Atestat

You might also like

Download as pdf or txt
Download as pdf or txt
You are on page 1of 29

COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL “NICOLAE BĂLCESCU”

ATESTAT DE COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ


LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

PROFESOR ÎNDRUMĂTOR: CANDIDAT:


GHEȚU PAULA CLAUDIA SPÂNOCHE CĂTĂLIN-GEORGE

BRĂILA, 2016
COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

FAST AND FURIOUS


The show must go on

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 1


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Table of contents
Chapter 1
Motivation……………………………….……………..…………………………………… 3
Chapter 2
Movies
- The Fast and The Furious ………………..………………………….…………...…………….. 5
- 2 Fast 2 Furious ………………………………………………………..………….……….…… 6
- The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift ……………………..…………..……….……….……. 7
- Fast and Furious: Original Parts ……………………….…………………...………….………. 8
- Fast 5 …………………………………………………………………….…..…….…………… 9
- Fast and Furious 6 ………………………………………………….….……..……………….. 10
- Furious 7 …………….………………………………………………………………………… 11

Chapter 3
Characters
- Paul Walker……………………………………………………………..…………………..….. 12
- Jordana Brewster………..……………………………………………….……………………... 13
- Vin Diesel………….....……………………………………………………….……………...… 14
- Michelle Rodriguez ..……………………………………………………………………….….. 15
- Tyrese Gibson………..…………………………………………………….………………….... 16
- Chris “Ludacris” Bridges…………………………………………………………….………… 17
- Sung Kang……………………………………………………………………………………… 18
- Gal Gadot…………………………………………………………………………....…………. 19
- Dwayne Jonhson…………………………………………………………………...……….…. 20
- Elsa Pataky………………………………………………………………………………….….. 21
- Jason Statham……………………………………………………………………...…….…….. 22

Chapter 4
A Real Hero……………………………………………………………………...……...... 23
Bibliography/Webliography………………………………………........…………..……. 28

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 2


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Chapter 1
MOTIVATION

I decide to write about Fast and Furious saga for two resons. The first reson is that I want pay a small tribute
to my idol and, the second one is because of the lessons and messages, which are transimitted by them
through their movies and through theirs work. They are the only one, of course after my parents, who taught
me what is the most important thing in life, the family.

Picture 1 – Family Quote Picture 2 – Family Qoute

Picture 3 – Family Quote


‘I live my life a quarter mile at a time. For those ten seconds or less, I’m free.’ Everyone has their private
world where they can be alone. For me, everytime I am behind the wheel I’m free, doesn’t matter if I stay a
long time there or not. In my mind everything it’s about journey not the destination, because I/you spent a
lot of time on the road alone or with someone.
Someone said ‘The most important thing in life will always be the people in this room. Right here. Right
now’ and ‘You don’t turn your back on family. Even when they do’ that’s why I have a small circle of
friends, but I know they are the good one and they help me and encourage me every time, even it’s a stupid
idea or not.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 3


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Picture 4 – Family Quote Picture 5 – Family Qoute


‘Life’s simple... You make choices and you don’t look back’ you must repeat this every morning when you
wake up, because life is to short to regret something. You need to live the moment, not to think if the choice
is good or not, you will find out in one moment.
‘You don’t realize how much you appreciate something until somebody takes it away’ and that’s the saddest
part from a lifetime and nobody can prove you really realize how much you love somebody until it’s gone.
Almost every day I wonder and think how life would have been if Paul Walker hadn’t died in 2013., He
could have made more movie about this lifestyle. I really want to have a life like theirs in the future; a bond
like theirs between me and my future team mate, and why not I would like to make some people learn
something from me or from my adventure as I learnt from them.
They have everything what a person want: fame, money, cars and a wonderful family… so I want this
type of life too

Picture 6 – All crew Fast and Furious

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 4


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Chapter 2 - Movies
The Fast and The Furious (2001)

Picture 7 – Fast and Furious 1 Cast


The film is based on an article, titled "Racer X", about New York street clubs that race Japanese cars late at
night, although the film is set primarily in Los Angeles. While elite street racer and ex-convict Dominic
Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his crew: Jesse (Chad Lindberg), Leon (Johnny Strong), Vince (Matt Schulze) and
Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez), are under suspicion of stealing expensive electronic equipment by
hijacking moving trucks, Brian O'Conner (Paul Walker) is an undercover police officer who attempts to find
out who exactly is stealing the equipment. He works for FBI agent Bilkins (Thom Barry) and LAPD Sgt.
Tanner (Ted Levine).
Falling for Dominic's younger sister, Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster), Brian later confesses to her his status
as an undercover police officer and convinces her to come with him to save her brother and his friends from
the truck drivers, who have now armed themselves to combat the robberies. He tracks Dominic's location by
triangulating his cell phone signal and they arrive at the hijacking in-progress to find Letty, badly injured at
the car accident, and Vince critically wounded, having lacerated his arm and been shot by the truck driver.
Brian and Mia work together with Dominic, Leon and Letty to rescue Vince. Brian then makes the difficult
decision to blow his cover to the crew by phoning in for a medivac. The revelation enrages Dominic, fleeing
with Leon, Letty, and Mia as the medivac arrives for Vince.
Brian soon follows Dominic to his house and holds him at gunpoint to prevent him from fleeing further.
Jesse arrives shortly afterwards, apologizing for his actions at Race Wars and pleading for Dominic's help
with Johnny Tran (Rick Yune). Moments later, Tran and his cousin Lance Nguyen (Reggie Lee) perform a
drive-by shooting, killing Jesse. Brian and Dominic chase them, with Dominic driving his late father's
modified 1970 Dodge Charger. Dominic forces Lance's motorcycle off the road, severely injuring him,
while Brian shoots and kills Tran. Afterwards, Brian and Dominic engage in an impromptu street race,
narrowly avoiding a passing train. However, Dominic collides with a semi -truck and rolls his car twice,
injuring himself, and rendering the Charger undrivable. Instead of arresting him, Brian hands over the keys
to his Supra and lets Dominic escape, using the line "I owe you a ten second car". After the credits, Dominic
is seen driving through Baja California, Mexico in a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 5


