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"FAST & FURIOUS" (2009) (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker) (PG-13) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Moderate Moderate Extreme *Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Heavy None Heavy *None Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy None Minor Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Action: A federal agent reluctantly joins forces with his former adversary, a fugitive ex-con, as they try to bring down a notorious drug kingpin, but do so for different reasons. PLOT: Brian O'Conner (PAUL WALKER) was once an L.A. cop sent undercover to investigate a string of tractor-trailer hijackings. That led to Dominic Toretto (VIN DIESEL), the leader of a criminal gang that included the likes of tough girl Letty (MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ). While infiltrating Dom's team and street racing activity, he also ended up romantically involved with the leader's sister, Mia (JORDANA BREWSTER). After getting too deep in that new lifestyle, Brian ended up letting Dom go, resulting in the cop losing his job. However, he was then recruited by the Feds to capture other criminal types and has been working for them ever since. Now, his boss, Richard Penning (JACK CONLEY), is putting pressure on Brian and his team to nab notorious but anonymous drug kingpin Antonio Braga who's been importing heroin into the U.S. After forcing a suspect to give up the name of a man who works for Braga, Brian goes undercover, posing as a competitor in a street race overseen by the kingpin's second-in-command, Ramon Campos (JOHN ORTIZ). Under the watchful eye of his henchman, Fenix Risse (LAZ ALONSO), and the alluring Gisele Harabo (GAL GADOT), Brian realizes if he wins, he'll get closer to figuring out who Braga is and then nabbing him. He's not alone in that quest, however, as Dom has also arrived on the scene to participate in the race. But his motive is driven by his desire to avenge the murder of his lover. The agent and the fugitive ex-con aren't happy to see each other, and don't let on about their previous association. From that point on, the two end up being forced to work together in their effort to bring down the kingpin. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're fans of any of the first three "The Fast and the Furious" films they probably will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13 For intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual content, language and drug references. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: PAUL WALKER plays a former L.A. cop turned federal agent who's been assigned to find and arrest a notorious drug kingpin, and he tries to do so via some unorthodox means. That includes going undercover as a driver for Campos where he must contend with the presence of Dom, his former adversary. He uses profanity, engages in dangerous behavior, drinks, and apparently has sex with Mia. VIN DIESEL plays a fugitive ex-con who's also after Braga, but only to avenge the murder of someone close to him. He participates in criminal activity, races, uses profanity, drinks some, and apparently sleeps with Letty. MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ plays a member of Dom's team as well as his lover. She helps in the heist of a gas tanker truck, uses some profanity, and presumably has sex with Dom. JORDANA BREWSTER plays Dom's sister who isn't pleased with Brian's return into her life (they were former lovers while he was undercover), but she ends up getting back with him (including suggested sex). JOHN ORTIZ plays the criminal figure who's behind finding drivers to smuggle drugs across the Mexico border into the U.S. He's responsible for various deaths and drinks some. LAZ ALONSO plays his right-hand, murderous thug who has it out for Dom, kills others, and uses some profanity. GAL GADOT plays an alluring woman who works for Campos and takes a liking to Dom. JACK CONLEY plays Brian's boss who wants results from him ASAP and uses some profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this action pic that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 1 "f" word, while other expletives, colorful phrases, and a little bit of innuendo are also used. Off-screen sex is implied after some brief making out in several scenes, while scantly clad women are seen (shot in a provocative fashion, including views of sexy dancing and women making out with each other). Violence consists of people killing or attempting to murder others, some hard fighting, and bad car crashes and other property damage. Some of that has bloody results and some of those scenes as well as moments of potential peril might be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers. The stunts (driving and otherwise) and other action/behavior might be enticing for some kids to imitate, while various bad attitudes are present. Various characters drink and some drugs are seen and discussed, but not used. