2 Fast 2 Furious

Reviewed by EWAN McDONALD

Herald rating: *

The Fast And The Furious made Vin Diesel into a star, such a big star that he doesn't need to pull a doughnut, slam it into second and turn up for the sequel, which is just what the title promises: fast, furious, brainless boy-racer fun.

Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker, who was in the original) and Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson) are sent to work as drivers for a drug baron, Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), with the usual movie-cop promise that their slates will be wiped clean if they deliver the bad guy. Verone sets several pairs of drivers against one other, telling them that he left a package in his red Ferrari about 32km away and that the first team to bring it back will get on his team.

In this first motorway race one car will be crushed under a truck, numbers will be written and assorted, immaterial drivers will be killed before O'Connor and Pearce return with the package.

That sets the scene for the rest of the movie, occasionally varied with crashes between police and TV news helicopters, and appearances from Eva Mendes as Monica Fuentes, an undercover cop who has been on Verone's payroll for nine months and takes the role that her gender is generally assigned in these movies.

DVD features: movie (94min); director John Singleton's commentary; features on actors learning stunt-driving, custom-making cars for each character, interview with rapper Ludacris; trailer for the video game. Or was that the movie?