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)

Picture 8 – Fast and Furious 2 Cast


Watched by undercover Customs Agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes), Brian is caught by US Customs
agents and given a deal by agents Bilkins and Markham (James Remar) to go undercover and try to bring
down drug lord Carter Verone (Cole Hauser) in exchange for the erasure of his criminal record. Brian agrees
but only if he is given permission to choose his partner, refusing to partner with the agent assigned to watch
him. Brian heads home to Barstow, California, where he recruits Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson), a
childhood friend of Brian who had served jail time and is under house arrest, to help him. Pearce agrees, but
only for the same deal Brian was offered, and with the help of Monica, Brian and Roman work together to
take down Verone. After acquiring confiscated vehicles and being hired by Verone as his drivers, the duo
return to a Customs/FBI hideout, where Roman confronts Markham over the latter's interference with the
mission. After the situation is cooled down, Brian tells Bilkins and Markham that Verone plans to smuggle
the money into his private jet and fly off, but also suspects something wrong with Monica's role in the
mission.
Later, Brian and Roman race two of Verone's drivers for their cars and begin to devise a personal back up
plan if the operation goes awry. Roman confronts Brian about his attraction to Monica and the constant
threat of Verone's men. On the day of the mission, Brian and Roman begin transporting duffel bags of
Verone's money, with two of Verone's men Enrique (Mo Gallini) and Roberto (Roberto Sanchez) riding
along to watch Brian and Roman. Before the 15-minute window is set, the detective in charge, Whitworth
(Mark Boone, Jr.), decides to call in the police to move in for the arrest, resulting in a high-speed chase
across the city. The duo lead the police to a warehouse, where a scramble by dozens of street racers disorient
the police. Following the scramble, police manage to pull over the Evo and the Eclipse, only to find out that
they were driven by two members of Brian's new crew, former friends, Tej Parker (Ludacris) and Suki
(Devon Aoki).
As Brian approaches the destination point, Enrique tells him to make a detour away from the airfield.
Meanwhile, Roman gets rid of Roberto by using an improvised ejector seat powered by nitrous oxide. At the
airfield, Customs Agents have Verone's plane and convoy surrounded, only to discover they are duped into a
decoy maneuver while Verone is at a boatyard several miles away. As he knew Monica was an undercover
agent, he gave her the wrong information on the destination point and plans to use her as leverage. When
Brian arrives at the intended drop-off point, Enrique prepares to kill him when Roman suddenly appears and
the both of them dispatch Enrique. Verone makes his escape aboard his private yacht, but Brian and Roman
use the Camaro and drive off a ramp, crashing on top of the yacht. The duo manage to apprehend Verone
and save Monica. With their crimes pardoned, Brian and Roman ponder on what to do next other than to
settle in Miami when Brian mentions starting a garage. Roman asks how they would afford that and Brian
reveals that he took some of the money, as Roman also reveals that his pockets aren't empty, having taken
money for himself.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 6


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)

Picture 9 – Fast and Furious 3 Cast


After totaling his car in an illegal street race, Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) is sent to live in Tokyo, Japan,
with his father, a U.S. Navy officer, in order to avoid juvie or even jail. While in school, he befriends
Twinkie (Bow Wow), a "military brat" who introduces him to the world of drift racing in Japan. Though
forbidden to drive, he decides to race against Takashi (Brian Tee) aka D.K. (Drift King) who has ties to the
Yakuza. He borrows a Nissan Silvia from Han Seoul-Oh (Sung Kang), now a business partner to Takashi,
and loses, totaling the car because of his lack of knowledge of drifting – racing that involves dangerous
hairpin turns. To repay his debt for the car he destroyed, Sean must work for Han. Later on, Han becomes
friends with Sean and teaches the young racer how to drift. Takashi's uncle Kamata (Sonny Chiba) (the head
of the Yakuza) reprimands Takashi for allowing Han to steal from him. Takashi confronts Han, Sean and
Neela (Nathalie Kelley), and in doing so, they flee. During the chase, Han is killed in a car accident as his
Veilside Mazda RX-7 catches on fire. Takashi, Sean, and his father become involved in an armed standoff
which is resolved by Neela agreeing to leave with Takashi. Twinkie gives his money to Sean to replace the
money Han stole, which Sean then returns to Kamata. Sean proposes a race against Takashi to determine
who must leave Tokyo. Sean and Han's friends then build a Ford Mustang '67, with a Nissan Skyline inline 6
engine and other spare parts. Sean wins the race. Later, Sean is challenged by Dominic. This film's story
occurs sometime after Fast & Furious 6 with a scene that was later made concurrent with events in Furious
7.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 7