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement (sometimes fairly bouncy) at various points in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Dom and some of his team have beer. We hear that a suspect finds drug mules for the kingpin to move his product. There's talk of Braga running heroin. Dom has a beer. Campos has beer. Brian plants drugs in another racer's place during a raid, and when another agent says that won't stick, Brian says that's not the point (meaning it's being done for another purpose). Miscellaneous people have drinks at a party where Dom and Brian have beer, followed by Campos and Brian having shots. When Campos leaves, he tells them they can have whatever they want, including the booze (we see a lot on the table) and "broads." Moments later, Brian sneaks up to the kingpin's office and sees glimpses of Campos and another man drinking. Dom and Brian find and briefly look at what we hear is $60 million of heroin. We see two beers on a table near Brian and Dom, followed by the two of them and Mia having beer with dinner. Gisele has a drink. BLOOD/GORE A suspect's face is a little bloody after taking a fall with Brian. A person's arm is somewhat bloody following a bad car crash (seen in flashback). Another agent's face is bloody after Brian smashes that into a wall. A little blood pops out when Dom is shot in the clothed shoulder, followed by Brian later spotting drops of blood on the ground. We then see the blood-soaked bandage on Dom's shoulder (we hear he was just nicked by the bullet). Brian, Fenix and Campos are all somewhat bloody following a car chase and crash. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE All of the criminals have bad attitudes (for murder, drug smuggling and more). Dom is an ex-con who's still up to his criminal ways, including stealing tanker cars from a tanker truck (and his associates obviously have the same degree of bad attitudes). Another agent doesn't like Brian and doesn't hide those feelings (the feeling is mutual). Another racer has a bad attitude toward Brian, calling him (among other things), "Nut sack." Brian plants drugs in another racer's place during a raid, and when another agent says that won't stick, Brian says that's not the point (meaning it's being done for another purpose). Campos gives some money to a priest in Mexico who takes that and leaves. We briefly see Fenix and others attending a cockfight in Mexico. Brian, Mia and others race up to a prison transport bus on a highway in an attempt to free someone on it, but the scene ends before we know if they're successful or not. FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Dom and his crew pursue a tanker truck with hopes of stealing the various gas-filled tanks from it while in motion. To do so, one of their vehicles catches up to the truck in reverse, and Letty jumps from a car hood onto the trunk and breaks the coupling holding some of the tanks. But the driver gets wise to this after the first removal, swerving his truck to hit a car, and that causes Letty to fall and then dangle precariously close to the road at high speed. The driver also shoots repeatedly at Dom as he drives a car and tells Letty to break the last coupling. With the truck now careening down a hill, the driver jumps out and hits the ground hard, with Dom driving along the truck, yelling for Letty to jump over as a hairpin turn isn't far away. She does and lands on the hood, with the truck banging into the car before it overturns, catches on fire, and starts bouncing toward Dom and Letty (who's now inside his car). Dom waits for the right moment and then races forward, with the truck barely bouncing over them before striking one of the tanks and exploding, with both pieces going off the side of the road and down a cliff. Brian, Dom and others compete in a race for Campos through busy city streets where pedestrians and other drivers try to dodge them while the drivers swerve and slide through traffic, including driving the wrong way down roads. Compos' men carry machine guns when Brian and Dom arrive. Brian then realizes his tracer beacon is active and scrambles to hide or deactivate it before anyone else sees it (all while making as little visible movement in his car as possible). Brian, Dom and others race to drive through and exit a narrow tunnel into Mexico before they're spotted coming out the other side by a helicopter. Dom holds a shotgun on Campos, with Brian holding his handgun on the same. Dom nearly pulls the trigger, but then stops. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Shotguns/Machine guns: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. FBI agents raid a racer's place and holds guns on him and others. Dom holds a shotgun on Campos, with Brian holding his handgun on the same. Dom nearly pulls the trigger, but then stops. