The Fast and the Furious

The Fast and the Furious (also known as Fast & Furious) is an American franchise including a series of action films, which center around illegal street racing and heists, and various other media portraying the characters and situations from the films. Distributed by Universal Pictures, the series was established with the 2001 film titled The Fast and the Furious; followed by six sequels, two short films that tie into the series, and as of May 2015, it has become Universal's biggest franchise of all time.

Films

The Fast and the Furious (2001)

The film is based on an article, titled "Racer X", about New York street clubs that race Japanese cars late at night, although the film is set primarily in Los Angeles. While elite street racer and ex-convict Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew: Jesse (Chad Lindberg), Leon (Johnny Strong), Vince (Matt Schulze) and Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), are under suspicion of stealing expensive electronic equipment by hijacking moving trucks, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) is an undercover police officer who attempts to find out who exactly is stealing the equipment. He works for FBI agent Bilkins (Thom Barry) and LAPD Sgt. Tanner (Ted Levine).

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a 2006 American crime action film directed by Justin Lin, produced by Neal H. Moritz and written by Chris Morgan. It takes place between the events of sixth and seventh films. The film stars Lucas Black, Bow Wow, Nathalie Kelley, Brian Tee and Sung Kang. The film was shot in Tokyo and parts of Los Angeles, the latter often covered with props and lights to create the illusion of the Tokyo style.

While the rest of the actors from the previous films are not in the film, Vin Diesel reprises his role as Dominic Toretto in a cameo at the end.

Plot

In Arizona, 17-year-old high school student Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) and Clay (Zachery Ty Bryan) race their cars to win Clay's girlfriend Cindy (Nikki Griffin). When Sean cuts through a structure and catches up to Clay, Clay hits Sean's car repeatedly until a high speed turn which causes the pair to both crash; Clay's wealthy family helps him escape punishment, but Sean's numerous past racing activities causes his mother to send him to live with his father in Tokyo, who is stationed there for the U.S. Navy.

Fast & Furious 6

Fast & Furious 6 (alternatively known as Furious 6 or Fast Six) is a 2013 American action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sixth installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise. The film stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Chris Bridges, Sung Kang, Luke Evans, Gina Carano, and John Ortiz. Fast & Furious 6 follows a professional criminal gang led by Dominic Toretto (Diesel) who have retired following their successful heist in Fast Five (2011), but remain wanted fugitives. U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson) offers to clear the group's criminal records and allow them to return home in exchange for helping him to take down a skilled mercenary organization led by Owen Shaw (Evans), one member of which is Toretto's presumed-dead lover Letty Ortiz (Rodriguez).

Fast & Furious 6 was in development by February 2010 as the first film in the series to move away from the underground car-racing theme of the series' previous films which was considered to have placed a barrier on audience numbers. Pre-production had begun by April 2011, and principal photography began in London, England in July 2012. Filming locations also included the Canary Islands, Glasgow, and Los Angeles. The film was first released in the United Kingdom, on May 17, 2013, followed by an international release on May 24, 2013. A sequel was released on April 3, 2015.