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Fast and Furious: Original Parts (2009)

Picture 10 – Fast and Furious 4 Cast


About five years after the events of the first film, Dominic and his new crew (Letty, Han, Leo, Santos and
Cara) have been hijacking fuel tankers in the Dominican Republic. When their trail gets too hot, Dominic
disbands the crew. However, he is later informed that Letty has been murdered. Dominic returns to Los
Angeles where he finds traces of nitro-methane at these crash site, and tracks the buyer of the gas to David
Park. Meanwhile, Brian O'Conner, who has not been working as an FBI agent, is tracking down a drug
trafficker named Arturo Braga. When Brian and Dominic cross paths at David Park's apartment, Dominic is
about to drop David out the window. But Brian intervenes, and works a scheme where he enters a street race
where the winner would join Braga's team of drivers. Although Dominic wins the four-car race by bumping
Brian's car, Brian later joins the team by replacing one of Braga's other drivers.
The team meets Fenix Calderon (Laz Alonso) who directs them to drive the heroin across the border using
underground tunnels to avoid detection. Brian realizes that the drivers are to be killed following the mission,
and when Fenix reveals to Dominic that he killed Letty, Dominic detonates the nitrous in his car, blowing up
a bunch of vehicles. In the chaos, Brian hijacks the Hummer that is carrying the heroin. Dominic and Brian
drive back to Los Angeles, hiding the heroin in an impound lot. When Dominic learns Brian was the last
person to contact Letty, he attacks him until Brian reveals that Letty was working undercover for Brian,
tracking down Braga in exchange for clearing Dominic's name. Brian negotiates with the agency to free
Dominic if they can lure Braga into personally coming to exchange the heroin for cash. However, at the drop
site, it is revealed that the Braga they arrested was a decoy, and that the real Braga (John Ortiz) has escaped,
fleeing to Mexico.
Suspended from duty, Brian joins Dominic to go to Mexico and in hopes of catching Braga. Although Braga
agreeably surrenders, they are pursued by Braga's men through town and then the tunnels. Fenix hits Brian's
car with a T-bone right outside the tunnel exit, but before he can kill Brian, Dominic drives into Fenix. As
the police arrive, Dominic refuses to escape, saying he is tired of running. Despite Brian's request for
clemency, the judge sentences Dominic to 25 years to life. During the prison bus ride to Lompoc
penitentiary, Brian and Mia, along with Leo and Santos, arrive in their cars and intercept the bus.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 8


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Fast Five (2011)

Picture 11 – Fast and Furious 5 Cast


When Dominic "Dom" Toretto is being transported to Lompoc Prison by bus, his sister Mia Toretto and
friend Brian O'Conner lead an assault on the bus, causing it to crash and freeing Dom. While the authorities
search for them, the trio escapes to Rio de Janeiro. Awaiting Dom's arrival, Mia and Brian join their friend
Vince and other participants on a job to steal three cars from a train. Brian and Mia discover that agents
from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are also on the train and that the cars are seized
property. When Dom arrives with the rest of the participants, he realizes that one of them, Zizi, is only
interested in stealing one car, a Ford GT40. Dom has Mia steal the car herself before he and Brian fight Zizi
and his henchmen, during which Zizi kills the DEA agents assigned to the vehicles. Dom and Brian are
captured and brought to crime lord Hernan Reyes, the owner of the cars and Zizi's boss. Reyes orders the
pair be interrogated to discover the location of the car, but they manage to escape and retreat to their
safehouse.
While Brian, Dom, and Mia examine the car to discover its importance, Vince arrives and is caught trying to
remove a computer chip from it. He admits he was planning to sell the chip to Reyes on his own, and Dom
forces him to leave. Brian investigates the chip and discovers it contains details of Reyes' criminal empire,
including the locations of US$100 million in cash.
Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs and his team arrive in Rio to arrest Dom and Brian. With the
help of local officer Elena Neves, they travel to Dom's safehouse, but find it under assault by Reyes' men.
Brian, Dom and Mia escape; Dom suggests they split up and leave Rio, but Mia announces she is pregnant
with Brian's child. Dom agrees to stick together and suggests they steal the money from Reyes to start a new
life. They organize a team to perform the heist: Han, Roman, Tej, Gisele, Leo, and Santos. Vince later joins
the team after saving Mia from being captured by Reyes' men.
Hobbs and his team eventually find and arrest Dom, Mia, Brian, and Vince. While transporting them to the
airport for extradition to the United States, the convoy is attacked by Reyes' men, who kill Hobbs' team.
Hobbs and Elena are saved by Dom, Brian, Mia, and Vince as they fight back and escape, but Vince is shot
in the process and dies. Wanting to avenge his murdered team, Hobbs and Elena agree to help with the heist.
The gang breaks into the police station and tear the vault holding Reyes' money from the building using their
cars, dragging it through the city. After an extensive police chase, Dom makes Brian continue without him
while he attacks the police and the pursuing Reyes, using the vault attached to his car to smash their
vehicles. Brian returns and kills Zizi while Reyes is badly injured by Dom's assault. Hobbs arrives on the
scene and kills Reyes. Though Hobbs refuses to let Dom and Brian go free, he gives them a 24-hour head
start to escape on the condition they leave the vault as is. However, the vault is empty as it had been
switched during the chase. After splitting the cash (Vince's share is given to his family), they go their
separate ways. On a tropical beach, Brian and a visibly pregnant Mia relax. They are met by Dom and Elena.
Brian challenges Dom to a final, no-stakes race to prove who is the better driver.
CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 9
COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Fast and Furious 6 (2013)

