Tanks, Submarines, And Boats, Oh My: Fast And Furious Loves All Vehicles Equally
With 2001's "The Fast and the Furious," a franchise that loves badass (and illegal) street races and fast cars was birthed. We've come a long way since the first film that started it all — since Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) raced together to dodge a fast-approaching train, the stakes have only gotten bigger, with the fate of the franchise's world being at stake. There's something larger-than-life about the increasingly audacious set pieces in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, which loves all vehicles apart from the cars it loves to race, drift, and launch into the air to perform near-impossible stunts. Ludicrous action scenes are thrown into the mix, including an old Pontiac Fiero being hurled into space while two characters are still inside in "F9." How a long-enduring franchise managed to jump from cool-as-heck, ground-level street racing to vehicles crashing into a satellite in space is mind-boggling. Still, it is a testimony to its love for all kinds of vehicles, especially cars.
Even the more grounded fight sequences in "Fast & Furious" have always brandished some level of absurdity. "Fast and the Furious" saw Dom's crew tether themselves to moving trucks to hijack the goods within and variations of this scene have been portrayed in almost every franchise installment since. Physics and gravity-defying stunts are a staple of every "Fast & Furious" set piece, some of which throw logic out of the window, such as when Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) horribly drifts through a crowded crosswalk without injuring a single bystander in "Tokyo Drift." While "Tokyo Drift" exclusively sticks to drifting in dangerous spaces, the other entries love pitting cars against larger, often ridiculous vehicles, from a massive tank to an even more massive submarine with electrifying results. Yet, no matter how outlandish these scenes are, they're never not fun.
Crash landing on a yacht and absurd building jumps
"2 Fast 2 Furious" did not feature Dom and his family, but we did get some memorable scenes with Brian and his childhood friend Roman (Tyrese Gibson), who pull off some thrilling moves to evade the police closing in on them. In the final scene, Brian is cornered by the Big Bad and undercover agent Monica (Eva Mendes) is promptly shoved into a yacht for betraying said bad guy. With her life on the line, Brian makes the absurd decision to race his 1969 Camaro at a near-impossible speed to crash land on the yacht to save Monica and apprehend the drug lord. Apart from being ridiculous, this scene is hilarious, as Roman starts panicking next to Brian while the car is in mid-air, calling it the "real Dukes of Hazzard" as they proceed to nearly demolish the yacht.
However, the car-yacht scene has nothing on the building jumping sequence in "Furious 7," where Dom and Brian jump from one Etihad skyscraper to another in Abu Dhabi. "Time to release the beast," Dom says, as he crashes a one-of-a-kind Lykan Hypersport through the walls with Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) open firing on him. There is nothing realistic about this sequence, of course, but it serves to highlight Dom's commitment to fighting the fight, no matter how high the stakes are stacked against him and his family.
As Brian rightly points out, cars don't fly, but they actually do when Dominic Toretto is behind the goddamn wheel. At one point, the brakes stop working — Dom simply accelerates his way forward, demolishing an art exhibit in the next building in the process. Everyone makes it out, except the Hypersport, which is yeeted off a 100-story building without a second thought.
A never-ending runway and a bus falls off a cliff
"Fast & Furious 6" is sprinkled with genuinely entertaining set pieces, including a wild scene where Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) uses a tank to take down every vehicle on a highway (more on that to come) and a tense fight scene in a crowded subway. However, the longest, most thrilling chase sequence comes in the form of a 6-minute 43-second sequence where Dom and co. take down an aircraft carrier with their cars.
Long story short, Mia (Jordana Brewster) gets kidnapped and the gang teams up with Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) to stop Owen Shaw and rescue Mia in the process. Within the span of six minutes, Mia is rescued, Brian beats up thugs, Dom and Hobbs face off against Shaw and his henchman, Letty (Michele Rodriguez) shoots Riley (Gina Carano) off the plane, and Gisele (Gal Gadot) sacrifices herself to save Han (Sung Kang). The mere sight of a huge aircraft prepping for takeoff for ages being demolished with cars weighing it down is peak cinema and this sequence is so fast-paced that viewers might get whiplash after it ends, in the best way.
Speaking of tense, fast-paced scenes, the bus scene in "Furious 7" continues the tradition of raising stakes with bigger vehicles. Brian has had innumerable near-death experiences throughout the franchise, but the bus scene cuts it especially close, as the vehicle literally hangs off a cliff with Brian precariously latching onto it. This is the first time Brian has to rely on pure instincts and sheer luck when not behind the wheel, as he finds himself in a situation he cannot fully control. Thankfully, Brian is lucky enough to scale the hanging bus and jump off at the right moment, landing directly on Letty's car. Phew! (Also, ouch?)
It's a tank! Oh no, it's a submarine
The tank sequence in "Fast & Furious 6" is ludicrous for many reasons; any semblance of realism is discarded in favor of over-the-top action mechanics that, miraculously, work in the film's favor. A highway chase sequence occurs, but before anyone can process what's happening, Owen Shaw decides to show up in a tank and casually runs over everyone in his way without remorse.
An amnesiac Letty feels increasingly uncomfortable next to Shaw, while an anxious Roman finds himself caught in the crossfire, with the tank right behind him. Brian comes to his rescue, making a ridiculous u-turn and sailing through the air to land next to Roman's car, evading the tank's attacks as Roman jumps to safety. To make matters more absurd, Letty jumps to her death, but Dom catches her mid-air as the tank is demolished before it can crush more innocent passers-by. To use a tank to portray Owen's villainy is a bold, exaggerated move, but it helps cement the emotional aspects of the story and propels the plot forward.
If you think a tank is extreme, what about a huge submarine? The final moments in "Fate of the Furious" has too much happening at once: Jason Statham's Shaw is fighting on a plane to save Dom's baby, and everyone on the ground is fighting to stop a submarine from starting a nuclear war (!). Where literal experts fail, Dom emerges as the hero once again — he launches heat-seeking missiles to destroy the submarine and somehow outruns the missiles and completely avoids the explosion by making an impossible 90-degree turn. Everyone in Dom's gang also plays a part in shielding him from the fallout, highlighting the theme of family for the millionth time in the most beautiful, melodramatic way.
Some honorary mentions
Trains are often used as the setting for high-intensity heists in action flicks, which is exactly how the "Fast & Furious" franchise incorporated one in "Fast Five." However, "The Fast and the Furious" used a train to convey the simmering love-hate dynamic between Brian and Dom in the scene where they race each other while also trying to outrace an oncoming train without a second thought.
While the franchise is now known for settling scores and seeking closure via dangerous races, this was the first time that was done with such intensity. Here, Dom is unable to contend with Brian's betrayal but is conflicted about him at the same time, while Brian is of two minds about turning Dom over to the authorities. The race provides clarity for both, especially when Dom is hit after successfully outracing the train, setting the stage for several delightfully unexpected moments to come.
Another honorary mention is the opening bus scene in "Fast Five," where Brian and Mia intercept the bus carrying Dom, along with other convicts, to prison. The outcome is ridiculous: Brian makes the bus flip at least six times, allowing him to free Dom, and none of the passengers are seriously hurt or killed in the process. Brian and Mia's commitment to family could have killed Dom, along with others, but they're ready to risk it all to save their loved one in the most dangerously cool way possible. This scene encapsulates the very essence of "Fast & Furious" — its love for pitting fast cars against bigger, more ridiculous vehicles, and its success in pulling off outlandish action scenes that are very impressive in the end. It goes without saying that the upcoming "Fast X" is bound to up the ante of ridiculousness, and I honestly cannot wait.