54: The Fast and the Furious (with Jake Ures)

It's hard to believe it's been 20 years since we were first introduced to Dominic Toretto and his family, but this week on the podcast we're kicking off our month long retrospective of one of the most successful film franchises of all time: "The Fast and the Furious." What began as "Point Break" with cars has now become a lucrative nine-film franchise that has seen names like Dwayne Johnson, Charlize Theron and John Cena join the mix as the Toretto Family has graduated from boosting cars and hijacking trucks for DVD players to fighting terrorists across multiple continents. This week though, we look back at the one that started it all. We're joined by return guest Jake Ures to discuss the purity of the original, how the film influenced shows like MTV's "Pimp My Ride" and the transition the franchise takes from anti-cop exploitation flick to self-aware, pro-cop superhero movie. You can stream the first installment of "The Fast and the Furious" on HBOMax.