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2 Fast 2 Furious

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2 Fast 2 Furious
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn Singleton
Screenplay by
Story by
Based onCharacters
by Gary Scott Thompson
Produced byNeal H. Moritz
Starring
CinematographyMatthew F. Leonetti
Edited by
Music byDavid Arnold
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures[1]
Release date
  • June 6, 2003 (2003-06-06) (United States)
Running time
108 minutes[2]
Countries
LanguageEnglish
Budget$76 million[3]
Box office$236.4 million[3]

2 Fast 2 Furious is a 2003 action film directed by John Singleton and written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, with a story co-written by Gary Scott Thompson. A standalone sequel to The Fast and the Furious (2001), it is the second installment in the Fast & Furious franchise and stars Paul Walker, Tyrese Gibson, Eva Mendes, Cole Hauser, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, and James Remar. 2 Fast 2 Furious follows Brian O'Conner (Walker) and Roman Pearce (Gibson) who go undercover for the U.S. Customs Service to apprehend drug lord Carter Verone (Hauser) in exchange for the erasure of their criminal records.

Plans for a sequel to The Fast and the Furious were developed immediately following that film's box office success.[4] Early treatments for a sequel initially featured the returns of both Vin Diesel and Walker; the former declined, instead choosing to star in The Chronicles of Riddick (2004).[5] John Singleton, who critically praised the first film, was announced to direct the second in place of Rob Cohen, who left the franchise after directing the previous installment.[6] Principal photography began in Miami in October 2002, with the majority of filming being done on location in Miami and South Florida.[7]

2 Fast 2 Furious was released in the United States on June 6, 2003, and grossed $236 million worldwide. It received negative reviews on Metacritic, and Rotten Tomatoes said it "won't tax the brain cells". It was nominated for two awards at the 24th Golden Raspberry Awards.

Plot

After letting Dominic Toretto escape from the authorities,[N 1] former LAPD officer Brian O'Conner flees from Los Angeles to escape prosecution. He subsequently relocates to Miami and makes a living participating in illegal street races, driving a heavily modified silver Nissan Skyline GT-R R34.[N 2] The races are organized by his local mechanic friend Tej Parker. After winning a race against drivers including Suki, the police show up and Brian is arrested. He is taken into custody, but given a deal by his former boss FBI Agent Bilkins and U.S. Customs Agent Markham to go undercover and bring down Argentinian drug lord Carter Verone in exchange for clearance of his criminal record. Agent Monica Fuentes, who has been undercover with Verone for a year, agrees to assist bringing Brian into the organization. Brian agrees on the condition that he is given permission to choose his own partner.

This prompts Brian to travel to Barstow, where he enlists the help of childhood friend Roman Pearce, who served jail time for housing stolen cars in a garage and currently making a living as a demolition derby driver. Roman, currently on parole, gets into a brief fight and blames Brian for his arrest, but reluctantly agrees to help in exchange for the same deal Brian was offered. For their mission, they are issued two confiscated, modified cars—a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII and a Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GTS. Roman and Brian are later hired by Verone, who tasks the duo to compete against rival drivers to obtain a package from a confiscated Ferrari located in a lot. During the race, some of the hired drivers crash while a few are injured by big rigs. Markham, who mistakenly thinks that the duo is trying to run away, follows them to the lot. The police ambush spooks Roman, who shoots at Markham to help maintain his cover. Roman later confronts the agent for interfering with the mission. Brian is able to salvage the situation, however, telling Bilkins that Verone is allegedly aiming to launder his money in Miami before escaping on his private jet.

Brian and Roman challenge a pair of muscle car drivers they raced when competing for Verone's hiring, for pink slips. Despite engine and power output handicaps, they win the race and obtain the rival cars—a 1969 Yenko Camaro SYC and a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T previously driven by the hired drivers. Roman later confronts Brian about the constant threat of Verone's men; however, they patch up their differences and focus on completing the mission.

At the VIP section of a nightclub, Brian and Roman witness Verone torturing MPD Detective Whitworth into giving his men a window of opportunity to make their getaway. The next morning, Monica warns them that they will be killed once the drop is made. Despite this, Markham refuses to call off the job, claiming that it is their one chance to catch Verone.

On the day of the mission, Brian and Roman begin transporting duffel bags of Verone's money with Verone's associates—Enrique and Roberto—riding alongside to accompany them. Before the window is set, Whitworth decides to call in the police to move in for an arrest of the drivers of the cars used by Brian and Roman. This results in a high-speed chase across the city, with Bilkins and U.S. Customs also tracking them. The duo leads the police to a warehouse, where a "scramble" by dozens of street racers organized by Tej disorients the police. Following the scramble, the police manage to pull over the Evo and the Eclipse, only to find out that they were driven by Tej and Suki. As it turns out, the duo had switched cars and had escaped in the two muscle cars they had won earlier.

