Critic's Grade: C-

Frank's film tip: 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS is enough to drive anyone crazy. Start your engines, gang--it's going to be a bumpy ride

Are your engines revved up for some brainless action-packed excitement where shapely studs and curvy babes play daring racing games with the stick shift? Well, for those of you who got a charge out of 2001's extremely popular velocity vehicle The Fast and the Furious starring the muscle-toned tandem of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker most likely will be receptive to this speedy and flashy sequel. In the hyped follow-up 2 Fast 2 Furious, the rubber senselessly burns once again. The dynamics are quite different in that high-priced monosyllabic action superstar Vin Diesel is no longer around for the jumpy joyride nor is director Rob Cohen present to helm the frenzied proceedings. Yet, the premise is pretty much in tact as it features flamboyant street outlaws and their gas-guzzling toys at naughty play.

Sure, 2F2F will probably provide the surge and swagger that will generate the turbo-charged interests of the MTV crowd. And the movie's energetic pounding soundtrack that accompanies the mayhem will indeed stimulate the urban youth sensibilities and add some roguish punch to the raucous story. Still, 2F2F ?s rambunctious road rage schtick is one hot-rod high-wire act that is in need of some serious dramatic alignment. This is one plucky yet pointless speed demon dud that's definitely 2 B 4-gotten.

Filmmaker John Singleton takes over the reigns this time around as he oversees the hot-wheeling happenings. Singleton, no stranger to gritty B-grade inner city fare, lets the chips fall where they may by serving up a landscape of ribaldry more palatable than the original film's first helping. The setting is quite different in that the recklessness previously took place in the mean streets of deteriorating Los Angeles. Now, the gears are switched to the jumpy pastel-colored roadways of South Miami. Plus, instead of Cohen's usage of the verbally-challenged Diesel to drag things down a notch, Singleton was at least savvy enough to tap the services of his Baby Boy leading man in the form of chiseled and charismatic former veejay/model/hip-hop artist Tyrese.

The one main aspect that certainly links the predecessor and this current rapid fire installment together is the continued presence of pretty boy Walker who reprises his role as disgraced LA cop Brian "Bullitt" O'Connor. True, Walker may be polished based on his physical appearance but it doesn't take away from the fact that the bleach blonde-haired actor, despite appearing in a jolting popcorn flick drenched with bling-bling, has all the wooden qualities of a local park bench. Anyway, after Walker's anti-hero O'Connor is sent packing from the LA-based police force thanks to his ill-advised allegiance with former racing cohort Diesel in the first film, he heads to the Southeast part of the country where the Floridian weather and women are carefree, cozy and convenient. Who knows--maybe the change of scenery will be a new start for the live action Speed Racer wannabe?

The one thing that O'Connor can claim with proud affirmation is his prowess for being the Prince of Pavement--that is, his skillful ability to handle the tricky subculture of illegal street-racing. O'Connor has an indescribable relationship with his true "object of affection" in the form of his trusty Nissan Skyline. One hasn't seen this much attachment regarding the treatment of transportation since The Lone Ranger's affinity for his beloved horse Silver (at least Silver can snack on some of the same foods with his human companion once in a while). It goes to show that O'Connor's resourcefulness in the way he manipulates a high-performance vehicle will come in handy once again. Could this spell redemption for the racing rascal? Of course--what else would one expect, right?

Strapped for cash and suffering an urgent need to put the pedal to the medal, O'Connor gets busted by the Miami cops during one of his drag-racing sessions. The law enforcers have O'Connor right where they need him and proceed to set the tone for some conditions that work in their favor. The authorities will "forget" the speedmeister's streetwise indiscretion if he promises to go undercover for them and nab the area's menacing punk Carter Verone (Cole Hauser), the resident crime lord with a flair for kinky-style destruction. Joining O'Connor on this forced mission is former Californian friend-turned-foe Roman Pearce (Tyrese), a strapping and balding ebony hunk that reluctantly accepts the challenge from old sidekick O'Connor in agreeing to join him and become an unwilling operative. In fact, Pearce is involved in his own unlawful quandary (courtesy of his pal and current recruiter Brian O'Connor).

