Ranking: Fast & Furious Movies
Who would have thought that 20 years ago, a small-budgeted street racing movie would grow into a box office juggernaut and global sensation? Seeing the Fast & Furious franchise’s growth over the last two decades has been interesting to watch. What started as street-level crime movies that focused more on fancy cars and racing has progressed into global espionage action films with some of the most ridiculous stunts we’ve ever seen on film. Though not a perfect franchise, the Fast & Furious franchise is a very entertaining one that warrants big-screen viewing whenever a new one is released.
Here is my ranking of all the Fast & Furious movies.
10. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (David Leitch, 2019)
Though the Fast and Furious franchise has been a franchise that has done spectacularly at the box office, the films never felt like they were made as cash-grab films. That was until Hobbs & Shaw, an utterly useless, boring, bland side-entry in the franchise that only exists because Dwayne Johnson wanted it to. The film really leans into the absurdity of the other films and tried to be more science fiction rather than an action-crime film that pushes the boundaries of reality. It features the franchise’s most absurd villain in Brixton (Idris Elba), who claims to be “black Superman” and basically has superpowers and the action sequences are flat and boring. It also didn’t help that Johnson and Statham, who play our titular characters, had zero chemistry and horrible banter. Hobbs & Shaw is an irrelevant movie in the Fast and Furious franchise.
9. F9: The Fast Saga (Justin Lin, 2021)
F9 was a real disappointment, especially with the return of Justin Lin behind the camera. Lin’s latest entry is the most absurd and ridiculous entry in the franchise, both in terms of story and action scenes, and that’s saying a lot coming from a franchise that has had some of the most preposterous car stunts ever put on the big screen. But watching F9 made me realize that there is a limit to what these films should do. The action sequences and demolition need to have a point and need to be coherent, which none of the ones in this film were. Rather than being exciting and fun, F9 felt over-blown and flat. The plot is all over the place and the villain, played by John Cena as Dom’s brother, is one of the franchise’s worst. I did enjoy the back-and-forth banter between Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges) and Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and can only imagine they will be getting a spin-off movie sometime in the near future. F9 shows that the franchise might be suffering from fatigue.
8. The Fate of the Furious (F. Gary Gray, 2017)
There were two mysteries going into The Fate of the Furious. The first one, a non-plot-related mystery, was how the franchise would move on from losing Paul Walker, who died tragically while making Furious 7. The second mystery, a plot-related mystery, was why Dom was working with global terrorist Cipher (Charlize Theron, having a ball). Director F. Gary Gray did a nice job on the first mystery, handling this transitional movie very well and explaining why Brian wasn’t on this mission in a very respectful way, yet also didn’t make it a plot point. The second mystery didn’t land as well, as the film continued its soap-opera ways by featuring an unexpected child, bad guys turning good, and all sorts of nonsense jumbled in with the biggest, wildest installment in the franchise to date.
7. Fast & Furious (Justin Lin, 2009)
Fast & Furious was the turning point in the franchise where the films got more furious and less fast This was the bare-bones version of Fast Five and Fast & Furious 6, with a core cast of just Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster, and Michelle Rodriguez, and focusing more on crime and action as opposed to the racing from the first three films. This was also the film that started the evolution of the bond between Brian and Dom, bringing them together for the first time since Brian set him free after the final race in the first film. They start off skeptical but grow to trust each other and grow a deep bond that leads to a final scene that gets us super excited for the future of the franchise. Though mostly forgettable, it was this entry in the franchise that began the transition of what the Fast and Furious is today.
6. 2 Fast 2 Furious (John Singleton, 2003)
After the unexpected success of the original, 2 Fast had to keep the same fun, excitement, and freshness that the original had, while also adding more to the story. This film focused on Brian O’Connor and introduced us to the hilarious Roman Pierce (Tyrese Gibson) and the surprisingly entertaining Tej (Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges). Director John Singleton made a brightly colored, sleek, Miami Vice hip-hop music video, and the movie vibes off of that. Also, it features one of the better bad guys in the franchise with Carter Verone (a sly, scummy Cole Hauser). The races are fast, the music is bumpin’, and the movie is a fun, wildly entertaining ride.
5. Furious 7 (James Wan, 2015)
Furious 7 is a good movie that I thoroughly enjoy. It features one of the most ridiculous stunts in the entire series, in which Dom and Brian jump a car from one building to the next, and is a perfect send-off to Brian O’Connor and the late Paul Walker, who tragically passed away during the shooting of the film. The film could have used some more Hobbs (Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson), as it could be argued that his addition to the franchise helped reinvent the series. Though only in a few scenes, his shooting down a helicopter with a Minigun was awesome. Director James Wan did a great job behind the camera with this one and handled Paul Walker’s passing with class and expertise.
4. The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift (Justin Lin, 2006)
Tokyo Drift is, if nothing else, the most fun entry in the franchise. From the beginning race sequence set to Kid Rock’s “Bawitadaw” to the fish-out-of-water cowboy (Lucas Black, whom I wish the franchise used more) living in Japan, to the drifting racing, Tokyo Drift is non-stop entertainment from minute one. Following 2 Fast 2 Furious, a film that focused more on the crime plot of the film than the racing aspect, Tokyo Drift focused solely on street racing, arguably more than any film in the franchise. The neon Japan backdrop is cool and the drifting races are exciting. But the greatest contribution Tokyo Drift gave the franchise was Han (Sung Kang), the suave master racer who eats as much on-screen as Brad Pitt. Han is a perfect representation of Tokyo Drift: he’s cool, he’s got flash, and he likes to have fun.
3. Fast & Furious 6 (Justin Lin, 2013)
Fast & Furious 6 is peak Fast and Furious. This took everything that was spectacular in Fast Five (more on that in a bit) and elevated it to new heights in terms of ridiculousness and story. We get the biggest stunts in this one, the most destructive action scenes, and the biggest crew, bringing everyone from the old and new together in one film. Bringing in Hobbs to team up with Dom and the family was a dream, and Owen Shaw (the devilish Luke Evans) is far and away the best villain in the entire series. Bringing back Letty with the amnesia worked perfectly in a very soap opera-esque way and the tank chase is one of the best action scenes of this decade. This movie is awesome in every way.
2. Fast Five (Justin Lin, 2011)
The battle for number one was a close one, but at the end of the day, Fast Five gets the runner-up spot. Fast Five was the film that changed the Fast and Furious franchise forever. This is the film where they officially dropped the whole street racing persona and turned into the globe-trotting, heist action films that they are today. It could be argued that bringing Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson into the series as Lt. Hobbs was the tipping point for the series. It added a new character who was fresh, strong, and fit in perfectly within the established cast. Bringing back Roman and Tej was great, and watching this team full of personality and egos merge into one cohesive unit really highlighted the theme of family. This is not only a game-changer for the franchise but for action movies.
1. The Fast and the Furious (Rob Cohen, 2001)
The one that started it all still holds the crown as the best Fast and Furious movie. To this day, the movie feels so fresh and original, even if it is Point Break (1991) with cars. This movie set the tone and pace for the entire series, even when the movies did lose the racing down the line and focused on heists and action. This movie is a blast to watch, blending the right amount of fun and intensity while keeping the central theme of loyalty and family. The underground racing world is a world we had never seen before on film and the film takes us deep within it, showing us the logistics of the races and the pride that comes with it. It develops its characters, both main and side, so well that we are emotionally attached to our undercover cop and our group of street racing thieves. It was a close battle between Fast Five but, in the words of the great Dominic Toretto, “It doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile, a win’s a win” and The Fast and Furious wins the race as the best Fast & Furious movie.
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