When a tragic crime brings him back to Los Angeles, fugitive ex-con Dominic Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner. However, as they are forced to confront a shared enemy—a shadowy heroin importer named Arturo Braga—Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmaneuver him and exact revenge.
Information |
|
|---|---|
Language |
English |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
April 03, 2009 |
Running time |
107 minutes |
Genre |
Action Crime Thriller |
Budget |
$85,000,000 |
Box Office |
$363,164,265 |
Crew |
|
Directed by |
Justin Lin |
Produced by |
Neal H. Moritz Vin Diesel |
Written by |
Chris Morgan |
Music by |
Brian Tyler |
Cinematography |
Amir Mokri |
Edited by |
Christian Wagner Fred Raskin |
Production Co. |
Original Film |
Distributed by |
Universal Pictures |
Official Trailer
The Plot
The Dominican Heist and a Forced Separation
Five years after escaping the authorities in Los Angeles, Dominic Toretto has reassembled a specialized crew to hijack fuel tankers in the Dominican Republic. The team consists of his girlfriend Letty, his friends Tego Leo and Rico Santos, Cara Mirtha, and Han Seoul-Oh. During a high-stakes heist on a moving tanker, the crew successfully secures the fuel, but Dominic begins to suspect that the local police are closing in on their operation. His suspicions are confirmed when Han informs him that one of their garages has been raided by law enforcement. To ensure the safety of his "family," Dominic makes the difficult decision to disband the crew. While the others go their separate ways, with Han departing for Tokyo, Dominic realizes he is the primary target. In the middle of the night, he packs his belongings and leaves Letty behind while she sleeps, believing that distancing himself is the only way to protect her from the danger following him.
A Tragic Return to Los Angeles
Three months later, Dominic is residing in Panama City when he receives a devastating phone call from his sister, Mia Toretto. She informs him that Letty has been murdered in a car crash. Heartbroken and seeking answers, Dominic risks his freedom and returns to Los Angeles behind the wheel of his 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS. He watches Letty's funeral from a distance to avoid detection by law enforcement before reuniting with Mia. Together, they visit the site of Letty's death. While examining the crash scene, Dominic discovers traces of nitromethane on the ground, a specialized fuel additive.
Dominic visits the only local mechanic capable of selling nitromethane. Through intimidation, he coerces the mechanic into revealing the name of the buyer: David Park. The mechanic further reveals that the only vehicle in the area configured to use that specific fuel type is a green 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport.
The Street Race for Braga
Concurrently, FBI agent Brian O'Connor is on the hunt for an elusive Mexican drug lord named Arturo Braga. Brian’s investigation, based on illegal vehicle modification records, also leads him to David Park. Dominic arrives at Park's apartment first, dangling the man out of a window by his ankles in a interrogation attempt. Brian arrives just in time to save Park before Dominic drops him, subsequently turning Park into the FBI's newest informant.
Park arranges for Brian to enter a high-stakes street race designed to recruit drivers for Braga's organization. Brian selects a modified 2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 from the police impound lot for the event. Dominic also enters the race in his modified Chevelle. Ramon Campos, Braga's second-in-command, and Gisele Yashar, the liaison for the cartel, announce that the winner will join a team trafficking heroin across the Mexico–United States border. In the final stretch, Dominic wins by bumping Brian's Skyline while it is in nitro, causing Brian to lose control. Determined to infiltrate the cartel, Brian uses his authority as an FBI agent to frame another driver, Dwight Mueller, for drug possession, arresting him and taking his vacant spot on the team.
Crossing the Border and the Betrayal
The following day, the selected team meets one of Braga's top henchmen, Fenix Calderon. Dominic immediately recognizes that Fenix drives the same green 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport described by the mechanic. The convoy drives across the border using a series of underground tunnels to avoid detection. Brian, having prior intel, knows that Braga orders the drivers to be executed once the heroin is delivered to sever any loose ends.
Once across the border, Dominic confronts Fenix, who callously reveals that he killed Letty personally when she attempted to escape him. A tense standoff ensues. Dominic detonates his Chevelle using the nitrous oxide tanks to create a massive explosion, distracting Braga's men and killing several henchmen. Amidst the chaos, Brian hijacks a 1999 Hummer H1 loaded with $60 million worth of heroin. Dominic joins him, and the two drive back to Los Angeles, hiding the stolen drugs in a police impound lot. Brian secures a modified 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX STi GH for himself, and they retreat to Dominic's hideout.
The Undercover Truth and a Failed Trap
At the safe house, Dominic discovers that Brian was the last person to have contact with Letty before her death. Enraged, Dominic attacks Brian until the agent explains the truth: Letty was working undercover for the FBI, tracking down Braga in exchange for clearing Dominic's criminal record so he could return home. Brian contacts his superiors and proposes a deal: if he can lure Braga into a trap using the heroin as bait, Dominic must be granted a full pardon.
The FBI sets up a drop site, forcing Braga to personally exchange money for the returned heroin. However, the operation goes wrong. The man who presents himself as "Braga" is revealed to be a decoy. The real Arturo Braga is actually "Campos," who attempts to flee to Mexico with Fenix. In the ensuing firefight, Fenix nearly runs over Gisele, but Dominic intervenes and saves her life. Braga and Fenix manage to escape, and the FBI shuts down Brian's active duty status due to the botched operation.
Retribution in Mexico
Grateful for being saved, Gisele provides Dominic and Brian with intelligence on Braga’s location. The two men travel to Mexico on their own to finish the mission, with Dominic driving his rebuilt 1970 Dodge Charger R/T. They locate Braga praying at a church and successfully apprehend him. As Braga's army of henchmen attempts to rescue their leader, Brian and Dominic flee through the underground tunnels, racing back toward the United States border.
Upon exiting the tunnels on the American side, Brian crashes his Subaru after taking heavy fire and is T-boned by Fenix, leaving him trapped and injured. Before Fenix can execute Brian, Dominic drives his Charger out of the tunnel at high speed, ramming directly into Fenix and crushing him against a vehicle, finally avenging Letty's death.
The Sentence and the Great Escape
As police cruisers and helicopters swarm the crash site, Brian urges Dominic to flee before they arrive. Dominic refuses, stating that he is tired of running. Despite Brian’s impassioned request for clemency and the fact that they captured a major drug lord, the judge sentences Dominic to 25 years to life at Lompoc Penitentiary.
Brian resigns from the FBI in protest. Later, a prison bus transporting Dominic travels down a desert highway. Suddenly, Brian, Mia, Tego Leo, and Rico Santos appear in their high-performance cars, flanking the bus to intercept it. Inside the transport, Dominic hears the distinct roar of the engines and smiles, knowing his family has come for him.
Top Cast
- Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto
- Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner
- Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto
- Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz
- John Ortiz as Campos / Arturo Braga
- Laz Alonso as Fenix Calderon
- Gal Gadot as Gisele Yashar
- Jack Conley as Penning
- Shea Whigham as Stasiak
- Tego Calderón as Leo
