Ever since the release of the movie all the way back in 2001, The Fast and the Furious has been suspected of being a secret remake of Point Break. But if it actually is, it’s a hell of a lot better than the official 2015 remake. The two movies bear some major similarities, some that are even identical, making it impossible to ignore.
Nevertheless, the 2001 film is one of the action movies from the 2000s that critics hated but audiences loved, and it only gets better with age. The Fast and the Furious is full of interesting quirks that make it completely unique, and as it introduced the world to the underground street racing circuit, the movie arguably deserves to be held on its own high regard.
Similar: Cop Going Undercover Into An Extreme Sport
With Johnny Utah and Brian O’Connor both being FBI agents who go undercover and charm their way in to a group of criminals, this similarity is the biggest connection between the cool-looking crime movies. But it isn’t just as simple as that, as there are so many movies that follow that very premise. Utah takes up surfing in order to get noticed by the surfer-dude criminals, and O’Connor becomes a street racer to gain recognition from Dom, Leon, and Jesse, who is one of the characters who needs to come back.
Unique: Street Racing
Street racing may be the flare trousers and bedazzled tops of the 2000s, as the fad is very of its time and is nowhere near as popular as it used to be, which is why the series has shifted away from it and why the fairly recent Need For Speed bombed at the box-office.
But in 2001, there was no other film like it, and drag racing on the streets was very much an underground thing at the time. The Fast and the Furious was the main component in popularizing the fad and bringing it to the forefront of pop culture.
Similar: Waitress Love Interest
This is the part of the narrative where The Fast and the Furious doesn’t even try to hide the fact that it’s “borrowing” from the 90s surf-crime classic. It’s Terry who first helps Johnny Utah learn to surf, a waitress he charms who also coincidentally happens to be friends with the criminals. Similarly, O’Connor is first introduced to Dom when charming Mia, a waitress who also coincidentally happens to be Dom’s sister.
Unique: Corona Guzzlers
When it comes to funding a movie, brands will often give studios a portion of the budget providing that their product is prominently shown on screen. There are some excessive examples of this, but it has rarely ever been more prominent than in The Fast and the Furious, as it could repurposed as one long Corona commercial. Somebody is drinking Corona beer in more scenes than you’d think, so much so that it’s borderline parody in the sequels.
Similar: Strange Obsessions With Shrimp
Not too far into Point Break, when Johnny Utah enters the beach side restaurant to ask Terry to teach him to surf, he infamously orders shrimp and fries. Similarly, mid-way through The Fast and the Furious, Dom and Brian are also sitting at a beachside restaurant eating none other than shrimp.
Not only that, but the diner is Neptune’s Net, which was the location for both movies. There’s no knowing whether or not it was a homage to Point Break, as it’s likely, but the location is a landmark and dozens of films have shot there.
Unique: Brian And Dom’s Bond
As Patrick Swayze portrayed Bodhi as a little crazy and not all there, and the character was a total surfer-dude who ended every sentence with “man,” it was hard to take him seriously.
While the action in Point Break is incredible and arguably superior to Furious, Bodhi and Utah’s connection doesn’t come close to the bond that Brian and Dom built over the course of the movie. Because they struck a relationship from the moment they met, it resulted in one of the most emotional scene of the F&F franchise.
Similar: Style Over Substance
There’s no arguing that both movies feature great characters in gripping narratives, and that they are both full of suspense, but it’s undeniable that the look and the sound of the movies were a clear priority, as there’s a specific aesthetic to both of them.
Though the aesthetics of the movies are different, as one movie is all about neon lights and rap music, and the other is drenched in oceanic vibes and rock music, they both have a bigger interest in creating a style and a feeling of coolness than anything else.
Unique: More Grounded In Reality
In Point Break, the Ex-Presidents aren’t just surfers, but they are experts in parkour and free spirits who will jump out of helicopters at a moment’s notice. Though there are certainly people like that, it just wasn’t that realistic. And it certainly wasn’t as realistic as a bunch of guys racing around stealing DVD players. It might not sound as enthralling as the 1991 movie, but The Fast and the Furious was at least grounded in reality.
Similar: Letting The Villain Go At The End
Though it’s approached in a different way, as Bodhi begs to be let free, and O’Connor chooses to let Dom run from the scene of the crime, both FBI agents end up undoing all their hard work in the end. And it doesn’t get more similar than this, as the final shot of the two movies are identical. Both shots feature the (now former) FBI agents walking away, towards the camera, and it’s one of the times the franchise was so bad it was good.
Unique: Began A Billion Dollar Franchise
Fast & Furious fans are separated in to two camps, as there are the fans who love the first couple and think the series jumped the shark, and there are fans who think the franchise only started to get good when they became giant action blockbusters. Regardless, the high octane action and the way the series tries to one-up itself with each new movie is one of the reasons why the franchise is great, and it surely won’t be long until there’s an F&F movie set in space.
