The Fast and Furious movies are an absolute hit with the general public. The franchise, which began in September 2001, has become so popular that it has spawned 11 more films, the most recent being Fast and Furious X, which even has scenes filmed in Brazil. However, if you're new to the franchise, its chronology can be a little difficult to understand.
But in order to help you with this mission, we decided to create this article with the right order to watch the Fast and Furious movies. Here you'll find out all the important information about each of the titles and where to start in order to understand the story. Shall we check them out together?
Fast and Furious (2001)
The first in the order of Fast and Furious films is the title released in 2001. The production had a budget of US$ 38 million and managed to gross US$ 207 million, becoming a true phenomenon. This movie was also responsible for boosting the careers of actors Paul Walker and Vin Diesel.
In the plot, Walker plays Brian O'Connor, a police officer who infiltrates illegal car races in order to get close to Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), gathering evidence against him and eventually capturing him. As well as being a gang leader, Dominic is highly wanted by the FBI. However, in several striking moments, Brian finds himself torn between the duty of his job and the friendship he has built up with Dom.
Fast and Furious (2003)
In The Fast and the Furious we have a direct sequel to the first feature of the Fast and the Furious films. Here Vin Diesel's character gives way to other supporting actors such as Roman Pierce (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Ludacris) who join Brian O'Connor to solve yet another investigative case involving luxury cars, speed and organized crime.
The story once again follows the policeman played by Paul Walker, who has now lost his badge but has the chance to get it back. This is because he is the FBI's only way out in the investigation of a criminal who doesn't leave many traces and all that is known about him is that he is a drug dealer with links to illegal racing. The 2003 film was as successful as its 2001 predecessor, grossing over US$ 236 million against a budget of just US$ 76 million.
Fast and Furious 4 (2009)
Although it's officially the fourth of the Fast and Furious films, in the chronology of the franchise the 2009 feature is in third place. It's where Vin Diesel's character Dominic returns to the spotlight along with much of the original cast including Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez.
The setting for this movie is the Dominican Republic and right from the start we discover that both Dom and his girlfriend Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) are still in the world of crime. The problem is that a murder in their gang takes Dom by surprise and he ends up teaming up with Brian O'Connor, who is now a detective, to find out what happened and take down the Mexican drug kingpin.
Fast and Furious 4 had an absurdly good reception from viewers and was for a long time the highest grossing of all the Fast and Furious films. It seemed that the move to bring back the original cast had worked out very well and it grossed US$ 363 million on a budget of US$ 85 million.
Fast and Furious 5: Operation Rio (2011)
Fast and Furious 5: Operation Rio was an undisputed success with a worldwide gross of US$ 626.1 million on a budget of US$ 125 million. It is the fourth of the Fast and Furious films and brings the franchise to Rio de Janeiro, continuing the final scene of the previous feature.
The main focus here is on organized crime and not the operations carried out by the police. There's the addition of a new character, police officer Hobbs, played by Dwayne Johnson, and also the return of stars who played characters in previous films, such as Vin Diesel and Gal Gadot, who plays the character Gisele, inserted into the plot of the fourth film.
After trying to rob a train carrying several cars and finding themselves up against the police, Dominic, Brian and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) discover some valuable information. While dismantling one of the cars that has been driven to a hideout by Mia, the trio discover a chip containing confidential information about illegal operations carried out by Hernan Reis (Joaquim de Almeida), including the profits from his actions and where he keeps the money. From then on, the focus shifts to stealing Reis' fortune.
The movie is full of remarkable scenes, but surely the one that draws the most attention from fans and is also the most anticipated is the fight sequence between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson. The two actors were highly rated at the time and they didn't disappoint by delivering one of the best action scenes in the entire franchise, with lots of punches and broken structures along the way.
Fast and Furious 6 (2013)
Fast and Furious 6 is one of the films with the most impactful scenes of all the Fast and Furious movies. It's where the character Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) makes her return to the series when everyone thought she had died in the fifth movie, which is one of the most striking moments in the feature.
The plot takes place after Dom and Brian's coup in Rio de Janeiro succeeds and the team spreads around the world. However, since everything can't always be flowers, everything starts to go off the rails when the character Hobbs asks Dom to put together a strong and reliable group to take down a gang of mercenaries. What he doesn't know is that this gang is secretly supported by Letty, who Dom didn't even know was alive.
