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Old 01-13-2008, 08:43 PM   #9
Mindz
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Lastly, a big race does not resolve conflicts. If I went to a top Yakuza gangbanger and demanded to race him to decide who runs this bitch, he would shoot me on the spot. There is no reason to abide by the rules of an arbitrary race since the mobsters in these films do not obey laws of any kind. While the idea of racing for a purpose greater than victory is inspiring an philosophical, racing is ultimately a battle of minds, decided by who has the best knowledge of their car and applying that knowledge by making it faster and better looking. The Fast and the Furious series takes racing as a form of resolving conflict, but the truth is that racing usually ignites conflict and excuses for loss. While that may not affect us Camaro winners, losers and winners alike make evident to us the fact that no one car is supreme. With the right resources and research, any car can be made a monster—not just the wild creations of film producers on a quest to jump start the young automotive aftermarket industry.

I just wanted to get some consensus. I used to belong to a Cobalt site where this type of stuff was viewed as God-like. Never have I agreed, but I just wanted to see what you guys thought of the crazy stuff they pull in these films.[/QUOTE]


I go along with all the other responses, but I think I can guess where the director/producers are getting these ideas.


Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Blur View Post
The first thing I noticed are the gang-related plotlines. There is always a mob or crime syndicate involved in the films, menacing society with their gorgeous cars and criminal drivers. If I were in a mob, I would probably not want to drive a brightly painted vehicle that I show off to the world. Wouldn't such a ride lead to unwanted attention from competing gangs and law enforcement?
Typically, this is what people who are respected/noticed do. This happens alot with some very well-known italians in my area. They will go to church and leave their AMG Merc unlocked with the top down and keys on the seat. No one dares touch it because they know who it belongs to. I think the Yakuza are similar to the mafia types as in everyone knows/respects/fears them so they don't mess with any property of it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Blur View Post
Additionally, the drivers of these cars treat them like beaters, using them to mash other drivers off the road or into obstacles. If I were driving a 350Z with an expensive custom paint job and hours upon hours of motor work, I would not dare slam my vehicle into someone else's car. I would cry if my beautiful monster mobile got beat up like that.
If you could afford a 350z with that custom vinyl sticker job and all the engine work, couldn't you afford to buy another one? In the movie they would gamble with their car collections (Skyline vs. Hachi Roku for wagers). I'm sure he'd rather win the race and save face while just tossing it aside and buying a new one if it's wrecked, or tricking out the new car he won for finishing first.

Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Blur View Post
Moreover, they put an import motor in a classic Mustang!...The Mustang is a direct competitor of the Camaro, GTO, Charger, Firebird, and Challenger in many categories, including power, comfort, and style. To choose the Mustang is to create conflict between those American car supporters. A Corvette or Viper is more unifying as they are a higher tier of car than the Mustang, and everyone can agree that they are exemplary automobiles.
[b]The dad moved to Japan with very little money. Do you think he'd have an old 60's corvette which would have come out when he was 16-20 ish. Do you think he would have been able to buy a Corvette brand new? Mustang is/was a pony car. It was built to be a performance car that most people could afford. The First gen mustangs are hard to find in good condition. A lot of people kept their mustangs garaged after not using it, or picked up a beater to keep as a project car in their garage to bring back the nostalgia. I can easily see why the dad would keep it and work on it from time to time.

As for the engine, the Skyline is considered one of the fastest cars in the world among imports and some have been tuned to reach speeds in excess of 200 mph. The RB26 (Skyline) and the 2JZ-GTE (Supra) are some of the best tuning engines in the world for imports. If they already had the chassis from the Americas, and needed a japanese engine, Why not choose the best from the selection?

Quote:
Originally Posted by The_Blur View Post
There is no reason to abide by the rules of an arbitrary race since the mobsters in these films do not obey laws of any kind.
The Uncle was an overlord of the area, yet he seemed to be dignified and had a great sense of honor. Japanese Bushido dating back to the fuedal era was based around honor. You would not shame your family or you'd be outcast. This aspect has stayed alive through the times and though not always apparant, even some of the nastiest/most sinister villians show some aspect of it. The uncle was probably sick and tired of his snotty kid and wanted to teach him a lesson. Also he probably didn't want to pay for any more of her lifestyle.

Either way, I agree that the movie is very unrealistic. I watch them for the decent car stunts, the nice looking cars (even if facts are mixed up/wrong/crossed), and the nostalgia of actually going to the underground car shows/races. Now that I've been back in the bay, I can't make it to the AZ Deer Valley races anymore. The ones in Chandler were almost as big as the gatherings in the movies though.
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