| The Fate of the Furious | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | F. Gary Gray |
| Written by | Chris Morgan |
| Based on | Characters byGary Scott Thompson |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Stephen F. Windon |
| Edited by | |
| Music by | Brian Tyler |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures[2][3] |
Release dates |
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Running time | 136 minutes[4] |
| Country | United States[2] |
| Language | English[4] |
| Budget | $250–270 million[5][6] |
| Box office | $1.236 billion[7] |
The Fate of the Furious[a] is a 2017 Americanaction film directed byF. Gary Gray and written byChris Morgan. It is the sequel toFurious 7 (2015) and the eighth installment in theFast & Furious franchise. The film starsVin Diesel asDominic Toretto, alongsideDwayne Johnson,Jason Statham,Michelle Rodriguez,Tyrese Gibson,Chris "Ludacris" Bridges,Scott Eastwood,Nathalie Emmanuel,Elsa Pataky,Kurt Russell, andCharlize Theron. In the film, Dom has settled down with his wifeLetty Ortiz, untilcyberterrorist Cipher (Theron) coerces him into working for her and turns him against his team, forcing them to find Dom and take down Cipher.
The eighth installment was planned since 2014, and in March 2015 it was revealed the film would be set in New York City. Preparations for the film began immediately before the release ofFurious 7, with Diesel, Morgan, and producerNeal H. Moritz re-signing. After setting an initial release date in that same month, casting took place between April and June. In October, Gray was announced to direct the film in the place ofJames Wan, who had directed the previous installment. ComposerBrian Tyler, who had scored the third, fourth, fifth, and seventh installments, returned to compose the score.
Principal photography began in March 2016 in locations such as Mývatn, Havana, Atlanta, Cleveland, and New York City, continuing the franchise's tradition of filming around the world. With an estimated production budget of up to $270 million, it isone of the most expensive films ever made. This is the first film in the series sinceThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) not to starPaul Walker asBrian O'Conner, following his death in November 2013.
The Fate of the Furious premiered in Berlin on April 4, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States on April 14, byUniversal Pictures. It received mixed reviews from critics, with praise for the performances of the cast and action sequences but criticism for the storyline. The film was a box office success, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide, making it the thirtieth film (and the second in the franchise, afterFurious 7) to gross over $1 billion, thethird-highest-grossing film of 2017, and theeleventh highest-grossing film of all time at the time. It also grossed $541.9 million worldwide during its opening weekend, which made it thehighest-grossing worldwide opening of all time until the release ofAvengers: Infinity War a year later. The film was followed by a spin-off,Hobbs & Shaw (2019), and a direct sequel,F9 (2021).
Dominic Toretto and Letty Ortiz are on their honeymoon inHavana when Dom's cousin Fernando gets in trouble owing money to local racer Raldo. Sensing Raldo is a loan shark, Dom challenges Raldo to a race, pitting Fernando's 1949Chevrolet Fleetline against Raldo's 1956Ford Fairlane Crown Victoria, and wagering his own 1961Chevrolet Impala. After narrowly winning the race and exploding the car in the process, Dom allows Fernando to keep his car, saying his was too slow for a Toretto.
The next day, a mysterious woman named Cipher coerces Dom into working for her by showing him something on her phone. Shortly afterward, DSS agent Luke Hobbs is assigned an off-the-books mission to retrieve anEMP device from a military outpost inBerlin and is warned that he will face arrest if captured. Hobbs recruits Dom and his team, which includes Letty, Roman Pearce, Tej Parker, and Ramsey, to assist him in recovering the device.
During the getaway, Dom forces Hobbs off the road and steals the device for Cipher, who is a cyberterrorist. Hobbs is arrested and confined in the same high-security prison which holdsDeckard Shaw. They initiate a prison escape and are recruited by intelligence operative Mr. Nobody and his protégé, Little Nobody, to help the team find Dom and capture Cipher. When Hobbs and the team protest working with Deckard, he reveals that Cipher had hired his brother Owen to steal anelectromagnetic pulse weapon called Nightshade[b] and Mose Jakande to steal God's Eye, amass surveillance computer program created by Ramsey.[c] The team tracks Dom and Cipher to their location, only to realize it points to the base. Dom and Cipher arrive and disable the team, stealing God's Eye in the process. Deckard was able to prevent Ramsey from getting hurt by one of the bombs that were used.