Picture 12 – Fast and Furious 6 Cast


Following their successful Rio heist, Dominic "Dom" Toretto and his professional criminal crew have fled
around the world: Dom lives with Elena; his sister Mia lives with Brian O'Conner and their son, Jack; Gisele
and Han live in Hong Kong; and Roman and Tej live in luxury.
Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agents Luke Hobbs and partner Riley Hicks investigate the destruction
of a Russian military convoy by former British Special Forces soldier Owen Shaw’s crew. Hobbs persuades
Dom to help capture Shaw by showing him a photo of the supposedly long-dead Letty Ortiz, Dom's former
lover. Dom and his crew accept the mission in exchange for amnesty, allowing them to return home to the
United States.
In London, Shaw's hideout is found, but this is revealed to be a trap, distracting them and the police while
Shaw's crew performs a heist at an Interpol building. Shaw flees by car, detonating his hideout behind him
and disabling most of the police, leaving Dom, Brian, Tej, Han, Gisele, Hobbs, and Riley to pursue him.
Letty arrives to help Shaw, shooting Dom without hesitation before escaping. Back at their headquarters,
Hobbs tells Dom's crew that Shaw is stealing components to create a deadly device, intending to sell it to the
highest bidder. Meanwhile, Shaw's investigation into the opposing crew reveals Letty's relationship with
Dom, but she is revealed to be suffering from amnesia.
Dominic's crew learns that Shaw is connected to a drug lord imprisoned by Brian, Arturo Braga. Brian
returns to the United States as a prisoner to question Braga, who says Letty survived the explosion that was
thought to have killed her; Shaw took her in after discovering her amnesia. With FBI help, Brian is released
from prison, regrouping with the team in London. Dom challenges Letty in a street racing competition;
afterwards, he returns her cross necklace he had kept. After Letty leaves, Shaw offers Dom a chance to walk
away, threatening to otherwise hurt his family; Dom refuses.
Tej tracks Shaw's next attack to a Spanish NATO base. Shaw's crew assaults a highway military convoy
carrying a computer chip to complete his deadly device. Dom's crew interferes while Shaw, accompanied by
Letty, commandeers a tank, destroying cars en route. Brian and Roman manage to flip the tank before it
causes further damage, resulting in Letty being thrown from the vehicle and Dom risking his life to save her.
Shaw and his crew are captured, but reveal Mia has been kidnapped by Shaw. Hobbs is forced to release
Shaw, and Riley, Shaw's covert accomplice, leaves with him; Letty chooses to remain with Dom.
Shaw's group board a large moving aircraft on a runway as Dom's crew gives chase. Dom, Letty, and Brian
board the craft; Brian rescues Mia, escaping in an onboard car. The plane attempts take-off, but is held down
by excess weight as the rest of the team tether the plane to their vehicles. Gisele sacrifices herself to save
Han from a henchman; Letty kills Riley and escapes to safety, but Dom pursues Shaw and the computer
chip. As the plane crashes into the ground, Shaw is thrown from it, and Dom drives a car inside through the
exploding plane. Dom reunites with his crew, and gives the chip to Hobbs to secure their pardons.Dom and
the others return to the Toretto's old family home in Los Angeles.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 10


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Furious 7 (2015)

