It started as a “Point Break” ripoff with cars. That was “The Fast and the Furious.” Since then, it has become…one of the biggest franchises in the world? We are now 10 movies into the series, which means plenty of opportunities for memorable quotes, even if the scribes who have worked on “Fast and Furious” over the years aren’t exactly Oscar winners. Here are some of the top quotes taken from the series. It’s time to hit the noz and take things to the next gear!
“The Fast and the Furious” was fairly low-budget and didn’t have any real stars in it. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker were in this slick action flick that was more of a cult film at the time. It was defined, to many, in this quote from Dom Toretto, Diesel’s character who was not yet a famed piece of pop culture.
Another Dom quote. After winning a street race in which he is told that his opponent “almost had hit,” Dom gets incredulous and gives this quote. They don’t ask how you do it in the end, they just ask how you did.
Agent Bilkins, who works with Brian when he is undercover, appears in the first two “Fast & Furious” films. This line is silly, yes, but it is memorable, and it speaks to the tone of the series when it began.
Mia, Dom’s sister, primarily serves as Brian’s love interest, though later, she gets to do a bit more. In the first film, though, she mostly just works selling sandwiches, inexplicably, and apparently, those sandwiches include some pretty lousy tuna.
“2 Fast 2 Furious” may have been directed by John Singleton, but it is considered by many, perhaps most, the worst film in the series. We wanted to get one quote from the film in here, though, to make sure every movie is covered. This is the final line, spoken by Roman, who spends a lot of the movie talking about being “hungry.”
“Tokyo Drift” is the last vestige of the original conception of this “series,” which was cheap, loosely connected stories of street racing and crime. What this film did give us, though, was the character of Han, who went on to become a key piece of Dom’s crew. This is one of the first bits of insight he drops.
Here’s another piece of Han's insight. As his name suggests, Han is something of a “Han Solo” type, a lovable rogue side character. Do you remember Sean Boswell, the ostensible lead of “Tokyo Drift?” Perhaps not, but you likely remember Han.
Want to know how much Han clicked? So much so that even though he died in “Tokyo Drift,” the series was effectively resequenced so that, within the world of “Fast & Furious,” the events of “Tokyo Drift” happened after the next couple of films, allowing Han to appear. And then, if that wasn’t enough, they decided that, actually, Han faked his death, allowing him to come back for “F9.”
“Fast & Furious” effectively rebooted the franchise, and made it a franchise. Dom and his crew were back, and now it was about heists and crime and not so much street racing. Here, Brian and Mia are reunited, and Mia delivers this line as Brian tries to figure out what to do with his life, torn between his time in law enforcement and his connection to Dom and his “family.”
It feels archaic because it is. The very 2001 insult of “buster” is tossed around a lot in the first film. As a callback, Dom says this about Brian in “Fast & Furious.” It’s like hearing Mr. Belding deliver his catchphrases during Zack and Kelly’s wedding on “Saved by the Bell.”
Brian says sorry to his car as it goes over a fence. That’s silly. That’s fun. That’s the vibe of this series at its best.
“Fast Five” is when the new version of “Fast & Furious” really took off. They do some globetrotting, heading down to Brazil. Dom says this line triumphantly, having the support of not just his family, but many a car-loving Brazilian. It’s mostly in the somewhat goofy way Diesel says, “This is Brazil!” as well.
Dwayne Johnson as Agent Hobbs was a great addition to the series. A determined law enforcement official with a notable physique and a way with a quip, Hobbs was a nice foil to Dom and the crew. Here, he is giving Dom and Brian a bit of a head start in a manhunt to pay them back for helping take down a criminal, which also sets up future adventures.
Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges was a rapper when he first was cast in “2 Fast 2 Furious.” Reportedly, he was replacing Ja Rule, who was in the first film, as Ja Rule wanted too much money, or something to that effect. Now, Ludacris is a massive movie star and a key staple in this series. His character Tej, as well as Roman, are the “comic relief” of the series. We put that in quotes because they usually aren’t actually funny. This line is a good example of a Tej line, and also not a bad one.
