Without Vin Diesel to fuel it, 2 Fast 2 Furious misfires so badly it should be renamed '2 Slow 2 Boring'. The sequel to the surprise hit of 2001 The Fast And The Furious, which established Diesel as a star, lacks the exuberance and enthusiasm director and writer Rob Cohen brought to the original. And though no one would ever accuse Diesel of being a good actor, he does at least possess the charisma and self-deprecating humour that eludes Paul Walker and his new sidekick, Tyrese.
With John Singleton now at the helm, 2 Fast moves away from the unfamiliar world of streetracing so successfully exploited in the original. Instead things get bogged down in a more conventional and wearisome plot that only serves to get in the way of what everyone has really come to see: the cars. Here again the racing and chase sequences lack the invention and excitement of the original. Not exactly known for his light-hearted touch, Singleton has invested 2 Fast with a suffocating seriousness. Only at the end were there glimpses of the humour that would have made things more palatable.
The opening scene of an expectant crowd waiting for the start of an illicit street race is more like an extended rap music video, with pumping beats, fast edits, gratuitous shots of scantily dressed girls and guys strutting round wearing mean expressions. Into this charged arena wheelspins ex-cop Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) in his fire-breathing Nissan to challenge the local trash talking racers, who include the petite doll Suki played by Devon Aoki who, based on this showing, should focus on her modeling career.
When the cops bust up the show, O'Conner is arrested and offered the chance to expunge his long rap sheet by using his driving skills to help the FBI catch the money laundering Verone (Cole Hauser). For his task he enlists an old racing friend Roman Pearce (Tyrese). With the beautiful undercover customs official Monica Fuentes (an equally weak Eva Mendes) working her way into Verone's operation and affections, the noose begins to tighten on the sadistic kingpin.
In defence of the actors, with characters less real than anything Pixar have conjured up, and dialogue as crass as "Your engine ain't as big as your mouth", it's little wonder the cars aren't the only things to emerge with a few dents. That the star and creator of the original chose not to reprise their roles is a good indication that neither felt there was anything to be added. With the benefit of hindsight, it's clear both were right.
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Starring: Paul Walker, Tyrese, Eva Mendes, Cole Hauser, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Devon Aoki
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