Picture 13 – Fast and Furious 7 Cast


After defeating Owen Shaw and his crew and securing amnesty for their past crimes, Dominic "Dom"
Toretto, Brian O'Conner, and the rest of their team have returned to the United States to live normal lives
again. Brian begins to accustom himself to life as a father, while Dom tries to help Letty Ortiz regain her
memories. Meanwhile, Owen's older brother, Deckard Shaw, breaks into the secure hospital the comatose
Owen is being held in and swears vengeance against Dom, before breaking into Luke Hobbs' DSS office to
extract profiles of Dom's crew. After revealing his identity, Shaw engages Hobbs in a fight, and escapes
when he detonates a bomb that severely injures Hobbs. Dom later learns from his sister Mia that she is
pregnant again and convinces her to tell Brian. However, a bomb, disguised in a package sent from Tokyo,
explodes and destroys the Toretto house just seconds after Han, a member of their team, is killed by Shaw in
Tokyo. Dom later visits Hobbs in a hospital, where he learns that Shaw is a rogue special forces assassin
seeking to avenge his brother. Dom then travels to Tokyo to claim Han's body, where he meets and races
Sean Boswell, a friend of Han's, who gives him personal items found at Han's crash site.
Back at Han's funeral in Los Angeles, Dom notices a car observing and chases after the vehicle, driven by
Shaw. Both prepare to fight, but Shaw slips away when a covert ops team arrives, led by Frank Petty. Petty
says that he will assist Dom in stopping Shaw if he helps him obtain the God's Eye, a computer program that
uses digital devices to track down a person, and save its creator, a hacker named Ramsey, from a mercenary
named Jakande. Dom, Brian, Letty, Roman Pearce, and Tej Parker then airdrop their cars over the Caucasus
Mountains in Azerbaijan, ambush Jakande's convoy, and rescue Ramsey. The team then heads to Abu
Dhabi, where a billionaire has acquired the flash drive containing the God's Eye, and manages to steal it
from the owner's Lykan HyperSport. With the God's Eye near telecommunications repeaters, the team
manages to track down Shaw, who is waiting at a remote factory. Dom, Brian, Petty and his team attempt to
capture Shaw, but are ambushed by Jakande and his militants, and they are forced to flee while Jakande
obtains the God's Eye. At his own request, Petty is then left to be evacuated by helicopter. Left with no other
choice, the team decides to return to Los Angeles to fight Shaw, Jakande and his men on their home turf.
Meanwhile, Brian promises Mia that once they deal with Shaw, he'll dedicate himself to their family full-
time.
While Jakande pursues Brian and the rest of the team with a stealth helicopter and a drone, Ramsey attempts
to hack into the God's Eye while sharing her mobile between their vehicles. Hobbs, seeing the team in
trouble, breaks out of hospital and destroys the drone. Ramsey then regains control of the God's Eye and
shuts it down.
Later, Shaw is taken into custody by Hobbs and locked away in a secret, high-security prison. Meanwhile, at
a beach, Brian and Mia play with their son while Dom, Letty, Roman, Tej and Ramsey observe,
acknowledging that Brian is better off retired with his family. Dom silently leaves, but Brian catches up with
him at a crossroad. As Dom remembers the times that he had had with Brian, they bid each other farewell
and drive off in separate directions.
CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 11
COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Chapter 3 - Characters
Paul Walker

Picture 14 – Paul Walker


Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. Walker began
his career guest-starring in several television shows such as The Young and the Restless and Touched by an
Angel. Walker gained prominence with breakout roles in coming-of-age and teen films such as She's All
That and Varsity Blues. In 2001, Walker gained international fame for his portrayal of Brian O'Conner in the
street racing action film The Fast and the Furious, and would reprise the role in five of the next six
installments. He also starred in films such as Eight Below, Timeline, Into the Blue, Joy Ride and Running
Scared.
Outside of acting, Walker was the face of The Coty Prestige fragrance brand Davidoff Cool Water for Men,
and starred in the National Geographic Channel series, Expedition Great White. He also founded the charity
"Reach Out Worldwide" (ROWW), an organization providing relief efforts for areas affected by natural
disasters. He was often praised for his off-screen charity work and criticized as a performer.
Walker died in a single-vehicle collision on November 30, 2013, alongside friend Roger Rodas. Three films
that he was involved in at the time were released posthumously: Hours (2013), Brick Mansions (2014) and
Furious 7 (2015). The song "See You Again" by Wiz Khalifa, which appeared on the Furious 7 soundtrack,
is a tribute to Walker. The song is nominated for the Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song at the
73rd Golden Globe Awards.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 12


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Jordana Brewster

Picture 15 – Jordana Brewster

Jordana Brewster (born April 26, 1980) is an American actress and model. She began her acting career in
her late teens, with a 1995 episode of the soap opera All My Children. She followed that appearance with
the recurring role as Nikki Munson in As the World Turns, for which Brewster was nominated for
Outstanding Teen Performer at the 1997 Soap Opera Digest Award. She was later cast in her first feature
film, Robert Rodriguez's 1998 horror science fiction The Faculty. She also landed a starring role in a 1999
NBC television miniseries entitled The 60s.
Her breakthrough role came in the 2001 action film The Fast and the Furious as Mia Toretto and reprised the
role in its sequels, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, and Furious 7. Other film credits include the
2004 action comedy film D.E.B.S., the 2005 independent drama Nearing Grace and the 2006 horror film
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, for which she received two Teen Choice Award
nominations. She had a recurring role in the NBC television series Chuck. After guest roles in several
television shows such as Dark Blue and Gigantic, Brewster starred as Elena Ramos in the television series
Dallas between 2012 and 2014

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 13


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Vin Diesel

Picture 16 – Vin Diesel


Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), better known by his stage name Vin Diesel, is an American actor. He is
best known for his portrayals of Dominic Toretto in The Fast and the Furious film series and Richard B.
Riddick in The Chronicles of Riddick trilogy. He also was a producer on sequels in both franchises.
Diesel has also starred in films such as xXx (2002) and Find Me Guilty (2006). His voice acting work
includes The Iron Giant (1999), the video game spin-offs from The Chronicles of Riddick franchise, and
Guardians of the Galaxy (2014). He wrote, directed, produced, and starred in a short film titled Multi-Facial
and the feature-length drama film Strays. He is the founder of the production companies One Race Films,
Racetrack Records, and Tigon Studios.
In 2006, he chose a dramatic role playing real-life mobster Jack DiNorscio in Find Me Guilty. Although he
received critical acclaim for his performance, the film did poorly at the box office. Later that year, Diesel
made a cameo appearance in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, reprising his role from The Fast and the
Furious.
In 2007, Diesel was set to produce and star as Agent 47 in the film adaptation of the video game Hitman, but
eventually pulled back and served as executive producer on the film instead. In 2008, he starred in the
science-fiction action thriller Babylon A.D.. Diesel returned to the The Fast and the Furious series, alongside
all the actors from the original film, in Fast & Furious, which was released in April 2009.
Diesel reprised his role as Dominic Toretto in the fifth, sixth and seventh installments in The Fast and the
Furious franchise, Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Furious 7 (2015). He reprised his role as
Riddick in the third film of the Riddick series, simply titled Riddick (2013). In August 2013, Diesel received
a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 14


