Fast Five (2011)

Fast Five (also known as Fast & Furious 5) is a 2011 American action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the sequel to Fast & Furious (2009) and the fifth installment in the Fast & Furious franchise. The film stars Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto and Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner, alongside Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Gal Gadot, Ludacris, Matt Schulze, Sung Kang and Dwayne Johnson. In the film, Dom and Brian, along with Dom's sister Mia plan a heist to steal $100 million from corrupt businessman Hernan Reyes while being pursued for arrest by U.S. Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent Luke Hobbs.

While developing Fast Five, Universal Pictures deliberately departed from the street racing theme prevalent in previous films in the series, to transform the franchise into a heist action series involving cars. By doing so, they hoped to attract wider audiences that might otherwise be put off by a heavy emphasis on cars and car culture. Fast Five is considered the transitional film in the series, featuring only one car race and giving more attention to action set pieces such as brawls, gunfights, and the central heist. The production mounted a comprehensive marketing campaign, with the film being advertised through social media, virtual games, cinema chains, automobile manufacturers, and at NASCAR races.

Lin, Diesel, and Walker's returns were finalized in February 2010. Principal photography began that July and lasted until that October, with filming locations including Atlanta, Puerto Rico, and Rio de Janeiro. Brian Tyler, the composer of the previous two installments, returned to compose the score. The film is notable for primarily featuring practical stunt work as opposed to computer-generated imagery.

Fast Five premiered at the Cinépolis Lagoon in Rio de Janeiro on April 15, 2011, and was released in the United States on April 29 by Universal. The film received positive reviews, with praise for Lin's direction, the action sequences, and the cast's performances; it is widely considered the best film in the franchise. Fast Five grossed $630 million worldwide, becoming the seventh-highest-grossing film of 2011, the then-highest-grossing film in the franchise, and set several records related to Universal's highest-grossing opening weekend in several international markets. It was followed by Fast & Furious 6 in 2013.