What’s the best way to restore a flagging franchise? Try inserting the initial cast of the flagship in the third sequel, kill one of them off, and reunite the remaining heroes (anti-heroes in this case) in a battle royale against a mutual foe. Even if that’s not the formula that works for everyone, that’s what the minds behind the Fast and the Furious franchise did, simplifying things to Fast & Furious.
Dominic Toretto (Diesel) is on the run from law enforcement as he has been for quite some time, but when he finds out that his crew is going to get caught up in the net of police detection, he runs away from his team for some isolation. Unfortunately, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) tries to clear his name by turning police informant with the help of Brian (Paul Walker), a reinstated FBI agent, and ends up murdered by the Braga drug lord and his crew. So, as you’d expect, Brian and Dom end up teaming up in a car-racing extravaganza, with one intent on bringing in the drug lord and the other intent on killing him.
While it plays out like a glorified video game and has also been lined up for a sequel, this one has more of a plot than any of the previous films, even if its main aim is to top everything its tried before, with tricked-out cars, plenty of explosions, high-octane races, and attractive cast members. The whole revenge scenario takes Dom to places that his character hasn’t been before, and Brian finds himself dealing with the feelings he has for Dom’s sister, Mia (Jordana Brewster), whom he both loved and duped in the original.
Both of our hero/anti-heroes are finding out who they are as human beings, in the midst of special effects and automobile glory. While the closeups of pent-up frustration and pan-outs to explosive car chases might be the MTV cinematography that draws viewers to the theater or to their HD-television screens, it’s still interesting to watch these two guys work out their “code.” Both men know that who they are isn’t who they want to be, and both of them realize that being themselves isn’t enough: they want to be something more.
Brian and Dom represent each of us, in the decisions that we’ve made and the inability we have to get ourselves out of our lives into something better. Letty is the Christ-figure here. While she indirectly drives Dom to revenge, she is the one who brings the two men together, and the one who ends up establishing the opportunity for Brian and Mia to reconcile to each other. Both men in their own way find resolution but they can’t do it by themselves. They need each other. So, to wrap up the Christian allegory, Brian and Dom need Letty to die for them to realize their purpose and work together in the same way that the church brings people together and (hopefully) helps them become better than they are.
Even if in the end, you still have to deal with the consequences of your sin.