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Michelle Rodriguez

Picture 17 – Michelle Rodriguez


Mayte Michelle Rodriguez (born July 12, 1978), better known as Michelle Rodriguez, is an American
actress, screenwriter and DJ. She got her breakout role as a troubled boxer in the independent film Girlfight
(2000), which was met with critical acclaim and earned her several awards, including the Independent Spirit
Award and Gotham Award for Best Debut Performance. The following year, she starred as Letty Ortiz in the
blockbuster film The Fast and the Furious (2001), reprising her role in its sequels, Fast & Furious (2009),
Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Furious 7 (2015).
During her career, Rodriguez has played tough, independent women in a number of successful action films,
such as Blue Crush, S.W.A.T., Battle: Los Angeles and Avatar. She is also known for her roles as Shé in the
action comedy films Machete and Machete Kills, and Rain Ocampo in the science fiction films Resident
Evil and Resident Evil: Retribution.
Rodriguez also branched into television, playing Ana Lucia Cortez in the second season of the television
series Lost as part of the main cast before making numerous guest appearances before the series ended. She
has also done numerous voice work in video games such as Call of Duty and Halo, and lent her voice for the
3D animated film Turbo and the television series IGPX.
With her films grossing over US$5 billion collectively, a 2013 Entertainment Weekly article described
Rodriguez as "arguably the most iconic actress in the action genre, as well as one of the most visible Latinas
in Hollywood".

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 15


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Tyrese Gibson

Picture 18 – Tyrese Gibson


Tyrese Darnell Gibson (born December 30, 1978), also known mononymously as Tyrese, is an American
Grammy-nominated R&B singer, songwriter, actor, author, television producer, former fashion model and
MTV VJ. He is best known for his roles as Joseph "Jody" Summers in Baby Boy and as Roman Pearce in
the The Fast and the Furious series. After releasing several albums, he transitioned into films, with lead roles
in several major Hollywood releases.
Gibson rose to prominence as an actor when he starred in John Singleton's Baby Boy in 2001.
Gibson is best known for playing Roman Pearce in 2 Fast 2 Furious, the 2003 sequel to The Fast and the
Furious alongside fellow friend and actor Paul Walker and Eva Mendes. Singleton once again directed the
blockbuster hit and in 2005 they collaborated for the third time when Gibson co-starred in the action-crime
drama Four Brothers alongside Mark Wahlberg. He went on to star in the action-drama Waist Deep with
Meagan Good.
In 2007, Gibson landed his biggest role when he co-starred with Shia LaBeouf, and the ensemble cast of
Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Megan Fox, Anthony Anderson and Jon Voight in Transformers, directed and
co-produced by Michael Bay. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer and the film went on to making
nearly $710 million worldwide. In 2008, he co-starred opposite Jason Statham in Death Race. Gibson
returned once again for the sequels to Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) &
Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011). In 2011 he returned as Roman Pearce in Fast Five, and played the
character again in the films Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Furious 7 (2015).

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 16


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges

Picture 19 – Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges


Christopher Brian "Chris" Bridges (born September 11, 1977), better known by his stage name Ludacris, is
an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-
founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Ludacris has won Screen
Actors Guild, Critic's Choice, MTV, and Grammy Award awards during his career. Along with fellow
Atlanta based rappers Big Boi and André 3000 of OutKast, Ludacris was one of the first and most influential
Dirty South artists to achieve mainstream success during the early 2000s.
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia at age nine, where he began rapping. After
a brief stint as a DJ, he released his first album Incognegro in 1999 followed by Back for the First Time in
2000, which contained the singles "Southern Hospitality" and "What's Your Fantasy". In 2001, he released
Word of Mouf, followed by Chicken-n-Beer in 2003 and The Red Light District in 2004. He took a more
serious approach with his next two albums, Release Therapy (2006), and Theater of the Mind (2008). His
next record, Battle of the Sexes, was released in 2010 and featured the tone of his previous albums.
Ludaversal was released on March 31, 2015. As an actor, he has appeared in films including Crash (2004),
Gamer (2009), and New Year's Eve (2011), but is best known for playing Tej Parker in the The Fast and the
Furious film series.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 17


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Sung Kang

Picture 20 – Sung Kang

Kang was born Gainesville, Georgia, to South Korean immigrants. His first major role was in Better Luck
Tomorrow, in which he played Han, an aloof gang member. He was one of the stars in The Motel, in which
he played Sam Kim. He became a recurring character in his role of Han in The Fast and the Furious film
series, appearing in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6 and
Fast & Furious 7. He also had a role in Jet Li's film War playing an FBI agent, and was featured as Doran, a
son of Genghis Khan, in the movie Forbidden Warrior. On MADtv, Sung has played the recurring role of
the narcissistic President Gin Kew Yun Chun Yew Nee in the Korean drama parody, "Tae Do (Attitudes and
Feelings, Both Desirable and Sometimes Secretive)." Kang also had a small role in the action movie Live
Free or Die Hard. In 2013, Kang appeared as Detective Taylor Kwon in Walter Hill's movie Bullet to the
Head (2013), opposite Sylvester Stallone.
Kang is featured in the music video "Lie" for the Korean band g.o.d.
He owned a restaurant called Saketini in Brentwood, Los Angeles, California which closed in early 2013.
Kang says that before he was cast as Han in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift he was unaware of the
drifting culture that existed in Japan. It was not until he began researching for the part that he perfected his
skills in this popular sport which is a global craze.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 18