The movie managed to do very well at the box office and bridge the gap with the third official movie in the story, explaining points that were left loose when it was released in 2006, making it the next in the chronological order. Fast and Furious 6 grossed US$ 788 million and had a budget of US$ 160 million.
Fast and Furious: Tokyo Challenge (2006)
Among the Fast and Furious films, this is the third one released, but it ranks sixth in chronological order. This is because the focus of this one is not linked to the main cast presented in the previous two films, following a young man called Sean (Lucas Black) who becomes the pupil of Han (Sung Kang), a gang leader involved in street racing.
Sean is sent to Tokyo by his mother to live with his father and there he ends up "adopted" by Han who teaches him racing techniques so that he can beat his rival on the streets, D.K., played by Brian Tee. The movie didn't make as much as the others at the box office, grossing US$ 150 million against a budget of US$ 85 million. It still made a good profit, however, and is not categorized as a failure in the end.
Fast and Furious 7 (2015)
Among the Fast and Furious films, the seventh is one of the most memorable. That's because actor Paul Walker, who played Brian O'Connor for so many years, died in 2013 during filming and was unable to finish his part. In order to give the character a dignified ending, the producers used special effects, camera games and the participation of the actor's biological brothers, creating a scenario where Brian would end up retired and thus not having to kill him in the story.
This move was highly praised by critics and ended up being the franchise's most successful movie in terms of box office. The plot focuses on Dom and his family's fight against Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), the brother of the sixth movie's villain, who is out for revenge. The budget for Fast and Furious 7 was between US$ 190 and 250 million and its worldwide profit exceeded US$ 1.516 billion.
Fast and Furious 8 (2017)
After Brian O'Connor's retirement, the franchise continued full steam ahead and Fast and Furious 8 was released, also taking the place of the eighth film in the chronological order. The film was almost as successful as its predecessor, grossing US$ 1.2 billion worldwide on a budget of US$ 250 million.
In this new chapter, Dom discovers that he has a child by an ex-girlfriend and both he and she are being held captive by the villain Cipher, played by Charlize Theron. Cipher forces Dom to work for her through blackmail and Dom's family, with the help of Deckard and his mother, end up having to confront him about it.
Fast and Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Hobbs & Shaw is a feature film derived from the Fast and Furious films and focused on a parallel plot involving the characters of Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. The chemistry they showed on stage was so great that both the public and the producers paid to see how a movie about them would turn out. Didn't it work out?
Here, the two characters are brought together by the need to fight a villain called Brixton Lore, played by Idris Elba. He is genetically modified, which gives him powers beyond human capabilities and gives the two protagonists a lot of trouble. The initial budget for this film was US$ 200 million and it ended up grossing more than US$ 766.1 million at the worldwide box office.
Fast and Furious 9 (2021)
Although it's called "Fast and Furious 9", this movie is actually the tenth in the chronological order of the Fast and Furious films. It features Dom living a peaceful life alongside Letty and the couple's son when a threat from the past appears to disturb the peace they've built up at such great expense.
Dom's brother Jakob (John Cena) is introduced as the villain of the day, proving to be a skilled assassin who works alongside Cipher, who continues with his evil plans. In the end, it's Dom and his team who will have to face them both, but will he really be able to fight his lost brother?
The film was very successful at the time of its release, attracting many fans of the franchise to cinemas all over the world. Its budget was US$ 200 million and the worldwide box office managed to far exceed the initial figure, reaching US$ 726.2 million.
Fast and Furious 10 (2023)
This is the eleventh of the Fast and Furious films and also the last one released. Fast and Furious 10 features a special appearance by model Meadow Walker, Paul Walker's only daughter, who says she grew up on the sets watching her father act alongside his colleagues and felt part of their family.
The film introduces a new villain played by Jason Momoa, Hernan Heyes' brother who is out for revenge against Dom and his group after the coup they pulled in Rio de Janeiro. It was a huge success at the box office and the film grossed US$ 714.6 million against a budget of US$ 340 million.
Conclusion
Few films in the franchise make as much of a mark as the seventh due to the whole context surrounding Paul Walker's death, but each one has its own brilliance and strong points to captivate the hearts of fans. The Fast and Furious films are incredible, each in its own way, bringing speed and action in the right measure for those who enjoy this kind of thing.
But what about you? Which of Fast and Furious was the one that struck you the most? Share it with us in the comments! Also check out our article on the 13 best tech movies on Netflix and the video we've put together for you below!
