Fast & Furious

Fast & Furious (also known as Fast & Furious 4) is a 2009 American action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the fourth film in the Fast & Furious franchise, serving as a direct sequel to The Fast and the Furious (2001) and 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and takes place before the events of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). The film stars Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster. In the film, Dominic Toretto and FBI agent Brian O'Conner are forced to work together to avenge the murder of Toretto's lover Letty Ortiz and apprehend drug lord Arturo Braga. A fourth film was announced in July 2007, with the returns of Diesel, Walker, Rodriguez, and Brewster confirmed shortly after that. To account for the cast seeing absences from either of the previous two installments, the film was developed to place Tokyo Drift, as occurring beyond the events of Fast & Furious, while the short film Los Bandoleros (2009) was produced and released. Principal photography began in early February 2008 and wrapped up in August 2008, with filming locations including Los Angeles and the Dominican Republic. Lin, Morgan, and composer Brian Tyler returned in their roles from Tokyo Drift. Fast & Furious is the first theatrical release to feature 4DX and D-BOX motion. It was also the first film in the franchise to be produced by Diesel. Fast & Furious premiered at Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles on March 12, 2009, and was released in the United States on April 3 by Universal Pictures. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who criticized its script but praised the action sequences. It grossed $360 million worldwide, exceeding expectations to become the then-highest-grossing film in the franchise. It was followed by Fast Five in 2011.