Speed Racers Pt 2 (2 Fast 2 Furious, 2003)

I think we all know what comes after a movie is a modest success or better…the studios move on to the next project, happy with their success.  Oh wait…no… they cry out for a sequel. And so, the embarrassingly named 2 Fast 2 Furious was made.

Dominic Toretto is missing in action this time around, instead pairing the ex-cop O’Conner with an Ex-Con friend named Roman (Tyrese Gibson) to help take down a drug lord.  It involves cars again, because apparently that is why the government hires O’Conner.  They are helped by a sexy undercover DEA agent (Eva Mendes…I said sexy, right?).

This is the film’s biggest problem.  It is basically a buddy cop film in the vein of Lethal Weapon or Rush Hour.  The first film emphasized the idea of family, both that of your birth and families you make yourself.  This film lacks that, which removes the weightier concerns of O’Conner’s moral code that was present in the first film.  There is no struggle for him here.  His target is a bad guy.

They did try and do something different here, but Diesel’s presence is noticeable, and it was probably a bad idea to try and continue without him.  Roman is not a charismatic enough replacement, instead he is more a comedic relief.  The action in the film is competent, but uninspired, leaving us with a somewhat lackluster action film.