Fast & Furious was the first Fast & Furious film released under the shorter title Fast & Furious. The 2009 movie is the fourth main installment and serves as a direct continuation of the original film’s storyline.
Earlier entries used longer titles: The Fast and the Furious in 2001, 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2003, and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift in 2006. The shortened 2009 title was designed to signal the return of the original core cast, including Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster.
The title can cause confusion because the wider franchise is commonly called Fast & Furious. Fast & Furious was directed by Justin Lin and follows Brian O’Conner and Dominic Toretto as they investigate a drug-smuggling operation involving Letty’s apparent death.