How over the top is this series? At one point, Letty, Dom’s love, gets amnesia. Eventually, everything comes back to her, because of course it does. The two have a bit of a tete-a-tete, which ends with Dom saying this in a memory-jogging sort of way.
This line is almost meta. Owen Shaw, the proper British villain of the sixth film, is basically speaking to the incredulity some might have felt about the overarching nature of this series. Indeed, in the first film, Dom and his crew steal DVD players, and indeed, by “Fast Five,” they are stealing millions upon millions of dollars.
Perhaps the quintessential Dom line. These films are obsessed with “family.” Dom talks about “family” constantly. Here, in the seventh film, that is neatly summed up by one line.
In real life, Paul Walker sadly died in an automobile accident. In the world of “Fast & Furious,” Brian and Mia went off to raise a family out of danger. However, the seventh film features some meta elements to it, as the cast is trying to say goodbye to the actor through the character of Brian. This is the last line of the film, spoken by Dom, of course.
This is Hobbs in a nutshell. No, not just this line. It’s the fact he says it when he is flexing his way out of a cast. Let’s say that again. Hobbs, played by the erstwhile “The Rock,” flexes his arm so strongly that he breaks a cast.
Eric (aka Little Nobody), played by Scott Eastwood, is the number two to the mysterious Mr. Nobody, played by the iconic Kurt Russell. Roman is looking for a car for a job, and he settles on a Lamborghini in a showy color. Eric, not having any of it, drops this remark.
For some reason, Helen Mirren wanted to be in a “Fast & Furious” movie. When a Best Actress winner wants to be in your film, you make it happen. She adds her gravitas, but also her zesty energy, to the role of “Queenie,” the criminal mastermind mother of Owen and Deckard Shaw.
Johnson and Diesel did not get along at all, evidently. Also, they both reportedly had it in their contracts that they couldn’t lose a fight. Eventually, this led to Johnson and Jason Statham as Deckard Shaw getting a spinoff film. Hobbs is done in the “Fast & Furious” world, but he can exist within it thanks to “Hobbs & Shaw.” Here is one of his memorable lines from this offshoot adventure.
Many people, even those who don’t like the “Fast & Furious” films generally, like “Hobbs & Shaw” quite a bit. It has a knowingness to it that recalls certain ‘80s and ‘90s action films. Case in point: When Idris Elba’s technologically enhanced antagonist is asked who he is, this is his curt response.
Brixton, Elba’s character, has captured Hobbs and Shaw. He has an electric shock device, and goes into a speech, when Hobbs dismissively cuts him off, Brixton shocks them both. Deckard is annoyed with his compatriot, who responds with this line.
After the fun of “Hobbs & Shaw” came “F9,” which many considered a real step down. Generally speaking, it’s considered on par, in a bad way, with “2 Fast 2 Furious.” For example, Tej and Roman go to space in cars. Yes, really. This is a Tej line that is a little knowing, but doesn’t fully land as hoped.
Another issue with “F9” is that the villain of Otto just doesn’t live up to the bombast. When the film begins, Otto is working alongside Dom’s never-before-mentioned brother Jakob, played by John Cena. However, Jakob has to start to come over to Dom’s side, of course, because otherwise how can he be involved in future adventures? Otto at least does have this quip, which is solid.
We’ll let “Fast X” marinate a bit before we start to really parse the most memorable lines. Early on, though, this one stands out. By this point, Dom has a kid, Mia and Brian have a kid, and Dom’s brother Jakob is in the mix. There is talk the series may end in a film, or two, but maybe it won’t. Perhaps the “Fast & Furious” saga continues not with Dom and company, but with the next generation. It almost feels like this line is working to help speak that into existence.
Chris Morgan is a sports and pop culture writer and the author of the books The Comic Galaxy of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and The Ash Heap of History. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisXMorgan.
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