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Gal Gadot

Pictures 21 – Gal Gadot


Gal Gadot (born 30 April 1985) is an Israeli actress and fashion model. Gadot is known for her role as
Gisele in The Fast and the Furious film series.
At the age of 19, she attended and won the 2004 Miss Israel competition. After winning, she travelled to
Ecuador to compete in the Miss Universe pageant. She did not place in the top 15. At the age of 19, Gadot
joined the Israeli Army. Throughout her two-year service term in the Israel Defense Forces, she also worked
as a model. She subsequently started at university, studying law, until she was called to audition for the part
of Bond girl Camille Montes in the film Quantum of Solace, as a result of which the casting directors instead
hired her for Fast & Furious.
In 2008, Gadot starred in the Israeli drama Bubot. She appeared as Gisele in Fast & Furious, the fourth film
in The Fast & the Furious franchise, having won the role over six other actresses. She did all her own stunts
in the Fast & Furious films. says "I think the main reason was that Justin Lin really liked that I was in the
military, and he wanted to use my knowledge of weapons." Of her role in the films, she says: "There aren't
enough good roles for strong women. I wish we had more female writers. Most of the female characters you
see in films today are ‘the poor heartbroken girl.’ That’s why I’m so proud of the Fast movies. I feel like
Gisele is an empowering woman." In 2010, she had a small role in the action-adventure Knight and Day.
Earlier that year, she appeared in the film Date Night as Natanya, the girlfriend of Mark Wahlberg's
character. 2011 brought her back to The Fast & the Furious franchise, reprising her role as Gisele in Fast
Five. In 2013, Gadot played Gisele again in Fast & Furious 6, where her character sacrifices her life to save
her lover.
In December 2013, DC Entertainment announced that Gadot has been cast as Wonder Woman in the
upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and is signed for two future sequels which include
the Justice League and a solo Wonder Woman film. Gadot received sword fighting, kick-boxing, capoeira
and jiu-jitsu training in preparation for the role.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 19


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Dwayne Johnson

Picture 22 – Dwayne Johnson


Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American and
Canadian actor, producer and semi-retired professional wrestler, signed with WWE. Johnson was a college
football player for the University of Miami, winning a national championship on the 1991 Miami Hurricanes
football team. He later played for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League, and was cut two
months into the 1995 season.
In 2011, Johnson appeared in the fifth film of The Fast and the Furious film series, Fast Five, as Luke
Hobbs, a Diplomatic Security Service agent assigned to hunt down the series' protagonists. Johnson landed
the role after series star Vin Diesel read comments and feedback from fans, one of whom wanted to see
Diesel and Johnson in a movie together. Johnson, a fan of the franchise, had wanted to work with Universal
again after they had given him his first film roles. Fast Five grossed over $86 million in its opening
weekend, the biggest opening for a Fast & Furious film, the biggest opening for an April release, and the
biggest opening for a Johnson movie
In 2012, Johnson starred in Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. He starred in the 2013 film Snitch, which
opened to mixed reviews; however, Johnson's performance was praised. He played Roadblock in G.I. Joe:
Retaliation in 2013, and reprised his role as Luke Hobbs, in Fast & Furious 6, the same year. He starred in
Pain & Gain and Empire State in 2013. In addition to these films, Johnson hosted and produced the reality
competition/game show series The Hero, on TNT. He won the Favorite Male Buttkicker Award at the 2013
Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards on March 23, 2013. In May 2013, it was announced that he would
produce and star in Ballers, a HBO comedy-drama series about athletes living in Miami.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 20


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Elsa Pataky

Picture 23 – Elsa Pataky


Elsa Lafuente Medianu (born 18 July 1976), known professionally as Elsa Pataky, is a Spanish model,
actress, and film producer. Pataky is best known for her role as Elena Neves in Fast Five (2011), Fast &
Furious 6 (2013) and Furious 7 (2015). She has appeared in the films Snakes on a Plane (2006), Giallo
(2009) and Give 'Em Hell, Malone (2009). She also starred in the Spanish film Di Di Hollywood in 2010.
Pataky was a member of the Madrid theatre company Teatro Cámara de Ángel Gutiérrez. Eventually, she
left school when she was cast in the television series Al salir de clase. Some of her subsequent films were
co-productions with the UK and France, which introduced her to working in English and French. She was in
the cast of the television series Queen of Swords (2000) as Señora Vera Hidalgo, trophy wife of Gaspar
Hidalgo and mistress of Captain Grisham, credited in the opening titles but appearing in only 14 of the 22
episodes. She also had a recurring role in the television series Los Serrano, playing teacher Raquel, who fell
in love with her student Marcos (Fran Perea).
Pataky became the female face for the first collection of Time Force's jewelry line Ultimate Jewel, opposite
soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. She played Officer Elena Neves in the movie Fast Five, with Dwayne
Johnson as her partner, Luke Hobbs. MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the Breakout Stars
to Watch for in 2011. Pataky was a stand in for Natalie Portman in the post end credit scene in Thor: The
Dark World.
In 2013 and 2015, she reprised her role as Elena Neves in Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7, the sixth and
seventh installment of The Fast and the Furious film series.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 21