As Brian approaches the destination point in his Camaro, Enrique tells him to take the Tarpon Point Marina exit, instead of heading to the airfield. Meanwhile, Roman gets rid of Roberto by using an improvised ejector seat in his Challenger powered by nitrous oxide. At the airfield, Customs agents have Verone's plane and convoy surrounded, only to discover they have been duped into a decoy maneuver while Verone is at a boatyard several miles away. Verone reveals he knew Monica was an undercover agent, and purposely gave her wrong information on the destination point. When Brian arrives at the Marina, Verone forces Monica onto his private yacht and orders Enrique to kill Brian. As Enrique prepares to kill him, Brian's ejector seat fails, but Roman suddenly appears and helps Brian to incapacitate Enrique. Verone makes his escape, but Brian and Roman use the Camaro to drive off a ramp, crashing on top of the yacht. Brian shoots and wounds Verone moments before he was about to shoot Brian and Roman with his shotgun, making him miss, who is then arrested by Monica.

Markham grants Brian and Roman full pardons, and in return Roman turns over the second half of Verone's money. The two agree to stay in Miami, and Brian suggests opening a garage – funded by a cut of Verone's money Roman kept for themselves.

Cast

Main article: List of Fast & Furious characters
  • Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, a former Los Angeles Cop who became a fugitive after letting Dominic Toretto escape in the previous film who has now settled in Miami. He drives a 1999 Nissan Skyline GTR R34 and a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII.
  • Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, Brian's childhood friend who is on house arrest after serving time in prison for which he still blames Brian. He drives a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GTS.
  • Eva Mendes as Monica Fuentes, a U.S. Customs agent working undercover as Carter Verone's aide and Brian's love interest.
  • Cole Hauser as Carter Verone, a ruthless Argentinian drug lord whose organization the Custom Service sent Monica and later Brian and Roman to infiltrate.
  • Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as Tej Parker, a race host and a friend of Brian's. He arranges high stakes street racing events in which Brian often races and wins.
  • Devon Aoki as Suki, a friend of Brian, Tej, and Jimmy. She is the only named female racer in the movie, and her crew is made up entirely of women. She normally drives a hot pink custom Honda S2000.
  • James Remar as Agent Markham, a U.S. customs agent in charge of the operation against Verone and Monica's superior.
  • Thom Barry as Agent Bilkins, who Brian first met during his undercover work in the first movie, who has come to Miami to oversee the situation. As before, he holds a grudging respect for O'Conner's driving and street racing skills.
  • Edward Finlay as Agent Dunn, a U.S. Customs agent who is Markham's number two in the operation.
  • Mark Boone Junior as Detective Whitworth, a Miami detective who is forced by Verone to give Pearce and O'Conner a window to deliver his package.
  • Mo Gallini as Enrique, Verone's bald henchman.
  • Roberto Sanchez as Roberto, Verone's henchman and Enrique's partner.
  • MC Jin as Jimmy, a mechanic who works for Tej and is a close friend of Brian.
  • Amaury Nolasco as Orange Julius, a street racer who drives an orange Mazda RX-7.
  • Michael Ealy as Slap Jack, a street racer who drives a gold Toyota Supra.
  • John Cenatiempo as Korpi, a street racer who drives a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro Yenko S/C.
  • Eric Etebari as Darden, Korpi's friend who drives a 1970 Dodge Challenger.

Producer Neal H. Moritz makes a cameo appearance as a police officer during a chase scene.

Production

Development

Because of the incredible response to The Fast and the Furious, we knew we had struck a chord with young audiences. I believe we had tapped into a culture—the very urban world of street racing. It really resonated with our fans, who continued to support the film when it hit the streets on DVD and video—I mean, it really just exploded again, allowing even more people a chance to take the ride. We knew they were ready for another film, but only if we delivered one with the same authenticity and edge as the first. Well, we've done just that.

