''Fast Five'' (also known as ''Fast & Furious 5''
or ''Fast & Furious 5: Rio Heist''
) is a 2011 American
action film directed by
Justin Lin
Justin Lin (, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese-American film director. His films have grossed US$2.3 billion worldwide as of March 2017. He is best known for his directorial work on ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' (2002), the ''Fast & Furious'' fr ...
and written by
Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to ''
Fast & Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heist films, heists, spy films, spies, and family. The franchise also in ...
'' (2009) and the fifth installment in the ''
Fast & Furious
''Fast & Furious'' (also known as ''The Fast and the Furious'') is a media franchise centered on a series of action films that are largely concerned with street racing, heist films, heists, spy films, spies, and family. The franchise also in ...
'' franchise. It stars
Vin Diesel
Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Diesel began auditi ...
,
Paul Walker
Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise.
Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...
,
Jordana Brewster
Jordana Brewster (born April 26, 1980) is a Panamanian-American actress. Best known for her role as Mia Toretto in the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise, she made her acting debut in an episode of ''All My Children'' in 1995 and next took on the re ...
,
Tyrese Gibson
Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978) is an American actor and singer. He released his self-titled debut album in 1998, which featured the single " Sweet Lady", peaking at number twelve on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second ...
,
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges,
Matt Schulze,
Sung Kang
Sung-Ho Kang (born April 8, 1972) is an American actor. His first major role was as Han Lue in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise, a character he first portrayed in ''Better Luck Tomorrow'' (2002). Kang also played John Mak in the television serie ...
,
Tego Calderón
Tegui Calderón Rosario (born February 1, 1972) is a Puerto Rican rapper, singer and actor. He began his musical career in 1996 (as Tego Tec) and was supported by the famous Puerto Rican rapper Eddie Dee, who invited him on his second studio alb ...
,
Don Omar
William Omar Landrón Rivera (born February 10, 1978), better known by his stage name Don Omar, is a Puerto Rican reggaeton singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. On September 1, 2017, he announced that he would retire after a ...
,
Gal Gadot
Gal Gadot-Varsano ( he, גל גדות ; born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress and model. At age 18, she was crowned Miss Israel 2004. She then served in the Israel Defense Forces for two years as a combat fitness instructor, whereafter she ...
,
Joaquim de Almeida
Joaquim António Portugal Baptista de Almeida (born 15 March 1957) is a Portuguese actor.
Almeida began his acting career in theatre during the 1980s, he started his film career appearing on the 1982 action film ''The Soldier (1982 film), The ...
, and
Dwayne Johnson
Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...
. In the film,
Dominic Toretto
Dominic "Dom" Toretto is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise. He is portrayed by Vin Diesel and first appeared on film, alongside the other protagonist Brian O'Conner, in '' The Fast and ...
(Diesel) and
Brian O'Conner
Brian O'Conner is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise. He is portrayed by Paul Walker and first appeared on film, alongside the other protagonist Dominic Toretto, in '' The Fast and th ...
(Walker) recruit a team to steal $100 million from a corrupt businessman while being pursued for arrest by
U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs (Johnson).
While developing ''Fast Five'',
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
deliberately departed from the
street racing
Street racing is typically an unsanctioned and illegal form of auto racing that occurs on a public road. Racing in the streets is considered an ancient hazard, as horse racing occurred on streets for centuries, and street racing in automobiles is ...
theme prevalent in previous films in the series, to transform the franchise into a heist action series involving cars. By doing so, they hoped to attract wider audiences that might otherwise be put off by a heavy emphasis on cars and car culture. ''Fast Five'' is considered the transitional film in the series, featuring only one car race and giving more attention to action set pieces such as brawls, gun fights, and the central heist. The production mounted a comprehensive marketing campaign, with the film being advertised through social media, virtual games, cinema chains, automobile manufacturers, and at
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...
races.
Lin, Diesel, and Walker's returns were finalized in February 2010, and principal photography began that July and lasted until that October, with filming locations including
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...
,
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
, and
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...
.
Brian Tyler
Brian Theodore Tyler (born May 8, 1972) is an American composer, Conducting, conductor, arranger, and Record producer, record producer, best known for his film, television, and video game scores. In his 24-year career, Tyler has scored ''Trans ...
, the composer of the previous two installments, returned to compose
the score. The film is notable for primarily featuring practical stuntwork as opposed to
computer-generated
Computer-generated usually refers to a sound or visual that has been created in whole or in part with the aid of computer software or computer hardware.
