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All 10 Fast and Furious Movies Ranked Best to Worst

By Tina Charles

The high-octane “Fast and Furious” franchise has taken audiences on a wild ride for over 20 years. The saga kicked off in 2001 and has spawned sequels, spin-offs, short films and even an animated series that’s streamable on Netflix.

There’s so much to love about this fun, flashy and, yes, soapy cinematic universe starring Vin Diesel, the late Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, plus so many others.

With so many films to choose from, and some stronger than others, we’ve ranked them best to worst to help you dive in—and know which ones to perhaps skip.

Note: Spoilers ahead.

1. “Fast Five” (2011)

Director Justin Lin worked his magic to create the quintessential “Fast and Furious” flick with the quintessential “Fast and Furious” cast culled together from the first four movies. The story takes place in Rio de Janeiro, where Dom and team assemble to face a corrupt businessman. This marks the first appearance of Dwayne Johnson’s federal agent Luke Hobbs, who becomes a worthy adversary and eventual ally for Dom.

“Fast Five” is, hands down, pure adrenaline-drenched fun and jaw-dropping action. There’s the epic Dom vs. Hobbs smackdown. The intensely satisfying train heist. The mind-blowing chase on the rooftops. And then there’s the sequence involving the bank vault. The action is unrelenting.   

Where to stream: Prime Video 

2. “Fast & Furious 6” (2013)

Highlights include Letty finding her way back to the family, a Dom and Hobb team-up, epic fights featuring the women of the cast, surprising revelations and a significant post-credits scene.

What really solidifies its place on this list is the action. In addition to a spectacular sequence involving street cars and a massive plane, the movie pulls off what’s arguably the greatest stunt of the entire series: Letty goes flying from the tank, Dom somehow jumps and catches her mid-air and they both crash into a car in one piece.

Where to stream: Prime Video 

3. “Furious 7” (2015)

Multiple villains, ridiculously entertaining rivalries, gorgeous global locales, seriously cranked-up stunts and great one-liners all make “Furious 7” one of the most entertaining installments. It’s tough to beat street cars parachuting off a plane or the Abu Dhabi heist scene where Dom and Brian jump a luxury car across skyscrapers.

Ultimately, “Furious 7” is known for being Paul Walker’s final appearance in the series. The actor died during a break from filming. In a heartbreaking tribute, Wiz Khalifa’s (ft. Charlie Puth) “See You Again” beautifully helped audiences say goodbye to the beloved actor.

Where to stream: Prime Video

4. “The Fast and the Furious” (2001)

The one that gave birth to the franchise. While the stunts are tame in comparison to its sequels, “The Fast and the Furious” sets the tone for the multibillion dollar operation.

This film establishes the diverse family at the center of the madness, as well as the group’s unofficial headquarters—Dom’s house. We witness undercover cop Brian doing what he can to get close to the Torettos. But, most importantly, we learn the true lesson this whole saga is built on: The family you’re born with, as well as the one you choose, is more important than anything and anyone.

Where to stream: HBO Max and Prime Video 

5. “Fast & Furious” (2009)

This one, the third of the film series, is important because it basically hits the reset button. Dom and Brian are reunited. The stunts start to get more spectacular and storylines are introduced that will pay off in later movies. Plus, a pre–Wonder Woman Gal Gadot kicks off her “Furious” run. It feels like things are about to blow up in a great way. It doesn’t quite get there here, but the potential is clear.

Where to stream: Prime Video

6. “The Fate of the Furious” (2017)

The eighth movie, also known as “F8,” changes the game with Dominic switching sides to help a villainous force of nature named Cipher, played by Oscar-winner Charlize Theron. The stunts are stellar, the family coming together to save one of their own is thrilling to watch and there’s a huge plot twist ripped straight from a soap opera. The film’s formula is on point. What makes it number six on this list is that every movie from five to one is either more important to the overall story or, simply, better.

Where to stream: Hulu and Prime Video 

7. “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (2019)

This fun spin-off features two characters who are in the periphery of Dom’s family. Well, Hobbs is peripheral; Deckard Shaw is a complete outsider, even though he helped Dom when it counted in “The Fate of the Furious.”

The Rock and Jason Statham share a good rivalrous chemistry, so pairing them up was smart. Having Idris Elba play one of the big bads was smarter. Unfortunately, the buddy flick doesn’t give off the same family feels as when the Toretto clan of street car racers are front and center.

Where to stream: Hulu (with Live TV) and Prime Video

8. “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift” (2006)

“Tokyo Drift” sheds Walker and pretty much everyone else when it moves the action to Tokyo to spotlight a new cast led by Lucas Black’s Sean Boswell. The movie simply doesn’t feel like a true “Fast and Furious” spectacle, but it does become an important piece of the puzzle. With the introduction and subsequent death of a major character, a mythology is born. The death also brings about an end-of-the-film cameo from Diesel. From here on out, the movies have a cohesiveness that was missing before.

Where to stream: Hulu (with Live TV) and Prime Video

9.“F9: The Fast Saga” (2021) 

On the positive side, “F9” fills in some of the blanks of Dom’s backstory. It also “resurrects” a fan-favorite character. On the flip side, the pressure to top the previous movies is real, especially when it comes to out-of-this-world stunts. But the one that literally sent Roman and Tej out of this world and into space is too much even by “Fast and Furious” standards.

There’s also the addition of popular wrestler-turned-actor John Cena as Dom’s little bro, Jakob. We now know The Rock isn’t coming back to play in the “Fast” sandbox anytime soon. Not sure Cena is the guy to make us forget Special Agent Luke Hobbs.

Where to stream: Prime Video

10. “2 Fast 2 Furious” (2003) 

After “The Fast and the Furious” struck gold at the box office, a sequel was inevitable. Ex-LAPD cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) hightailed it out of Los Angeles and headed to Miami after betraying Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and losing girlfriend Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster).

Having acclaimed director John Singleton behind the lens was a plus. As was adding Eva Mendes, Tyrese and Ludacris to the “Fast and Furious” cast. Unfortunately, Vin Diesel was missing in action, which meant none of the great Dom-Brian chemistry from the first film.

Where to stream: HBO Max

The “Furious” juggernaut still has more gas in the engine. “Fast and Furious 10” is on deck with a “Fast 11” planned to bring the series to a close. 

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