The first Fast & Furious film was released in 2001. Titled The Fast and the Furious, it premiered in Los Angeles on June 18, 2001, before opening in U.S. theaters on June 22.
Directed by Rob Cohen, the film follows undercover LAPD officer Brian O'Conner as he investigates a crew suspected of hijacking electronics from trucks. His investigation leads him into the Los Angeles street-racing scene and into the orbit of Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel.
The movie was inspired partly by “Racer X,” a 1998 Vibe magazine article about underground street racing. Made for a reported $38 million, it earned more than $207 million worldwide and launched a major film franchise.
A common mix-up is confusing the original film with 2 Fast 2 Furious, which followed in 2003, or Fast & Furious, the fourth installment, released in 2009.