With the release of F9 on the horizon in the United States, now is the best time to appreciate the long and iconic history of the franchise. Even with such diverse interworking of unique and frequently boisterous characters, each installment finds new ways to properly utilize them.
With eight main installments and the equally fun Hobbs & Shaw, there is a lot of gold to mine. Fortunately, for each primary character in the franchise, there is at least one moment that rises to the top.
Dominic Toretto's 10-Second Car
The first film in the franchise seems fairly quaint compared to the standards set by each subsequent installment. The film, and the franchise as a whole, would not work were it not for the complicated camaraderie between the late Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner and Vin Diesel's Dominic Toretto.
The balance between playing cat and mouse with Toretto and finding him endearing is a great internal conflict for O'Conner. When it comes time to decide between the two courses of action, he hands Toretto the keys to his own car, finally paying the debt of getting Dom a "10-second car."
Brian O'Conner, When I See You Again
Furious 7 was a big movie in more ways than one. Arguably the most important moment in the franchise—even if it was born of tragic means—was Dominic Toretto's (and the audience's) goodbye to Brian O'Conner. With "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa blaring over the soundtrack, audiences the world over said goodbye to both O'Conner and Walker himself as the franchise sent the character off the only way it knew how: with him driving off into the sunset.
Letty Ortiz Jumps The Sha...Highway
While Fast 5 was the installment that began to send the series into the stratosphere, it was this scene in Fast & Furious 6 that arguably made the series jump the shark. But it doesn't just jump the shark, Fast & Furious 6 gleefully jumps over several sharks as Michelle Rodriguez's Letty is thrown from one side of the highway to the other.
While that may not sound like too much for a series that jumps cars between skyscrapers, some in the audience found themselves turned off by the supposed disbelievable nature of the scene. However, it's staged and shot so remarkably that it invites viewers to suspend disbelief in the best way.
Mia Toretto Makes A Great Tuna Sandwich
Another great comparatively small moment in the highly rewatchable original, Brian continuously goes to the Toretto's restaurant in search of a few things. First, of course, is information on Dominic Toretto and his team of thieves. The other, however, is more personal. Brian's chosen form of flirtation with Dom's sister, Mia, is to order the same notoriously awful tuna sandwich every day. There are other restaurants he could go to just as there are other items on the Toretto's menu he could order. But she gets the gist.
Roman Pearce Isn't Excited About Flying Cars
Tyrese Gibson's Roman Pearce is the franchise's fan-favored humorist. Never one to stray from commenting on the outlandishness of the group's exploits, Roman was never utilized better than during the violent mountainside chase in Furious 7.
Before getting wheels on the ground, Roman and the gang have to skydive. The thing is, they're skydiving from within sportscars. This doesn't make it any easier for Roman, who hilariously screams and complains the entire time.
Tej Parker Sees A Tank
Another outlandish moment in the same scene that threw Letty between highways, when Ludacris' Tej Parker exclaims over the mic how their adversaries have a tank, it's crowd-pleasing gold. This is the franchise saying "Yes, we strain credibility and, no, we most certainly do not care."
While it seems that Tej is frequently pushed to the sidelines in favor of other characters like Roman Pearce, Fast & Furious 6 gave the whiz kid plenty of time to shine.
Han Lue's Death
While F9 will seek to retcon this, Han's death in The Fast & The Furious: Tokyo Drift is certainly the most important franchise moment from the oft-forgotten entry.
The timeline for this event became illogical during the post-credits scene in Fast & Furious 6, where it is revealed that Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw killed Han intentionally as vengeance for his brother, Owen. It doesn't make much sense, but in Tokyo Drift, it was a standout moment.
Luke Hobbs Fights Dom Toretto
Surely the best late addition to the franchise's cast, Dwayne Johnson's Luke Hobbs was first introduced in fan-favorite Fast Five as a sort of side villain to crime lord Hernan Reyes. Hobbs chases Dom and the gang throughout the majority of the film, but he finally catches them in Rio. When he does, fans got what they had been hoping for: a knock-down, drag-out brawl between Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson.
Gisele Yashar Sacrifices Herself
Before she became Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot had a brief stint in the Fast & Furious franchise. Introduced briefly in the fourth installment, Fast & Furious, Gisele really got to prove her mettle in Fast Five. Furthermore, she started to develop a relationship with Han.
Her big moment came in Furious 7 when, during the long runway chase scene, she allows herself to fall back into the abyss, allowing Han to keep his life. It's a great, yet quick, moment in a scene filled with them.
Deckard Shaw Takes On Luke Hobbs
Probably the only moment in The Fate of the Furious that audiences remember. When Luke Hobbs is betrayed by Dom and the gang (though, really, it was the doing of Charlize Theron's Cipher) he ends up in the same high-security prison where Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw is being held. When the cells for both men are unlocked, they go at it, and it's perhaps the best fistfight of the series.