With Fast & Furious 9 well into its cinematic run, and there finally being 10 Fast and Furious films, we thought it is time to rank all the films in this epic saga so far. As such we present to you our Top 10 Fast & Furious films:
10. Fast & Furious 9
Surprisingly enough, the latest release of this franchise takes the bottom spot. F9 marks a turning point for this franchise if it continues on course as it embraces the ridiculous-ness of these films and forgets any sense of grounded material. Removing the substance from the writing creates zero stakes within the action set-pieces and it creates a barrier for the audience to truly care about what is happening in these sequences. F9 is completely reliant on the over-exaggerated action to provide an ‘entertaining experience’ for the audience but there is little to care about here.
9. Fast & Furious
The film that reunited the original cast of the Fast Franchise and the beginning of the ridiculous action pieces, Fast & Furious was never meant to be a critical or financial hit but instead it was the starting point of evolving the Fast Saga from a boy racer style of film to a more grounded high stakes vehicle film. While most of the vehicular action scenes were great it was largely disregarded due to the messy plot line and lack of making the characters compelling.
8. 2 Fast 2 Furious
On a nostalgic level, 2 Fast 2 Furious proves to be extremely absorbing even if it holds on to the genre cliches of its time. Nothing particularly special about the vehicular action and on a technical level, takes a step backwards from The Fast and The Furious – despite having double the budget. The only Fast and the Furious film without Vin Diesel (excluding Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, that is), 2 Fast 2 Furious is running low on fumes to provide a compelling narrative.
7. Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw
Hobbs & Shaw is the only film within this list that does not sit within the base Fast and Furious line of main story continuity, this spinoff takes the burnout action of this franchise into a new domain of absurdity – dealing with super humans, testosterone fuelled one-liners, and all-out tribal battle sequences. This spinoff gives audiences a break from the endless tripe that is “we family” and trades it in for old-fashioned dumb fun – though, arguably, not fun for everyone.
6. Fast & Furious 6
Following on from the high that is Fast 5, Fast and Furious 6 introduces its first compelling villain in Owen Shaw as he is able to stay one step ahead of the Fast Family, his actions throughout this film with the Fast family would later carry on throughout the future installments of this franchise. From never-ending runways to space, Fast and Furious 6 was the film that really kicked off Fast Saga’s extravagant and outlandish action sequences.
Possibly the greatest film of the franchise in embracing its over the top blockbuster action while still clinging to the core themes that earned its large fanbase. The Fate of the Furious has some bizarre storytelling choices, questionable acting and of course, exaggerated action but it still gives you a reason to care. The film thrives on its humour, excellent cast chemistry and a surprisingly bold twist during the final act. This piece of the franchise highlights the limit in how far the ridiculousness can go without losing too much substance in the plot.
4. The Fast and the Furious
Where it all began. Sure, The Fast and the Furious is just Point Break with cars instead of surfboards, but it’s infectiously fun with its variety of large personalities and throwback street thug style. This is where the family began, where the legacy of this franchise began.
3. The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Despite having such a peculiar lead role, this unassuming spinoff takes laps around many of the other Fast films within the franchise. If there’s one thing this film has, it’s style. Containing the franchises most sleek visual aesthetic, and perhaps the best actual racing of the franchise. For a film that shoehorns a southern lead protagonist in Tokyo, this film works surprisingly well.
2. Furious 7
The film that made grown men cry, Furious 7 was an emotional roller-coaster due to the tragic passing of Paul Walker. Furious 7 still kept what makes the Fast Saga great, which is its unbelievable action pieces which was also topped off with a fitting tribute to Paul Walker as we got to say goodbye to the character as he drove off into the sunset, which would have been the perfect way to end the Fast and Furious franchise.
1. Fast Five
It’s an extremely tough call to place this film over Furious 7 as the beautiful and sincere good-bye and tribute to Paul Walker is still just as touching. However, Fast Five marked a turning point for this franchise as it is the first film to truly break that sense of realism and brings together pieces of the cast in the previous films that will continue through to future sequels. Fast Five has everything you want from a Fast & Furious film – over the top action, grounded stakes, and energetic cast chemistry which all make for an entertaining heist film. This film injected new life into the franchise that carried through to future installments.
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