Review of The Fast and the Furious

As this film starts we see a truck run off the road and burst into flames; we then cut to the sight of Connie, an attractive young woman driving a Jaguar sports car. She pulls into a roadside café and goes inside. As the waitress takes her order the radio announces that one Frank Webster has escaped from jail; where he was being held for murder, accused of running a truck off the road. There are two other men in the café, a slightly obnoxious trucker and a taciturn man who turns out to be Webster. After a confrontation which leaves the trucker unconscious Webster kidnaps Connie and steals her car. He is determined to get to Mexico but it won't be easy; there are numerous police checks on the way. It seems the only chance is to join a race that crosses the border; surely the police won't expect that!

This low budget film might not be as action packed as its more recent namesake but it is still rather fun and at just over seventy minutes in length it doesn't outstay its welcome. John Ireland and Dorothy Malone are solid as Frank and Connie; developing a good chemistry as the film progresses. There isn't a huge amount of action; just some fast driving and some crashes during the race. There are some mildly tense scenes when it looks like the police will try to arrest him and when Connie tries to get away. There are quite a few continuity errors but to be honest that didn't bother me; it just added to the low budget, B-movie charm. Overall this is hardly a must see but it is certainly fun enough.