Top 10 Hidden Details in the Fast and Furious Franchise

“The Fast and the Furious” (2001)
Fans have noticed that the first entry in the exciting car franchise has a few similarities with “Point Break”. Both films feature a law enforcement officer going undercover with a crew of criminals in hopes to expose them. Beyond the premises, the two films also happen to share a distinct location. Brian is finally able to convince Dom to give him a shot at joining the crew at a seafood restaurant called Neptune’s Net. That’s the same eatery where Agent Johnny Utah starts his undercover infiltration in “Point Break”. While having Neptune’s Net in the Fast franchise definitely added to the list of comparisons between movies, it was still a cool nod.

“2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003) & “Furious 7” (2015)
Although “Fast” villains have a tendency to make flashy comebacks, there’s one antagonist return that may have driven right under your radar. In the second movie, Brian and Roman race against a team led by a guy named Korpi. The heroes naturally win it all and walk away with two new cars. But there’s a possibility that Korpi held a grudge. After playing that character, actor John Cenatiempo played a henchman that aggressively goes after Brian and his crew in “Furious 7”. Although it’s unconfirmed, it would make sense if the actor was reprising his role so his character could get revenge. This possible plot thread also explains why Centatiempo’s character gets such a distinctive death in the spotlight.

“Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (2019)
CIA agent Victor Locke was easily one of the most hilarious characters added to the series during the spin-off. Since he was played by Ryan Reynolds, another piece of casting became more hilarious. After Locke recruits Hobbs for a mission, he calls up a CIA Agent named Loeb that was played by Rob Delaney. The two previously appeared together in “Deadpool 2” as the inseparable pair of the merc with the mouth and a guy named Peter. Although Eddie Marsan doesn’t share scenes with either agent, he appeared in the action and superhero films. To top it all off, the director also got into the cast. David Leitch, who directed both “Deadpool 2” and “Hobbs and Shaw”, played a pilot in the “Fast” film.”

“The Fast & Furious Franchise” (2001-)
Despite playing one of the most proficient drivers in the franchise, Michelle Rodriguez didn’t actually get a license until she signed on to play Letty. Jordana Brewster also raced to pass a driver’s test after she was cast. Additionally, Devon Aoki had the daunting task of having to learn how to handle a stick shift car with little formal experience. All three journeys pale in comparison to Nathalie Emmanuel. Although she learned how to drive a car for the 9th installment, the actress still didn’t have a license before she wrapped filming that installment. This made the entire sequence where Emmanuel’s Ramsey struggles to chase another car in a truck a big wink to the audience about the actress’ missing license.

“The Fate of the Furious” (2017)
When the crew needed to get ready for an icy excursion, Tej made the wise decision to take a Ripsaw tank. But we were honestly surprised Hobbs didn’t take that ride for himself. In “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”, Dwayne Johnson’s Roadblock hops in a Ripsaw to take on enemies. As it turns out, both productions used the exact same tank. We’re fairly certain that the G.I. Joe story did not take place in the same world as the “Fast” franchise. However, we think Tej and Roadblock would definitely bond over their taste in tanks.

“The Fast & Furious Franchise” (2001-)
Since the entire NOS fueled franchise is all about family, it’s only fitting that the director got to bring his son along for the ride. While working on the fifth film, it was rumored that Justin Lin snuck his son into the scene where they drag the safe. The young actor definitely appeared as a bystander in the ninth installment. But Oqwe’s biggest contribution to the franchise directly shaped a plot point in “F9”. According to Justin Lin, his son suggested the moment where Jakob Toretto’s car flies off a cliff and is snatched up by a plane. Lin’s son’s ambitious idea made for a great moment and proved that he clearly inherited some of his father’s creativity.

“Furious 7” (2013)
During a fight between Hobbs and Shaw, the DSS Agent hits the rogue villain with a special takedown. Wrestling fans were quick to notice that the hero was using the signature Rock Bottom move that Dwayne Johnson had made famous. While that shoutout to the actor’s career was easy to spot, there was a sneaky blink-and-you’ll-miss-it reference later on. Hobbs chooses to pass time in the hospital by watching football. If you pause and look at the screen, you can see that he’s watching a 1993 college game where the real Johnson actually sacked the quarterback. This one scene made us wonder if Hobbs ever got to see a former football player that looks exactly like him star in movies like “Black Adam”.

“Furious 7” (2015)
Brian and Dom famously went on a mission to get a flash drive out of a car that was inside of a skyscraper. But when Deckard Shaw appeared and tried to kill them, they avoided him by driving through glass and jumping to another building. This iconic franchise scene mirrors a similar beat from 1986’s “Black Moon Rising”. In that sci-film, a former criminal is tasked with getting a vital disc out of a car. When he’s backed into a corner, he plows through the glass and makes a building jump of his own. “Furious 7” definitely upped the ante by adding a second skyscraper to the mix. But the high octane scene still feels like a great homage to the smaller sci-fi film.

“The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” (2006)
As Sean Boswell is learning how to embrace the art of drifting, a couple of local fishermen weigh in on his technique. One of these small parts was played by the legendary Keiichi Tsuchiya. After competing in a bunch of street races, he achieved international fame and was nicknamed “Drift King” because of his mastery of this car technique. Years after rising to the career heights, he made a cameo, performed stunts in and coordinated action for “Tokyo Drift”. The production took their love for the sport a step further by also bringing in Shuichi Shigeno for a fisherman cameo. This famous artist was behind “Initial D”, a long running and popular series that also happens to center around cars and drifting.

“The Fast & Furious Franchise” (2001-)
One of the franchise’s coolest characters fittingly has one of the best surnames. In a quick scene, it’s revealed that the constantly snacking crew member’s full name is “Han Seoul-Oh”. While that aspect of his origin story is great on its own, fans can learn a lot more about his past. Actor Sung Kang played a character named Han in the Justin Lin directed movie “Better Luck Tomorrow”. According to the director, the troublemaking kid in the film grew up to be the talented racer we wanted justice for in the Fast franchise. So, if you ever wanted to learn more about Han Seoul-Oh’s origins, “Better Luck Tomorrow” is required viewing.