—Producer Neal H. Moritz, on greenlighting the project sequel.[6]

Plans to make a sequel came about after the box office success of The Fast and the Furious,[6] which grossed over $200 million worldwide.[4] John Singleton had seen the first film and was awed by it, saying: "When I saw The Fast and the Furious, I was like, 'Damn, why didn't I think of that?' Growing up in South Central L.A., we had street races all the time." Singleton's rave reaction of the film as well as the culture of street racing in general influenced his decision to direct the sequel. The director also claimed that the concept of street racing could be something young audiences can relate to.[6]

The screenplay was written by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas, along with Gary Scott Thompson (the co-writer from the first film).[8] There were two film treatments submitted early on, one of which did not involve Vin Diesel's character in the event the actor would not return for the sequel.[9] Singleton credited Top Gun as a major influence for the film, particularly with regard to the action sequences.[10]

Pre-production

Paul Walker returned as Brian O'Conner in 2 Fast 2 Furious.

Vin Diesel was offered $25 million to return in the sequel as Dominic Toretto.[5] However, he refused after reading the screenplay as he felt that its potential was inferior compared to that of its predecessor; rather, he chose to appear in The Chronicles of Riddick.[11] According to Variety magazine in 2015 he was less taken with what the screenwriters had in mind for the film, "They didn't take a Francis Ford Coppola approach to it. They approached it like they did sequels in the '80s and '90s, when they would drum up a new story unrelated for the most part, and slap the same name on it."[5] However, Diesel reflected on his decision in a July 2014 report from Uproxx, saying: "I would've said, 'Don't walk away from it just because the script sucked in 2 Fast 2 Furious because there's an obligation to the audience to fight, no matter what, to make that film as good as possible.' ... I might have had a little bit more patience or belief in the long-term of it."[11]

Paul Walker, who had just finished Timeline at the time, reprised his role in the second picture as Brian O'Conner. Tyrese Gibson, then known mononymously as Tyrese, also became a part of the cast having previously acted in Singleton's Baby Boy, which was the singer's feature film acting debut; he portrayed Roman Pearce.[12] Ja Rule, another prominent rap artist who appeared in The Fast and the Furious, was originally tapped for the role of Tej Parker. Ja Rule was offered $500,000 for the role, which was more than what he had been paid to appear in The Fast and the Furious, $15,000. According to Singleton, "Ja got too big for himself. He turned it down. He turned down a half a million dollars. ... He was acting like he was too big to be in the sequel. He wouldn't return calls." The director then hired Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, a relatively little known rap artist at the time as a substitute.[7] Bridges would later rise to prominence for appearing in the film and star in later films such as Crash and Hustle & Flow.[13] Additional cast also included Cole Hauser as key villain Carter Verone, who appeared in Singleton's Higher Learning; Eva Mendes as undercover agent Monica Fuentes; and Devon Aoki as Suki, the sole female driver in the film.[6]

Filming

Principal photography began in the fall of 2002,[7] and Matthew F. Leonetti served as the director of photography.[14] Filming was done mostly in various parts of South Florida such as Miami Beach, Seven Mile Bridge, and Homestead Air Reserve Base.[6][15] Hauser's character's mansion was shot in Coral Gables, in a house owned by Sylvester Stallone.[6]

A car enthusiast himself,[6] Walker drove a Nissan Skyline GT-R model R-34 borrowed from the film's Technical Advisor, Craig Lieberman, in the film's opening scenes.[16] Aoki did not have a driver's license or any driving experience prior to the film's production, and took driving lessons during filming;[17] she drove a pink 2001 Honda S2000 AP1 in the film.[16] Gibson drove a convertible Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, while Michael Ealy drove a Toyota Supra Turbo MkIV model JZA80 that had been re-used by Walker in The Fast and the Furious.[16]

Music

Main article: 2 Fast 2 Furious (soundtrack)

The musical score was composed by David Arnold. The soundtrack was released on May 27, 2003 on Def Jam Recordings, the same record label that Ludacris was signed to.

Release

Box office

2 Fast 2 Furious earned $50.5 million in its U.S. opening in 3,408 theaters, ranking first for the weekend. In its 133 days in release, the film reached a peak release of 3,418 theaters in the U.S. and earned $127.2 million in the US, taking the number #1 spot off of Finding Nemo. The film had the 15th largest US gross of 2003 and the 16th largest worldwide gross of 2003; combined with the international gross of $109.2 million, the film earned $236.4 million worldwide.[3]

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 36% based on 160 reviews and an average rating of 4.75/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Beautiful people and beautiful cars in a movie that won't tax the brain cells."[18] On Metacritic it has a weighted average score of 38 out of 100, based on reviews from 36 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[19] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A-" on scale of A+ to F.[20]

