The Fast & Furious movies as we know them today take place in another reality, one that looks similar to our own but is unencumbered by such petty concerns as “gravity” and other so-called “laws of physics.” They’re spy movies first, and racing movies second — although much of the mayhem is still vehicular, car culture and driving aren’t the main focus. “Big, loud, and dumb” are the name of the game, and and if you’re only familiar with the later sequels, you’d never guess that that Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his “family” have a surprisingly grounded origin story.
Dom isn’t even the main character of The Fast and the Furious — that would be Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), who at this point is an undercover LAPD officer who infiltrates Dom’s gang as part of an investigation into a series of daring robberies-slash-hijackings. (In a very millennial touch, the first thing that Dom and the crew rip off is a semi truck full of TV/VCR combos.) Later on, Brian’s loyalties would shift, as would the makeup of the cast: Aside from Dom’s on-again, off-again love interest (and badass in her own right) Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), none of the series’ core supporting players appear in the first film. But the most seismic change came when Walker passed in a car crash in 2013, changing the course of the series on and off screen.
