Fast Five

Did You Know?

• The Facebook game Car Town allowed players to view the film's trailer in a virtual drive-in theater and race around a virtual Rio de Janeiro.
• Regal Entertainment Group partnered with Universal to promote the film, offering players of Car Town the ability to purchase tickets in-game via Fandango.

Plot

Dominic Toretto is freed from a prison bus by his sister Mia and friend Brian O'Conner. The trio flee to Rio de Janeiro, where they join a job to steal cars from a train. The cars are seized DEA property, and the job's leader Zizi kills the DEA agents. Dom and Brian are captured by drug lord Hernan Reyes, the cars' owner, but escape. The U.S. government sends DSS agent Luke Hobbs to arrest them, as they are framed for the DEA murders. Examining the stolen Ford GT40, they find a computer chip with financial details of Reyes's empire, including cash locations. Hobbs finds their safehouse under attack by Reyes's men; Dom, Brian, and Mia escape after a chase. Mia reveals she is pregnant with Brian's child. Dom decides to steal Reyes's money instead of leaving Rio. They recruit Han Lue, Gisele Yashar, Tego Leo, Rico Santos, Roman Pearce, and Tej Parker for the heist.

Cast

Vin Diesel portrays Dominic Toretto, a professional criminal and fugitive, and was paid $15 million to star and produce. Paul Walker plays Brian O'Conner, a former LAPD officer turned criminal in a relationship with Mia; he performed many of his own stunts, training with parkour professional Paul Darnell. Jordana Brewster plays Mia Toretto, Dominic's sister and Brian's girlfriend, who is pregnant. Tyrese Gibson reprises his role as Roman Pearce, Brian's childhood friend and expert driver; he flew between Puerto Rico and Atlanta to accommodate filming for Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Ludacris, credited as Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, plays Tej Parker, the team's tech expert. Matt Schulze returns as Vince, Dominic's childhood friend who initially holds a grudge against Brian. Sung Kang plays Han Lue, Dominic's former business partner. Gal Gadot plays Gisele Yashar, a former Mossad agent; she learned to ride a Ducati Streetfighter for the role.

Joaquim de Almeida plays Hernan Reyes, a ruthless drug lord; he hesitated to take the role but accepted after speaking with Lin.

Production {{anchor|Production|Development}}

By February 3, 2010, a fifth film was confirmed for production, with Diesel, Walker, writer Chris Morgan, and producer Neal H. Moritz returning. Moritz noted that after Fast & Furious (2009) reunited the original cast, the production wanted to bring them back, though Michelle Rodriguez only appeared in a mid-credits cameo. Diesel viewed the story between his and Walker's characters as three chapters, with this film as the last. The production originally planned to film in Rio de Janeiro but chose Puerto Rico after the government offered nearly $11 million in tax incentives.

Universal aimed to transform the series from street-racing action into heist films with car chases, inspired by The Italian Job (1969) and The French Connection (1971). Chairman Adam Fogelson stated the racing aspect had limited the audience, and the shift was intended to broaden appeal. Lin explored themes of freedom and family, collaborating with Morgan. The idea of heisting a large safe was conceived by Morgan during Fast & Furious (2009) but was incorporated into this film.

Reception

Fast Five grossed $209.8 million in the United States and Canada and $416.3 million elsewhere, totaling $626.1 million worldwide, making it the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2011. It became the highest-grossing film in the franchise until surpassed by Fast & Furious 6. It opened in the U.S. on April 29, 2011, in 3,644 theaters, earning $3.8 million in midnight showings—records for the series and Universal. Its opening day gross of $34.4 million set an April record, and its opening weekend of $86.2 million set records for the franchise, Universal, and April releases.

The film dropped 62% in its second weekend, earning $32.4 million and ranking second behind Thor. On June 4, 2011, it became the first film of 2011 to surpass $200 million in the U.S. It received a one-week IMAX re-release on September 30, 2011. The film was considered one of the most successful sequels of 2011, outperforming its predecessor in the U.S. and Canada.