The 2023 film ‘Fast X‘ was envisioned as a two-part series finale. That becomes obvious when four interwoven plots and subplots are left unresolved by the end of its 2 hour 20 minute runtime. This is a big movie in scope, size, budget, and cast. And if ‘Fast X‘ proves anything, it’s that the F&F franchise isn’t looking to the future anymore. It is reckoning with its past, one explosion at a time.
The movie opens on Dominic Toretto as a family man, raising young Brian in the ways of the gearhead. But his idyllic life is upended when ghosts of his past return. The entire conflict is rooted in Rio, based on the events of ‘Fast Five‘. Dante Reyes, portrayed by Jason Momoa, is the son of drug lord Hernan Reyes, the man Dom’s crew took down in the Brazilian vault dragging heist. It didn’t just end a criminal empire. It created a dangerous survivor looking to destroy the Fast family while forcing Dom to watch.
Family has always been Dom’s armor, but in ‘Fast X‘ it is also a vulnerability his enemies can exploit. Dante understands that you don’t attack Dom directly. You go after what he loves. The most chilling example is when Dante sends his mercenaries after Dom’s young son while the family is in Rome dealing with the chaos. While Dom is trying to save the world, his enemies are targeting his legacy.
Dante doesn’t behave like a traditional F&F villain. Everything is staged with an artistic flair. The rolling bomb sequence through Rome feels like a choreographed dance of destruction. He is flamboyant, almost playful in his cruelty, and treats chaos like a game. Dante works because he matches the franchise in scale and absurdity.
One theme explored in ‘Fast X‘ is how vulnerable a divided family can be.
Dom is isolated in Rio chasing Dante on his own turf, while Tej, Roman, Ramses, and Han operate out of London under mounting pressure. This separation is not just logistical. It creates tension. Without Dom as the central anchor, the team dynamic feels less stable. Roman leans into humor to cope, Tej tries to maintain control, and Han carries the weight of everything he has been through. The distance forces them to function as individuals, not just as a unit, and exposes cracks that were easier to ignore when they were together.
‘Fast X‘ doesn’t just reference the past, it is built on it. The Rio heist from ‘Fast Five‘ is recontextualized with new angles and unseen consequences. Familiar faces return not as cameos, but as connective tissue tying the saga together. Even locations like Rio carry narrative weight beyond the present moment. The film rewards long-time fans with callbacks, reminding viewers that nothing in this world truly stays in the rearview. With a shot of NOS, it can catch up.
In the end, ‘Fast X‘ is not concerned with being the biggest entry in the series. With international shoots in Rome, Rio, and London, plus a $340 million budget, that is a given. Instead, it asks a more interesting question. What happens when a saga built on loyalty, speed, and spectacle has to confront everything it has left behind?
The sequel, ‘Fast X: Part 2‘, was originally slated for release in 2026, marking 25 years since ‘The Fast and the Furious‘ hit theaters in 2001. That timeline has since shifted, with the finale now slated for March 2028. For now, the story remains unfinished, and the cliffhangers from ‘Fast X‘ will wait 5 years to be resolved.