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Get in the f*cking car," "Oh sh*t," "Crazy sh*t," "I don't know sh*t," "Keep your sh*t in line," "That's bullsh*t, man," "Sh*tty," "You bet your ass," "Piss 'em off," "You greedy bitch" (said to a lizard), "Idiot," "Ride or die," "Jerk off" (noun), "Hell no," "Shut up," "Pull my ass up," "What ya lookin' at, nut-sack?" "Go cry to your momma," "Broads," "Chill, bro," "Where the hell have you been?" and "You better have one hell of an explanation." A number of characters in various scenes have tattoos on various parts of their bodies. The races, other driving stunts, fighting and other action might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. We see young women in short skirts and midriff/cleavage revealing tops at a race. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful and action-oriented music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) Various songs had lyrics (some of them in other languages) that we couldn't fully hear and/or understand, thus presenting the possibility of them potentially containing something objectionable. A song might have sexually related lyrics during a sequence where the camera focuses in close-up on a woman's butt in tiny shorts as she walks along. PROFANITY At least 1 "f" word, 20 "s" words, 2 slang terms using female genitals ("p*ssy"), 4 asses, 3 hells, 2 damns, 2 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use of "Oh God." SEX/NUDITY Letty shows some cleavage. The camera focuses on various scantly clad women hanging out and dancing around a gathering (cleavage and bare midriffs are seen). Dom and Letty passionately kiss while clothed, with her then straddling his lap with him still upright. Sex is implied but not viewed, as she's then seen asleep in bed and he (clothed) stares at her and then leaves. Mia shows cleavage. We see young women in short skirts and midriff/cleavage revealing tops at a race. We see some young women doing close dancing, while others take turns making out with each other on a bed (clothed) until they're interrupted. When Campos leaves a party, he tells Briand Dom that they can have whatever they want, including the booze (we see a lot on the table) and "broads." A song might have sexually related lyrics during a sequence where the camera focuses in close-up on a woman's butt in tiny shorts as she walks along. We see women doing sexy dancing at a party, as well as one making out with one and then a second woman. Gisele (who might be bra-less, as it appears we see some nipple shape beneath her top) finds Dom checking out a car (he says he likes the body) and then playfully wonders if he's the kind of guy who likes cars more than women. He suggestively replies that he appreciates a fine body regardless of the make. A classic painting shows a reclining, fully nude woman, with views of her bare breasts, but her arm blocks a view of her crotch. Brian passionately kisses Mia, she kisses him back, and then gets up on a counter in front of him and they start to undress. No nudity is seen, but sex is implied. After that, Mia shows some cleavage. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES We see people at a funeral, but don't know which, if any, are family members. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Street racing. Drug kingpins and smuggling drugs across borders. Revenge. VIOLENCE Dom and his crew pursue a tanker truck with hopes of stealing the various gas-filled tanks from it while in motion. To do so, one of their vehicles catches up to the truck in reverse, and Letty jumps from a car hood onto the trunk and breaks the coupling holding some of the tanks. But the driver gets wise to this after the first removal, swerving his truck to hit a car, and that causes Letty to fall and then dangle precariously close to the road at high speed. The driver also shoots repeatedly at Dom as he drives a car and tells Letty to break the last coupling. With the truck now careening down a hill, the driver jumps out and hits the ground hard, with Dom driving along the truck, yelling for Letty to jump over as a hairpin turn isn't far away. She does and lands on the hood, with the truck banging into the car before it overturns, catches on fire, and starts bouncing toward Dom and Letty (who's now inside his car). Dom waits for the right moment and then races forward, with the truck barely bouncing over them before striking one of the tanks and exploding, with both pieces going off the side of the road and down a cliff. Brian chases after a suspect on foot, with the man smashing through a closed window and then running and jumping from rooftop to rooftop. Back on the ground, Brian slams into the man from the other side of a chain-link fence, but the guy runs