When Dom expresses frustration with Cipher, she reveals his ex-lover and DSS agent Elena Neves, along with their son, whose existence Dom was unaware of, having kidnapped both to secure his loyalty. Cipher sends Dom to retrieve anuclear football held by theRussian Minister of Defense in New York City. With Raldo's help, Dom briefly evades Cipher and persuades Deckard and Owen's mother, Magdalene, to assist him, offering to arrange the Shaw brothers' freedom from government custody if they rescue his son from Cipher's plane. Cipher hacks into the electronic systems of several cars, remotely controlling them viaauto drive, causing them to block the convoy so Dom can take the football.
The team intercepts Dom in their cars, but he escapes and seemingly kills Deckard. Letty catches up to Dom and takes the football but is nearly killed by Cipher's enforcer, Connor Rhodes, before Dom stops him and forces the football from Letty. In retaliation, Cipher allows Rhodes to execute a tied-up Elena in front of Dom, threatening to kill his son next if he fails to follow her orders again. Dom infiltrates a military base inRussia, using the EMP device to disable security and activate anuclear submarine, allowing Cipher to hijack it and attempt to use its arsenal to trigger a nuclear war.
They are intercepted by the team, who shut down the submarine's nuclear weapons and drive toward the gates that would prevent the sub from leaving to the sea, while being pursued by separatists. Deckard, who faked his death with the help of Magdalene and Dom's former crew members Leo and Santos, teams up with Owen and infiltrates Cipher's plane to rescue Dom's son. Once Deckard reports that the child is safe, Dom turns on Cipher and kills Rhodes before rejoining his team. Cipher fires aninfrared homing missile at Dom'sCharger, but he breaks away from his team and lures the missile to the trailing submarine. The team blocks Dom from the explosion as the submarine is destroyed. After defeating Cipher's henchmen, Deckard confronts Cipher, who escapes by parachute.
Mr. Nobody informs Dom's team that Cipher is still at large. Hobbs has his record cleared and is offered his DSS job back but declines to spend more time with his daughter. Deckard delivers Dom's son, setting aside differences, and is accepted into the family. Dom names his sonBrian and celebrates with friends.
Tego Calderón andDon Omar reprise their respective roles as Tego Leo and Rico Santos, former members of Dom's team, fromLos Bandoleros (2009),Fast & Furious (2009) andFast Five (2011).Kristofer Hivju portrays Connor Rhodes, Cipher's right-hand man and second-in-command.[16][14]Patrick St. Esprit appears as DS Allen.[17]Luke Evans reprises his role fromFast & Furious 6 (2013) andFurious 7 (2015) as Owen Shaw, Deckard's younger brother and former mercenary who previously opposed Dom's team in Europe, and who helps his brother in rescuing Dom's son.[14]Helen Mirren makes an uncreditedcameo appearance as Magdalene Shaw, the mother of Deckard and Owen Shaw.[18] Celestino Cornielle portrays Raldo, a street racer whose respect Dom earns.[19]
We're trying to do what we always do, which is try to come at it from a character point of view and figure out where the characters would go from here. I think the thing that's madeThe Fast and the Furious special is obviously we have incredible action and so on. But the thing that people really relate to the most is the characters. We're lucky that we have a lot of great characters. Unfortunately, we don't have Paul [Walker] anymore. His character... has moved on. But we feel like there's a lot still to be mined. That's where we're starting. We're really talking about the characters, where they all sit right now. It's a huge challenge.
