The Fast and the Furious franchise is the pinnacle of modern cinema. We know this. Off the top of my head I can't think of another franchise that's been successful on so many fronts. It's profitable, it has longevity, it's got one of the most diverse casts in Hollywood, and most importantly, it inspires loyalty. When Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) talks about the "family"—his crew of friends and drivers, who motivate his every action—he's also talking about the audience. We're not just there to watch car chases and street races, we're there because we care about the family.
How they've accomplished this has always been the question. On paper, there's nothing about the Fast and the Furious world that is any different from your average action film. But after watching The Fate of the Furious this weekend, I realized that the films are essentially based on the classic seven types of narrative conflict, a literary concept that breaks down the main types of central tension in any work of fiction.
So here's a lesson in how the Famiglia does drama.
Note: Spoilers for The Fate of the Furious follow.
Family vs Man
What is it?
Stories with heroes and villains, good guys and bad guys. Your typical source of drama.
Examples
Every Fast and the Furious film has involved the family fighting their enemies, whether it's Mexican drug lords or Japanese mob bosses or Charlize Theron in horrible blonde twists. The villains come and go, but the knowledge that there will be a fresh one every time is what gives life to the series. This is not a Superman and Lex Luthor situation. There is no one Big Bad—or if there is, it's not in the form of a rogue mercenary.
Who wins?
The Family, always.
Family vs Society
What is it?
When the enemy is not a single person but the system, maaaaan. Think of characters struggling with suffocating traditions or a corrupt government.
Examples
For a while, the biggest threat to the Famiglia was the law—Paul Walker (RIP) as Brian O'Conner in the FBI, The Rock as Luke Hobbs in the DEA. When society threatens your existence, what's an outlaw family to do? Make society into your Famiglia! By the end of the fourth film (which many consider the reboot of the franchise), Brian has resigned from the FBI and is busting Dom out of prison. And while Luke starts off as a representative of the law, he eventually calls in the Family to help him, and becomes a part of it in the process.
Who wins?
The Family, but also Society, because Society is now part of the Family.
Family vs Nature
What is it?
The struggle against this cruel and random planet, to which we will all one day return as dust.
Examples
It might seem that a franchise based on cars would not involve much nature, but between the treacherous mountain ranges in Furious 7 and miles of ice in Fate of the Furious, increasingly the biggest threat to the Family is a natural landscape. The threat of the natural world in the more recent films adds tension to what could otherwise be rote chase scenes. Sure, you're being chased by Russians in tanks, but what if you could fall through the ice to your death any minute? (Also, there is a submarine under the ice, because of course there is.) Nature–and submarines–are truly sublime.
Who wins?
The Family. Fuck mountains.
Family vs Technology
What is it?
Similar to a fight against Society, this is a conflict in which technology is not our benign tool. Examples include computers becoming sentient, a computer you built but cannot destroy, and a robot punching you in the face.
Examples
Where would the franchise be without Tej? Ludacris' character is the geek of the Family, if that word is even applicable to a hot street racer who has heisted millions of dollars. He's the one the crew goes to for all their technical challenges, whether it's breaking through a Brazilian vault's security system, making a NOS-powered harpoon gun out of a confiscated weapon, or hacking into God's Eye, the worldwide surveillance system in F7 that made everyone a little nervous about just what information our cell phones could give out. In the latest film, the crew goes up against Cipher (Charlize Theron), who can do things like spy on the crew through ATM cameras and hack into car computers to send an army of driverless car zombies against the crew.
Who wins?
The Family. They have two hackers on their team, and both of them are hot.
Family vs Self
What is it?
The internal conflict of anyone's life, as we all struggle with doubts, self-hatred, and personal flaws. The most emo of all the conflicts.
Examples
The Fate of the Furious hinges on Dom betraying the family, something that gave fans a collective heart attack when the trailers first ran. DOES FAMILY EVEN MEAN ANYTHING TO YOU, DOM? DO YOU EVEN LIKE CORONA?? But the crew fighting each other has been part of the series since it began. While Dom and Brian have pretty much always been family, in the first film they didn't know it yet, and they were at least nominal enemies through the fourth film. Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) has also turned against the crew, though to be fair, she had amnesia and was just living out a bad soap opera version of her life. And now, Dom has turned against his family...for what? Hint: It's also family.
Who wins?
The Family, because what doesn't kill them makes them stronger.
Family vs Fate
What is it?
Have you ever had the sneaking suspicion that your choices are not your own, but rather the predetermined will of a supreme being or force, and thus your very consciousness a joke in the face of a life filled with predetermined outcomes? Yeah, that.
Examples
In Fate of the Furious, Cipher will not shut up about fate, probably because it's the name of the movie. Every single spiel she gives to Dom about why he's betrayed his crew to work for her has to do with destiny and choice and free will and who has the power to create their own future. She may think she has the power to control Dom's fate, but, surprise—he's a magic car beast who will be contained by no one. Or maybe his fate was just to be with his family all along.
Who wins?
The Family, because nobody tells them what to do.
Family vs the Supernatural
What is it?
Magic and stuff.
Examples
Though Dom's hulking, silver cross necklace has played heavily into the plots of the past two films, the supernatural is the only enemy the Family hasn't faced...yet. And we have some ideas as to how that could happen. Ghost Han (Sung Kang) comes back to haunt them, seeking revenge after they teamed up with his killer? A reveal that Dom stole the Car Gem from Thanos and now the crew is going to join the Guardians of the Galaxy? Letty has been a witch this whole time and her secret coven turns on her? (If any of those actually happen, remind us to collect royalties.)
Who wins?
Do you even need to ask at this point?