Together, Miami's new crimestoppers Crockett and Tubbs, er--I mean O'Connor and Pearce (sorry, momentary Miami Vice flashback) are coerced into becoming talented drivers within the drug money trade overseen by the vicious eccentric Verone. The deputized duo must work with vivacious customs officer Monica Fuentes (Eve Mendes, Training Day) and keep in contact with her as to what's going down in this deadly operation. Also worth mentioning is that the undercover diva Fuentes is posing as Verone's devoted girlfriend. As if this is not enough to worry about in terms of having her cover blown should a slip up occur, the charming O'Connor decides to take a fancy liking to the sexy insider therefore complicating an already fragile working situation. And then there's the initial question pending about Fuentes and her vague flirtation between promoting the good and being seduced by the bad. Go figure.

Singleton does supply a lyrical ludicrousness that resonates intermittingly during the action scenes, particularly when the mating of bikini-clad beauties and bombastic motor vehicles make for a provocative concoction of eye candy that works diligently on the senses. But when the "need for speed" vignettes aren't bluntly hitting the moviegoers over the head in overwrought fashion, the dumbfounding dialogue is stunningly juvenile and atrocious. It's too bad that screenwriters Michael Brandt and Derek Haas can only manage to haphazardly conjure up a Miami Vice-style big screen clone to go along with the other cliched workings of a typical buddy-buddy spectacle. The prototypical clashing of the salt-pepper leads and their off-kilter personalities, numerous larger-than-life predicaments, suggestive verbal barbs being flung around like tossed salad, exaggerated action-oriented sequences that are ambitious in nature yet recycled, an overactive soundtrack trying to match the hackneyed and hysterical material being put forth--it's all basically a super-charged stew with the familiar ingredients mixed in for a rambling sampling of taste. The problem, however, is that we've chewed this mindless cinematic snack countless times before.

As with the original flick the reservations that I had pertaining to Cohen's excitable narrative definitely applies here in this aimless and stylish frenetic fable. Just why doesn't Singleton take the time to feed into the psyche as to why these determined daredevils are drawn into this adrenalin rush of taking their four-wheeled machines to the limit? Why are they compelled to break the rules in a mainstream society that frowns upon such an ominous activity? What is the rebellious reasoning behind why these indifferent roadrunners are destined to engage in a death-defying stunt that may ultimately claim the lives of other innocent bystanders (and themselves) in the process? One wouldn't mind the visual vitality and guilty pleasure gumption of an over-edited and stagy showcase much like the banal 2 Fast 2 Furious. But is asking for some semblance of pop psychology behind the madness of this motor oil drama too much to handle? Sure, throwaway summertime entertainment doesn't have to be something you digest as a moral message per se and there's nothing wrong with letting the brain cells rest when watching something so ridiculously loud and listless. When you have a capable moviemaker such as Singleton calling the shots, you'd at least expect this vacuous experiment to have some consistent marginal traces of cleverness.

There's no doubt that 2 Fast 2 Furious will commence the audience to finger-snapping in reference to the ultra-cool music video vibe that the film sports so comfortably. Walker and Tyrese will probably capture the hormonal hunger of the female segment while the guys will relish their wild riding antics with an appreciation beyond description. While Walker has no real drive (excuse the pun) in his stiff portrayal as the fast-paced rebel Brian O'Connor, Tyrese does have a grand old time as the flippant quick-witted one of the troubled twosome. Clearly, he injects the brashness needed to keep up with the volume of the mischievous automobiles in this clueless car caper. The supporting cast is probably more noteworthy in what they bring to their roles, especially hip-hop artist-turned-support player Ludacris as the master of ceremonies who sets the stage and tone for the illegal races to take place that ends up as a profitable gig for him in the long run. Hauser is over-the-top as the obligatory flavor villain-of-the-month. Suffice to say, his cockeyed turn is passably crafty. Look for teenage knockout Devon Aoki as one of the estrogen-induced street racers. She courageously demonstrates how turning the sharp corners are not necessarily meant for only the brazen boys.

Maybe pandering to an action-starved audience by ushering out this nonsensical box office hit is an automatic plus for Singleton and he certainly couldn't go wrong by accepting and stamping his name to a sure fire follow-up from an inexplicably sucessful tire track blockbuster from a couple of summers ago. The departure from thought-provoking urbanized dramas such as Boyz N the Hood and the aforementioned Baby Boy must have been a relief in terms of letting down his artistic guard in the name of instant movie receipt frivolity. Hey, if you're looking for the gravy train then why not jump on the fashionable trend of silly souped-up gems that are all the rage and willingly mesh risque rappers, wayward women and carousing cars as a winning formula?

Here's hoping that a gas shortage occurs in the event that filmmakers want to look under the hood in giving consideration to green-lighting another speed bump that is possibly The Fast and the Furious 3: Where's the Finish Line?

Frank rates this film: ** stars (out of 4 stars)

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