off, knocking various people aside as he goes. One of them includes a cop, and he grabs the latter's gun, firing several shots at Brian before entering a building and then an apartment. Brian then slowly ascends a stairwell and down a hallway, gun drawn, while the man goes outside, sees he has nowhere to go, and then waits to shoot Brian at the window. But Brian blasts out through a different one, tackling the guy off the roof and they both fall down onto a vehicle (Brian lands on him on the vehicle, with the man being a little bloody). Dom imagines seeing flashes of a previous bad car crash at night, followed by a longer view of a car chase and then one car flipping down the road (and passing by Dom as if it's going to hit him). The injured female driver then falls partly out onto the road, where a silhouetted figure then walks up and shoots her dead (we don't see the impact). Dom yanks a man out from under a car while the latter is on a rolling cart. When the man blows him off, Dom yanks him out again, lifts him by his neck, pins him down to a vehicle's hood, and then lets a suspended engine above him loose. It falls, but Dom grabs the chain holding it and stops the engine just above the man's head. Dom kicks in a door, grabs a suspect, and throws him against a wall. He then bashes him to the wall, grabs him by the throat, and then throws him through a sofa. We then see glass in a window break from Dom smashing the guy through that where he then dangles him by his foot to get him to talk. Brian sees this, rushes there with his gun drawn, and tells Dom to pull him in, but Dom lets go. The man falls a few feet, but grabs something and is okay. Another agent grabs Brian and pins him back against a wall, prompting Brian to smash that man's face against the wall and then knee him, leaving that agent's face bloody. During a race through city streets, two miscellaneous vehicles crash, while there's bumping by participants' cars. As the race continues, one participating car is t-boned, while another crashes (both bad), and one purposefully crashes into Brian's car. More bumping and crashing occurs, including one falling off an overpass and nearly hitting Brian's car as he tries to avoid that. Toward the finish line, Dom bumps Brian in order to win the race. Fenix holds his handgun on one driver, and we then see a flashback to him shooting two past drivers dead with the same. Back in the present and knowing something bad was going to happen, Dom has opened the valve on the gas canister in his car, followed by pushing the cigarette lighter in. When Fenix acts menacingly toward Dom (after everyone is out of their guns at gunpoint), the cigarette lighter pops out and ignites the gas, causing that and then adjacent cars to explode. That's followed by Dom slamming a goon against a car, and then a gun battle where shots are exchanged and Brian shoots at least one. A shot hits Dom in the clothed shoulder, followed by him repeatedly punching that man's face before Brian gets them out of there. Dom elbows a window to break in and steal a car from the impound lot. Dom throws Brian through some shelving, grabs him by the neck, throws him again, and then repeatedly punches him on the floor. Brian then gets a leg lock around Dom's head, but Dom then picks him up and slams him down hard onto the floor. FBI agents and Campos' men get into a gun battle (machine guns, handguns) where various people are shot (no blood). Fenix then drives away with Campos, running over several agents, while Dom gets Gisele out of the way before she's hit. Brian (with Campos under arrest in his car) and Dom try to flee back to the U.S., but Campos' men pursue them through the desert. After some chasing, they shoot at them with various weapons, hitting Brian's car and blowing out the window, etc. Dom bumps two of the cars and they crash, followed by blowing out tires with shotgun blasts, causing more bad crashes. Brian then races toward a rocky hill/mountain and blasts through a boarded up opening. That's followed by a chase through the narrow tunnel where there's car bumping and shots fired at Dom before that shooter's car crashes. Brian elbows Campos in the face after tiring of his chatter, while there are several more bad crashes inside the tunnel. That includes when Dom jumps to another vehicle and throws the driver out. One car explodes, but another strikes that man. Fenix then ends up blasting Brian's car out of the tunnel, with Brian's vehicle flipping many times. After getting Campos out, Fenix knees Brian in the face. He then fires at Dom when he exits the tunnel and races toward him in his car. Brian then holds his leg to prevent him from getting out of the way, thus allowing Dom to smash his car into Fenix, crushing him against Brian's wrecked car. Reviewed March 31, 2009 / Posted April 3, 2009

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