In November 2014,Universal Pictures chairwomanDonna Langley confirmed that a discussion regarding three sequels toFurious 7 (2015) had taken place.[21] ActorVin Diesel reaffirmed this in September 2015, alluding the trilogy could lead to the mainline series' conclusion.[22] He stated that the eighth film was acceptable as Paul Walker said.[23]
Diesel further hinted at an eighth film onJimmy Kimmel Live! when he stated thatKurt Russell's character would span multiple films. He also stated that the next film would take place in New York City.[24]Chris Morgan returned to write his sixth script in the franchise, whileNeal H. Moritz returned to produce. Moritz later stated, "[The story] is going to have to be something enticing for all of us. It has to be as good as or better [thanFurious 7]".[25]
At the 2015CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Diesel announced the film for an April 14, 2017 release date.[26][27] In August, at the2015 Teen Choice Awards (whereFurious 7 received the award forChoice Movie – Action and Walker received the award for Choice Movie Actor – Action), Diesel gave the film the initial titleFast 8.[28] In September, Diesel stated that the script had almost been completed,[29] and expressed interest inRob Cohen, who directed thefirst film, to direct the eighth installment.[30]Furious 7 (2015)film directorJames Wan was originally contractually hired to direct this film andF9 (2021), but the studio let him go after he told them about his wishes to makeThe Conjuring 2 (2016), asequel to his previoushorror filmThe Conjuring (2013). The studio went back to offer Wan directing the film afterJustin Lin, who directed the film series sinceThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) toFast & Furious 6 (2013), chose to directStar Trek Beyond (2016) over returning to the series, but Wan firmly declined directing both this film andthe ninth film due tothe seventh film's demanding production impacting on his health.[31] In October, Diesel announced onThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon thatStraight Outta Compton (2015) directorF. Gary Gray would direct the film.[32][33]
In July, Moritz said that Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, would not appear in the film, following the use ofCGI in the previous film after Walker died in asingle-vehicle accident in November 2013, with Moritz stating that his character had "moved on".[20] It had previously been reported that Paul's younger brother,Cody Walker, would either join the cast in a new role,[34] or replace his older brother in the role of O'Conner;[35] however, it was later announced that the character will not return to the franchise.[36] Moritz also said that the film would shift the focus of the franchise from a series ofheist films tospy films, following a similar change in focus fromstreet racing toheist films inFast Five (2011).[37] In December 2016, the film was retitledThe Fate of the Furious.[38]
Diesel, Russell, andMichelle Rodriguez were the first to confirm their involvement in the film,[8] andTyrese Gibson andLudacris both confirmed their return soon after.[11] Diesel was paid $20 million for his involvement.[39]Lucas Black had signed on to reprise his role fromThe Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) asSean Boswell forFurious 7 (2015), this installment andF9 (2021) in September 2013.[40] In May 2015,Dwayne Johnson confirmed his involvement in the film, additionally hinting at a possiblespin-off film involving his character, Luke Hobbs.[9]Jason Statham also confirmed his return that same month.[10] In April 2016,Charlize Theron andKristofer Hivju were confirmed as additions to the cast, in villainous roles,[15][16] whileScott Eastwood also joined the film as a law enforcement agent.[12] In May,Nathalie Emmanuel was confirmed to reprise her role as Ramsey in the film.[13] In June,Helen Mirren announced in an interview withElle that she would appear in the film.[41] During an interview with Chris Mannix in July,Lucas Black confirmed he would not appear in the eighth installment, due to scheduling conflicts withNCIS: New Orleans.[42]
In keeping with the franchise's penchant for filming in "exotic" locations, such as Abu Dhabi and Rio de Janeiro, it was announced in January 2016 that Universal was seeking approval from theUnited States andCuban governments to shoot part of the film in Cuba.[43][44]Principal photography began on March 14 inMývatn, Iceland,[45][46] where strong winds sent a plastic iceberg prop flying into a paddock. The prop struck two horses; one was wounded and the other mortally injured (it was later euthanized).[47] In late April, filming began in Cuba's capital city, Havana.[48][49][50][51] In May, filming also took place in Cleveland, once again standing in for Manhattan.[52][53] Franchise cinematographerStephen F. Windon returned for the eighth instalment.[54] Filming also took place in Atlanta[55] and New York City.[56]
Brian Tyler, who scored the third, fourth, fifth, and seventh installments, was tapped to compose thefilm score for the eighth picture.[57] A soundtrack album byAtlantic Records was released on April 14, 2017, coinciding with the film's US theatrical release.[58] The film's score album was released on April 28, byBack Lot Music.[59]
The Fate of the Furious had its world premiere in Berlin on April 4, 2017.[60] The film was theatrically released in the United States on April 14.[26][27] The film was released in 1,074 IMAX screens around the world, making it the widest opening in IMAX history.[61]
