Justin Lin directed and co-wrote (with Daniel Casey) F9 (also known as Fast & Furious 9) the new installment in the long-running franchise that started exactly two decades ago.
It is sort of a sequel to the 2017 The Fate of the Furious (2017), the 9th official installment in the series, and the 10th feature released under the umbrella of the Fast & Furious franchise.
![F9](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/f9_still_6.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1)
For better or worse (I think the latter), it’s the first film since the 2013 Fast & Furious 6 to be directed by Lin, and the first since the 2003 2 Fast 2 Furious not to be written by Chris Morgan.
In its efforts to be multi-cultural and multi-generational, F9 stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Helen Mirren, and Charlize Theron.
F9 was originally scheduled for worldwide release in April 2019, but was delayed several times, due to the releases of Hobbs & Shaw (2019) and No Time to Die (2021), and then the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is now scheduled to first be released in Hong Kong and South Korea on May 19, 2021, and in the US on June 25.
After the events of The Fate of the Furious (2017), Dominic Toretto and his family must face Dominic’s younger brother Jakob, a deadly assassin, who is working with their old enemy Cipher, and who holds a personal vendetta against Dominic.
Short on ideas, this chapter is not about hot and fast cars anymore, or the fine line between cops and robbers?
It’s a far cry for a series that began with a crew of crooks stealing shipments of DVD players. In F9, they’re literally shooting cars into space. Yes, space.
The writers go out of their way to dive deeper into the previously unexplored backstories of the most beloved characters, and delving into themes of fatherhood, brotherhood and betrayal.
To that extent, a big family secret is disclosed, that Dom has an estranged brother, Jakob (John Cena), which forces him to confront his most private and painful memories. In F9, we learn how Dom became the man he is, and why family, both chosen and biological, is so essential to him.
As the story begins, Dom is at a crossroads. Fatherhood has shifted the focus of his adrenaline-fueled existence to a more sedate life off the beaten path. Living on his farm with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and taking care of Little Brian brings new responsibilities. And while Dom feels the weight of it all, Letty, too, is struggling in her new role.
Their strained relationship is thrown into further chaos with the arrival of Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), who inform that the plane of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) has gone down in the Central American jungle with the notorious Cipher (Charlize Theron) in his custody.
The team thus expects the couple to join them and get back into the espionage game. Letty is immediately up for the task, but, to everyone’s shock, Dom opts out (at least initially).
Thematically, the film suggests that there’s no escaping the past, emphasizing the need to come to terms with their backgrounds in order to have hope for the future.