Sacha Baron Cohen comedy Grimsby, was perhaps looking to add variety to his resume when he chose to enter Vin Diesel action domain. Bottomline: If you were restlessly waiting for a Fast & Furious flick since F9, then Fast X should work for you. Else, hope that the 2025 final film is a lot smarter.

#7

FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW (2019 spin-off)

The film was clearly made to cash in on the machismo of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, playing ex-agents Luke Hobbs and Deckard Shaw respectively. Hobbs and Shaw were not a part of Dom Toretto’s original ‘family’, so director David Leitch and story writer Chris Morgan were entrusted the job of crafting a standalone spin-off for the two action stars after they saw positive reception worldwide with earlier franchise appearances. The spin-off minted money but was not exciting enough to trigger off an independent series. The film is also remembered for Idris Elba’s role of Brixton, a supervillain with cybernetic implants.

#6

F9 (2021)

The blend of audacious action, family drama, catchy dialogues and hi-tech visuals continued with F9, as Justin Lin returned in the director’s chair. Along with high-voltage action, the film regaled fans with an engrossing family track. Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez as Dom and Letty get on with domestic life even as John Cena enters the scene as Dom’s estranged younger brother Jakob, the family black sheep. The conflict is good enough create space for chases, races, explosions and brawls. In any other movie universe, the routine might have become caricature by the ninth film. Not so on the Fast & Furious highway.

#5

THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (2017)

This was the first film where the character of Brian had to be removed from the plot, owing to actor Paul Walker’s sudden death. Walker passed away in 2013 but he had shot ample footage for Furious 7, which released in 2015 and would be his final film role. With The Fate Of The Furious, eighth film of the franchise, director F. Gary Gray faced an obvious challenge: He had to eliminate Brian, an important character in the storyline, without disturbing continuity. The film introduced Dwayne Johnson’s agent Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw, and the duo would go on to get a spinoff flick in 2019. The Fate Of The Furious also introduced Charlize Theron as the evil hacker Cipher. The film has some of the best action scenes in the franchise.

#4

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (2001)

By today’s standard, the film might look like it lacks in polish and VFX jazz but this is where it all started. The 2001 first film will always be a sentimental favourite of every F&F franchise addict, no matter how many times you watch it. The Rob Cohen film set the template for all that would unfold over the next two decades and is the foundation on which Vin Diesel’s global superstardom stands. The early films of the franchises were more about bad boys, bad girls, fast cars and street racing — indeed, the first film’s script is said to be inspired by an article titled “Racer X” in Vibe magazine. Importantly, it was in this film that the mix of action, crime and stunts found an anchor in the sort of family drama that is popular in Latin American telenovelas.

#3

FAST & FURIOUS 6 (2013)

One of the most melodramatic of the Fast & Furious films, Justin Lin’s 2013 directorial triumphed primarily because the film got its emotion quotient right amidst serving up the expected spectacular stunts — particularly car stunts. Screenwriter Chris Morgan went the whole mile maxing out melodrama with sub plots pertaining to birth, death, amnesia and more, even as Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Luke Evans and Sung Kang redefined the laws of physics with streetside daredevilry. Fast & Furious 6 could be a contender for best film of the franchise with a sharper twist leading to the climax, and a better-written villain.

#2

FURIOUS 7 (2015)

When James Wan was confirmed as director of Furious 7, he was coming into the project after helming a series of hits. The catch: His entire hit list till then comprised new-age horror flicks. Wan had just directed one Saw film, two Insidious films and The Conjuring before signing up the 2015 Fast & Furious edition, and fans wondered if the franchise was about to take a dark turn. Wan delivered an uncomplicated revenge story, effectively executed even as Chris Morgan’s writing created space for magnificent stunts never seen before in cinema. While Vin Diesel led the protagonists with aplomb, Dwayne Johnson scored as an over-the-top machoman and Jason Statham excelled as the antagonist. For fans, the film marked an emotional farewell for Paul Walker.

#1

FAST FIVE (2011)

The series peaked midway, at the fifth film. Fast Five is where it all fell perfectly in place, with the actors getting comfortablewith their larger-than-life avatars and with the balance between daredevilry and melodrama finding seamless balance. Ahighlight bridge chase sequence in the Justin Lin film proved cinematic absurdity, if done right, can spell magic.

Beyond taking its brand of entertainment to a level of pop art, Fast Five stands out because in many ways the film defines the franchise, sampled in the scene where Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbstells his aides about Dom Toretto’s gang: “Don’t ever, ever let them get into cars.” The line underlines the essence that drives the F&F saga: Dom and company are completed by the cars they drive. The mean machines are what give these heroes their meaning in life.

Vinayak Chakravorty is a critic, columnist and journalist who loves to write on popular culture

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