Todd McCarthy of Variety magazine wrote: "While this John Singleton-directed sequel provides a breezy enough joyride, it lacks the unassuming freshness and appealing neighborhood feel of the economy-priced original."[21] Scott Tobias of The A.V. Club wrote: "Singleton abandons the underground racing subculture that gave the first film its allure, relying instead on lazy thriller plotting that's only a bag of donuts and a freeze-frame away from the average TV cop show."[22] USA Today's Mike Clark gave film 2 out of 4, and wrote "The movie is all about racing, and character be damned, though the still dazed-looking Walker and Tyrese finally get a little rapport going after a worn-out story's very rocky start." He concludes "Lack of pretension helps the viewer get over the fact that this is just another retread. "[23] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4 and said, "It doesn't have a brain in its head, but it's made with skill and style and, boy, it is fast and furious."[24] In 2018, Derek Lawrence of the Entertainment Weekly called it "the forgotten Fast and Furious gem" and praised the chemistry between Walker and Gibson and John Singleton's direction.[25] In 2019, Bilge Eberi of Vulture also praised the movie especially Singleton’s direction.[26]

Accolades

Award Category Nominee Result
MTV Movie Award Breakthrough Male Ludacris Nominated
Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Remake or Sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious Nominated
Worst Excuse for an Actual Movie (All Concept/No Content) 2 Fast 2 Furious Nominated
Teen Choice Awards Choice Breakout Movie Actor Michael Ealy Nominated
Choice Movie Chemistry Paul Walker Won
Choice Movie Fight/Action Sequence Paul Walker vs. Tyrese Gibson Won
Choice Summer Movie 2 Fast 2 Furious Nominated

Notes

  1. ^ As depicted in the The Fast and the Furious (2001).
  2. ^ As depicted on the short film The Turbo Charged Prelude for 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003), which takes place shortly after the events of The Fast and the Furious.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "2 Fast 2 Furious". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Jagernauth, Kevin (October 8, 2012). "Rob Cohen Offers xXx Update, Wants To Direct Fast And Furious Again". IndieWire. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Setoodeh, Ramin. "Vin Diesel: A 'Furious' Mind". Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "2 Fast 2 Furious - Production Notes Page 2 (About the Production)". Contactmusic.com. Universal Pictures. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  7. ^ a b c Golianopoulos, Thomas (April 3, 2015). "John Singleton Reveals How Ja Rule Blew His Chance to Be in 2 Fast 2 Furious". Grantland. ESPN. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  8. ^ Scwarzbaum, Lisa (June 13, 2003). "2 Fast 2 Furious". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  9. ^ Travis, Ben (March 27, 2017). "Catching up with the Fast & Furious: a complete guide to the movies so far". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  10. ^ Chitwood, Scott (June 6, 2013). "John Singleton on 2 Fast 2 Furious". ComingSoon.net. CraveOnline. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  11. ^ a b Stice, Joel (July 18, 2017). "Why Vin Diesel Turned Down 2 Fast 2 Furious And Six Other Popular Roles". Uproxx. Woven Digital. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  12. ^ "2 Fast 2 Furious - Production Notes (About the Cast)". Contactmusic.com. Universal Pictures. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  13. ^ Pruner, Aaron. "How Ja Rule Turning Down 2 Fast 2 Furious Helped Launch Ludacris As A Star". Uproxx. Woven Digital. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  14. ^ "2 Fast 2 Furious Production Notes - The Cars". Cinemareview.com. Universal Studios. Archived from the original on July 29, 2017. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  15. ^ Miller, Michael E. (November 16, 2012). "Best and Worst Movies Shot in Miami Beach, From Scarface to Sly Stallone's The Specialist". Miami New Times. Voice Media Group. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
  16. ^ a b c Lieberman, Craig (June 16, 2017). "Crashing Cars: How Universal Turned It Into An Art". Complex. ISBN 978-1548163587.
  17. ^ Barker, Lynn (June 6, 2003). "Devon Aoki: Racer Chick". Teen Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 3, 2008.
  18. ^ "2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  19. ^ "2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
  20. ^ "FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT, THE (2006) A-". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on December 20, 2018.
  21. ^ McCarthy, Todd (June 6, 2003). "2 Fast 2 Furious". Variety (magazine).
  22. ^ "2 Fast 2 Furious". The A. V. Club.
  23. ^ "USATODAY.com - '2 Fast' is 2 dopey, and that's 2 bad". Usatoday.com.
  24. ^ Roger Ebert (June 6, 2003). "2 Fast 2 Furious". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  25. ^ Derek Lawrence (June 6, 2018). "2 Fast 2 Underrated: An argument for the forgotten 'Fast & Furious' gem". Entertainment Weekly.
  26. ^ Ebiri, Bilge (April 30, 2019). "When It Comes to John Singleton, Don't Forget Poetic Justice and 2Fast 2Furious". Vulture.
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