Computer-generated may refer to:
* Computer animation
* Computer art
* Computer graphics
* C ...
placements seen in other entries in the franchise.
''Fast Five'' premiered at the
Cinépolis Lagoon in Rio de Janeiro on April 15, 2011, and was theatrically released worldwide on April 29, by
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
. The film received generally positive reviews, with praise for Lin's direction, the action sequences, and the performances of the cast. ''Fast Five'' grossed $626 million worldwide, becoming the
seventh-highest-grossing film of 2011, the then-highest-grossing film in the franchise, and set records related to Universal's highest-grossing opening weekend in several international markets. A sequel, ''
Fast & Furious 6
''Fast & Furious 6'' (titled on-screen as ''Furious 6'') is a 2013 American action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to '' Fast Five'' (2011) and is the sixth installment in the '' Fast & Furious'' fra ...
'', was released in the United States on May 24, 2013.
Plot
As
Dominic Toretto
Dominic "Dom" Toretto is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise. He is portrayed by Vin Diesel and first appeared on film, alongside the other protagonist Brian O'Conner, in '' The Fast and ...
is being transported to
Lompoc Prison by bus, his sister Mia Toretto and friend
Brian O'Conner
Brian O'Conner is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of the '' Fast & Furious'' franchise. He is portrayed by Paul Walker and first appeared on film, alongside the other protagonist Dominic Toretto, in '' The Fast and th ...
lead an assault on the bus and free Dom. While the authorities search for them, the trio escapes to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...
. Awaiting Dom's arrival, Mia and Brian join their friend Vince and other participants on a job to steal three cars from a train. Brian and Mia learn that agents from the
DEA
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic en ...
are also on the train and that the cars are seized property. When Dom arrives with his accomplices, he realizes that their leader Zizi is only interested in stealing the
Ford GT40
The Ford GT40 is a high-performance endurance racing car commissioned by the Ford Motor Company. It grew out of the "Ford GT" (for Grand Touring) project, an effort to compete in European long-distance sports car races, against Ferrari, which ...
. Dom has Mia steal the car herself before he and Brian fight Zizi and his henchmen, during which Zizi kills the DEA Agents. Brian and Dom are captured and brought to crime lord Hernan Reyes, the owner of the cars and Zizi's boss. Reyes orders the pair interrogated to discover the car's location, but they escape to their safehouse.
Dom, Brian, and Mia are framed as the murderers of the DEA Agents, and the U.S. government sends a team of
Diplomatic Security Service
The Diplomatic Security Service (DSS or DS) is a security and law enforcement agency that acts as the operational division of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which is a branch of the United States Department of State. Its primary mission is ...
Agents, led by DSS Agent Luke Hobbs and assisted by local officer Elena Neves, to Rio to arrest them. While Brian, Dom, and Mia examine the car to discover its importance, Vince arrives and is caught removing a computer chip from it. He admits he was planning to sell the chip to Reyes on his own, and Dom forces him to leave. Brian investigates the chip and discovers it contains financial details of Reyes' criminal empire, including the locations of in cash. Hobbs and his team arrive at Dom's safehouse, but find it under assault by Reyes' men searching for the chip. Brian, Dom and Mia escape after a chase across the
favela
Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...
s. Dom suggests they split up and leave Rio, but Mia announces she is pregnant with Brian's child. Dom agrees to stick together, suggesting they steal Reyes' money to start a new life. They organize a team to perform the heist: Han, Roman, Tej, Gisele, Leo, and Santos.
To centralize the cash, Dom's team attacks one of the locations and burns the money in front of Reyes' staff. Afraid of further attacks, Reyes consolidates the remaining money in an evidence vault inside a police station. Dom's team does surveillance, buys equipment, and acquires Reyes' handprint. After their fastest cars prove to be too slow for security cameras, they steal four 2010
Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger is a model of automobile marketed by Dodge in various forms over seven generations since 1966.
The first Charger was a show car in 1964. A 1965 Charger II concept car resembled the 1966 production version.
The Charger ha ...
police cars to blend in. Vince rejoins Dom's team after saving Mia from Reyes' men. Hobbs' team eventually finds and arrests Dom, Mia, Brian, and Vince. While transporting them for
extradition
Extradition is an action wherein one jurisdiction delivers a person accused or convicted of committing a crime in another jurisdiction, over to the other's law enforcement. It is a cooperative law enforcement procedure between the two jurisd ...
to the Uni