JOHN SINGLETON

Bil’s rating (out of 5):  B. 

USA/Germany, 2003.  Universal Pictures, Original Film, Mikona Productions GmbH & Co. KG, Ardustry Entertainment.  Story by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, Gary Scott Thompson, Screenplay by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas, based on characters created by Gary Scott Thompson.  Cinematography by Matthew F. Leonetti.  Produced by Neal H. Moritz.  Music by David Arnold.  Production Design by Keith Brian Burns.  Costume Design by Sanja Milkovic Hays.  Film Editing by Bruce Cannon, Dallas Puett.  

Abysmal sequel to the very fun Fast And The Furious sorely lacks the tough-guy chemistry that Vin Diesel brought to the story, instead relying on the totally undistinguished talents of his co-star Paul Walker.  An undercover cop in the original, Walker has now been removed from the force for bad behaviour and races cars on the sly just for fun. When Florida police officers need to nab a dirty Argentinian crime lord, they hire Walker and his ex-con best friend from childhood (Tyrese Gibson) to go undercover once again as the bad guy’s drivers.

Naturally, this provides the excuse for about a million pointless racing scenes, stylish sequences with pretty cars that do nothing for the viewer because director John Singleton doesn’t generate any of the great energy that made the first film such a good time to be had. The dialogue is atrocious, Walker and Gibson seem to be trying to outdo each other’s bad acting in every scene, and Cole Hauser as an Argentinian mobster?  Only to be watched by truly devoted car fans, and even then it’s a stretch.