The Fate of the Furious was released onUltra HD Blu-ray,Blu-ray andDVD on July 11, 2017, byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment.[62]
The Fate of the Furious grossed $226 million in the United States and Canada and $1.01 billion in other territories for a worldwide total of $1.236 billion,[7] against a production budget of $250 million.[5][6] It was thethird-highest-grossing film of 2017 and theeleventh-highest-grossing film of all time.[63][64] The film was released in 64 territories worldwide, including almost all major markets (minus Japan), starting from April 12, 2017, and was projected to earn anywhere between $375–440 million in its five-day opening weekend.[65][66] By the end of the weekend, it ended up earning $539.9 million from nearly 23,000 screens, way above initial projections, to scorethe biggest global opening in cinematic history until it was surpassed byAvengers: Infinity War (2018). It also marked the third time that a film earned over $500 million in a single weekend, afterStar Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) ($529 million) andJurassic World (2015) ($525.5 million).[67] On April 30, 2017, the film crossed the $1 billion mark, becoming the second film in the franchise to do so, afterFurious 7.[68] In IMAX, the film made $31.1 million from 1,079 screens to record the biggest IMAX April debut and the fourth-biggest overall at the time.[67]
Like several of its predecessors,The Fate of the Furious was released in the United States and Canada in the month of April, and like its immediate predecessor, occupied the lucrativeEaster week holiday period slot, where it was expected to open with $100–125 million. It received the widest pre-summer release ever, at an estimated 4,304 venues, besting the 4,242 opening theater count ofBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) the previous March.[65][69][70][71] The film made $10.4 million from Thursday night previews from 3,310 theaters, the second-highest of the franchise behindFurious 7's $15.8 million.[6] On its opening day it grossed $45.6 million, with Thursday previews making up 22.8% of the amount, slightly better than the 23% forFurious 7.[72] Earning a total of $98.8 million on its opening weekend, the film scored the second-biggest opening in the franchise (the third-biggest adjusted for inflation) and the third-biggest April debut, behindFurious 7 andThe Jungle Book (2016). It posted an almost identical weekend multiplier like its immediate predecessor (2.166× vs 2.18×).[73][74] Scott Mendelson ofForbes magazine compared the opening to howSpectre (2015) opening fell fromSkyfall (2012). One notable record the film set was the best opening for a film with an African-American director, with Gray besting his own record set withStraight Outta Compton (2015).[75]
Internationally,The Fate of the Furious secured a release in 69 countries.[76] The film was projected to post an opening between $275–330 million from over 20,000 screens, with some analysts believing it could go as high as $350–400 million.[65][76][77] It opened Wednesday, April 12, 2017, in 8 countries, earning $17.9 million (including previews from 12 countries).[76] It opened in 33 more countries on Thursday, April 2, for a total of 41 countries, earning $58.4 million, marking Universal Pictures overseas' highest-grossing Thursday ever, and for a two-day total of $82.2 million.[76] It added 22 more countries on Friday, April 3, earning $112.1 million to score Universal International's highest-grossing Friday of all time, for a three-day total of $194.8 million.[76] In total, through Sunday, the film registered an opening of $441.1 million from 64 markets, setting new records for the biggest April international debut, Universal's biggest, and the biggest of all time overall (ahead ofJurassic World)—It is the first such film to open past $400 million in a single weekend with a bulk of it coming from China. Around $22.6 million came from 681 IMAX screens which is Universal's second-biggest behind onlyJurassic World.[67] It topped the international charts for a second consecutive term, adding another $158.1 million[78] after which it was surpassed byGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), another film starring Diesel and Russell, in its third weekend.[79] In IMAX, the film has grossed north of $58 million.[79]
It set the record for the biggest opening day of 2017 in every territory it has been released at, the biggest opening day of all time in 16 markets, Universal's biggest opening day ever in 22 territories and the biggest opening in the franchise in 38 markets. Moreover, it recorded the biggest paid previews of all time in Malaysia, Singapore, Venezuela, and Vietnam.[76] In terms of opening weekend, the film debuted at No. 1 in all markets where it set the biggest opening weekend of all time in 20 markets; Universal's biggest opening weekend ever in 28 markets; and the biggest opening in the franchise in 40 markets.[67][78][80] The top openings were recorded in China ($192 million),[81] Mexico ($17.7 million), the United Kingdom ($17.5 million), Russia ($14.2 million), Germany ($13.6 million), Brazil ($12.8 million), India ($17.4 million), Korea ($10.6 million), Middle East combined ($9.9 million), Taiwan ($9.3 million), France ($9.2 million), Australia ($9.5 million), Argentina ($9 million), Indonesia ($8.5 million), Italy ($6.7 million), Malaysia ($6.3 million), Spain ($6.1 million), Colombia ($4.9 million), Thailand ($4.9 million), Panama ($4.8 million),[67] Pakistan ($2.5 million), and Romania ($1.7 million).[82] Comparing market-to-market performance,Furious 7 had an opening worth $250 million without China and Russia whileThe Fate of the Furious delivered $228.2 million debut, sans the two aforementioned markets.[67] In Japan, the film debuted with $7.5 million. Although that's a new record for the franchise, the film debuted at number three behind Disney'sBeauty and the Beast (2017) and local filmDetective Conan: Crimson Love Letter (2017)—their robust second-weekend earnings blocked the former from taking the top spot, making Japan one of the few markets where the film didn't open at No. 1.[79][83] The biggest-earning markets are China ($392.8 million), followed by Brazil ($41.8 million), the United Kingdom ($37.5 million), Mexico ($36.8 million), and Germany ($32.4 million).[84] In Peru, it has become Universal's highest-grossing film ever.[85]
