Every 'Fast & Furious' Movie, Ranked

The best thing about 2 Fast 2 Furious is what it does for the rest of the franchise, which is to introduce Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris). I’m also a firm believer that this franchise needs to find a way to bring back Suki (Devon Aoki) before all is said and done—if that ever happens. Suki is too cool to be in only one movie. That said, 2 Fast 2 Furious isn’t the best sequel. 

It removes Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) from what worked in the first movie. Even the romance Brian has with Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) falls by the wayside, with this movie introducing Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes). Admittedly, the stare and drive move that Brian does to flirt with Monica has been seared into my brain ever since. Nevertheless, this movie feels so far removed from the rest of the franchise. Notably, it’s the only project in which Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) doesn’t make some sort of cameo.

From the opening, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a spin-off movie in my opinion. The only connective tissue it has is a cameo from Dom tacked onto the end, confirming that this movie exists in the same universe. The franchise retroactively fixes this problem, but, on its own, it’s a standalone story specific to Sean Boswell (Lucas Black). 

The movie’s plot meanders a bit too much, but the franchise—mostly—learns how to do that better as it goes. As for the action, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift has some of the franchise’s best racing/drifting scenes. I like the action more than most of the characters in this one. Of course, Han (Sung Kang) is excluded from that because he is rightfully one of the franchise’s most beloved (and later revived) characters.

I go back and forth on my opinions on this movie all the time because I love the characters and their dynamics. Pairing up Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is one of the smartest things this franchise has ever done. Their banter and chemistry make Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw; that’s where the movie thrives most. 

Where this movie loses me is its plot. What do you mean, Brixton Lore (Idris Elba) is, like, half cyborg and is threatening humanity with a programmable virus? That said, this movie also introduces Hattie (Vanessa Kirby), Shaw’s sister, and I loved her instantly. It’s really great seeing both Hobbs and Shaw’s families more in this one. That element of exploring more of their personal lives is where the Fast and Furious franchise could succeed with more spin-off movies.

It all starts with The Fast and the Furious, and this movie is early 2000s nostalgia to its very core. The fact that this genre-bending, car-centric franchise starts with a crime bust revolving around combination DVD/VCRs proves both how far technology and the franchise itself have come. For that reason, The Fast and the Furious almost feels like a snapshot of 2001. 

More importantly, it’s the foundation that makes everything that follows it worthwhile. This movie finds something special in the antagonistic chemistry between Brian and Dom. I’d even argue that they have better chemistry than Brian and Mia in The Fast and the Furious. Maybe that’s for the best, too, because their enemies-to-brothers arc is a defining thread of the entire franchise.

Fast & Furious is the fourth movie in the franchise, and it goes back to what I wanted from this franchise after 2 Fast 2 Furious and Tokyo Drift. Considering where the franchise goes from here, Fast & Furious feels like a grounded return to form. However, I wish it hadn’t taken Brian back to his roots by making him an FBI agent. Still, I can see how that positions Brian and Dom in a familiar position, similar to The Fast and the Furious. 

Then, Fast & Furious, taking a darker and heavier tone, tests their dynamic in that physical fight—a standout scene in the franchise for me. The movie really kicks off the revenge-heavy, family-driven angle that the franchise rides until, well, still. However, it is objectively wild to (temporarily) kill off a character as relevant as Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) off-screen.

The Fate of the Furious introduces one of the franchise’s best villains: Cipher (Charlize Theron). As a massive Shaw fan, I rewatch the action sequence between Shaw and Cipher on the plane with the baby often. This movie also kicks off the franchise’s tried-and-true trend of eventually turning villains into antiheroes or a part of the family, as Shaw redeems himself a bit. 

It’s also the first Fast and Furious movie without Brian, and you can feel that. It doesn’t help that The Fate of the Furious sidelines Mia (to be with Brian off-screen) when the plot is about Dom turning against his family. I also find the action sequence on the frozen Barents Sea absolutely absurd in the best way. It’s an example of the franchise figuring out how to balance those larger-than-life elements and the family-driven drama.

I must admit that I have a personal attachment to Fast X because I went to see it for my birthday. This movie is this franchise at its fullest and most outrageous. But how can it be anything else as the 11th movie? Therefore, Fast X is the perfect vehicle for Jason Momoa’s incredible performance as Dante Reyes, one of the most alluring Fast and Furious villains. 

I love that Dante ties back to Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida) and Fast Five (2011), proving that this franchise knows what works best. As a massive fan of her work, I also love that Fast X introduces Brie Larson as Tess, Mr. Nobody’s (Kurt Russell) daughter. It also revives Gisele (Gal Gadot) in an end-credits scene that had me gasping. Fast X really feels like the Fast Family coming together before the big finale. Therefore, I often compare it to Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

F9 deserves to be in the top five just for bringing Han back from the dead. For that, I thank director Justin Lin, who also directed Tokyo Drift. Also, this movie does what I never anticipated but should have expected and takes the Fast and Furious franchise to space. Tej and Roman literally drive a car in space to destroy a satellite. That’s incredible and silly and so much fun. 

It also introduces Jackob (John Cena), a brother that Dom and Mia have quite literally never discussed until F9. Therefore, it does rock the timeline of those earlier movies, but it’s such a blast from start to finish that I don’t really get bogged down with that. Jackob and Dom also offer the franchise a different and new brotherhood that differentiates from Dom and Brian. So, in a lot of ways, F9 feels like what this franchise was always meant to be: enjoyable chaos.

Fast & Furious 6 is in a tough place because it’s hard to follow Fast Five, where the franchise peaks. However, it does help that this movie turns back time to reveal that Shaw killed Han. Therefore, Fast & Furious 6 puts Tokyo Drift back into the franchise’s narrative in a much more intentional way. 

Honestly, this movie is also such a good snapshot of Brian and Mia’s relationship after their screentime ebbs and flows throughout the other movies. They’re in a good place, even when they’re apart. They have a son, Jack. Plus, that phone call scene where Brian realizes she could be in danger has been ingrained in my mind since I first watched this movie. Mostly, Fast & Furious 6 is about getting Letty back after learning that she’s alive in Fast Five. That plot sets up one of my favorite action sequences in the franchise—Letty catching Dom with the roof of a car.

This movie introduces a delightful member of the Fast Family: Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel). The team’s efforts to rescue her are one of the best action sequences this franchise has produced. I also think Furious 7 does a fun twist on the themes of family and revenge, ahead of Fast X, by bringing Jason Statham’s Deckard back to avenge his brother’s death. 

Even though it is undoubtedly one of the best movies in the franchise, Furious 7 is one that I don’t rewatch that often. It’s the Fast and Furious movie where the franchise says a temporary goodbye to Brian after the real-life death of Paul Walker. Those final scenes are so clearly emotional for everyone involved. Furious 7 and its farewell to Brian are why I can never listen to Wiz Khalifa’s “See You Again featuring Charlie Puth” ever again.