The Fate of the Furious received mixed reviews from critics.[86][87][88] On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 67% with an average score of 6.10/10, based on 310 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Fate of the Furious opens a new chapter in the franchise, fueled by the same infectious cast chemistry and over-the-top action fans have come to expect."[89]Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 56 out of 100 based on 45 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[90] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, and those atPostTrak gave the film an 88% overall positive score and a 71% "definite recommend".[6]
Mike Ryan ofUproxx gave the film a positive review, writing: "This isn't my favorite of the series—that's stillFurious 7 (it's hard to top those jumps from skyscraper to skyscraper, but this is a worthy entry). These movies know what they are. These movies know they are fun. These are fun movies!"[91]Owen Gleiberman ofVariety, in his positive review of the film, wrote: "Most franchises, after eight films, are feeling a twinge of exhaustion, but this one has achieved a level of success—and perpetual kinetic creative energy—that's a testament to its commercial/cultural/demographic resonance." He also wrote, "If this series, over the last 16 years, has taught us anything, it's that just when you think it's about to run out of gas, it gets outfitted with an even more elaborate fuel-injection system."[92]
David Ehrlich ofIndieWire gave the film a C− and called it the worst entry of the franchise, saying: "As much a mess of conflicting tones and styles as it is of locations, this setpiece—like the rest of Gray's movie—feels like a heap of random parts that were thrown together in the hopes that fate might somehow weld them into a roadworthy vehicle. But it's not all groundbreaking."[93] J. R. Kinnard ofPopMatters magazine gave a lukewarm review, writing: "It's unlikely that devotees will considerThe Fate of the Furious one of the stronger entries in the series. Still, the filmmakers and actors are clearly dedicated to making a quality product, avoiding the complacency that often plagues action sequels."[94]Richard Roeper of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film two stars out of four, saying: "Moments after Dom has gone rogue and apparently wants to kill them, they're making jokes. As they're racing through the streets of New York City or skidding along the ice in Russia, killing bad guys and narrowly avoiding getting killed themselves, they're crackin' wise. Even within this ludicrous universe, it's jarring to hear these supposedly smart folks, who refer to themselves as 'family,' acting like idiots who don't seem to care if they live or die, or if their friends survive."[95]
Professor of internationalpolitical economy Richard E. Feinberg has commented on the political significance of the film's opening setting ofHavana in the context of shiftingU.S.–Cuban relations, calling the eighth instalment, "Hollywood's love letter to Havana".[96] He writes, "In the Cuban sequence's dramatic climax, Dom wins his hard-fought one-mile race ("a Cuban mile") against a tough local competitor, by a nose. The loser is gracious: 'You won my car and you earned my respect,' he admits to the FF hero. Dom's response is equally magnanimous: 'Keep your car, your respect is good enough for me.' In this instance, FF8 captures the essence of the relations between the United States and Cuba: it's all about mutual respect."[96]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Action | The Fate of the Furious | Nominated | [97] |
| Choice Movie Actor: Action | Vin Diesel | Nominated | |||
| Dwayne Johnson | Nominated | ||||
| Choice Movie Actress: Action | Michelle Rodriguez | Nominated | |||
| Choice Movie: Villain | Charlize Theron | Nominated | |||
| Choice Movie: Ship | Michelle Rodriguez and Vin Diesel | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Saturn Awards | Best Action or Adventure Film | The Fate of the Furious | Nominated | [98] |
| Best Editing | Christian Wagner andPaul Rubell |
Following the positive reception of Johnson and Statham's chemistry in this film and the box-office success of this film,[99] Universal released a spin-off,Hobbs & Shaw, in August 2019.[100]
F9 was released in June 2021. It grossed over $700 million worldwide,[101][102] and received a similarly mixed critical and audience response.[103] A tenth film,Fast X, was released in May 2023.[104] AlthoughFast X was reported as the final mainline installment of the franchise,[105] an eleventh film,Fast Forever (2028), is in production.[106]
The early critical response to the action-adventure is somewhat mixed.
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