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Jason Statham

Picture 24 – Jason Statham


Jason Statham (born 26 July 1967) is an English actor, martial artist, and former diver. He is known for his
roles in the Guy Ritchie crime films Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000), and
Revolver (2005). He has also appeared in films such as the action thriller The Transporter trilogy (2002–08),
the heist film The Italian Job (2003), the black comedy/action film Crank (2006), the action film War
(2007), the science fiction action thriller Death Race (2008), the crime film The Bank Job (2008), and the
action series The Expendables (2010–2014). In 2015, Statham starred in the latest entry in the The Fast and
the Furious franchise, Furious 7, and made his comedic debut role in the Melissa McCarthy film, Spy. He
usually performs his own stage combat and stunts, and is noted for being typecast as an antihero.
Statham was offered more film roles, and in 2002 he was cast as the lead role of driver Frank Martin in the
action movie The Transporter, in which he was responsible for his own stunts (Statham has made this choice
for all of his films). He has studied Wing Chun kung fu, karate, and kickboxing. The film spawned two
sequels, Transporter 2 (2005) and Transporter 3 (2008).
In 2010, Statham appeared alongside fellow action stars Sylvester Stallone, Jet Li and Mickey Rourke,
among others in The Expendables. Statham plays Lee Christmas, a former SAS soldier and expert at close
quarters combat using knives. In 2011, Statham starred in the remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film, The
Mechanic, and returned to British film in the police drama Blitz.
He reprised his role as Lee Christmas in The Expendables 2 in 2012. In 2013, Statham had a cameo
appearance at the end of Fast & Furious 6 as the brother of the film's antagonist Owen Shaw (Luke Evans).
He reprised the character, this time as the main antagonist, in Furious 7, which was released in April 2015.
In 2013, he also starred opposite James Franco in the thriller Homefront, and headlined the British thriller
Hummingbird. Statham made a cameo in the 2014 music video Summer of Calvin Harris as one of the car
racers. In 2014, he returned as Lee Christmas in The Expendables 3, and in 2015, appeared in the action
comedy Spy.
Statham has advocated for stunt performers to be given their own category at the Oscars.
CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 22
COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Chapter 4 - A Real Hero


Paul Walker – Fast and Furious – Global Phenomen – Pay Tribute

Paul Walker: the heart of the Fast & Furious franchise

We bid a sad farewell to Paul Walker, and salute his contribution to the Fast & Furious
franchise, and his outstanding charity work...
In the 2003 sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious, a daredevil race through the streets of Miami ends with its petrol head
hero Brian O’Conner sliding his car sideways across the finish line, the supercharged Nissan skidding to a
halt mere inches from the cheering crowd.
That stunt was performed by actor Paul Walker himself, and the supercharged Nissan Skyline was his own.
It’s evidence not only of Walker’s skill as a driver, but also the amount of dedication he put into his role in
the Fast & Furious franchise, which began only two years before.
Born in Southern California in 1973, Walker’s career as an actor began when he was still a child, with TV
shows including Who’s The Boss? and Highway To Heaven marking his first screen appearances in the
1980s, before he landed a series of supporting roles in films such as Pleasantville and She’s All That in the
90s.
It was 2001‘s The Fast And The Furious, which paired him with the larger-than-life screen presence of Vin
Diesel, which broke Walker into the mainstream. Although widely regarded as a B-movie, inspired as it was
by a magazine article about illegal street racing, The Fast And The Furious proved to be a hit with
audiences.
The film introduced Walker’s character Brian, an LAPD undercover cop who infiltrates a street racing gang
led by Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, only to become intoxicated by its culture of fast cars and pure shots of
racing adrenaline.
Despite his uncommonly good looks, Walker exuded an easy-going, everyman type of charisma, and it was
arguably this, paired with Diesel’s growling machismo, that made the first film the success it was.
Even without the presence of Diesel, the 2003 sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious was another hit, placing Walker’s cop
on the trail of a vicious drug runner in Miami. Introducing Tyrese Gibson as O’Conner’s new car-obsessed
partner, 2 Fast 2 Furious fixed in place many of the elements that would make the franchise a growing
phenomenon over the next decade: a boyish fascination with over-the-top stunts, implausible thriller plots,
and an underlying, knowing sense of humour.
The 2006 sequel The Fast And The Furious: Tokyo Drift was the only series entry not to star Walker, and
was only moderately successful with audiences. But Tokyo Drift also introduced director Justin Lin to the
series, and he played a key role in its explosive return to form in the years that followed.
Fast & Furious, released in 2009, brought back Walker, Diesel and several other characters from the first
movie, and marked the start of a new era for the franchise. Better than any other director so far, Lin
understood what it was that made these films a hit with cinema-goers: beneath all the stunts and action, the
Fast franchise is about an unlikely family of outlaws, and how their friendship thrives in the face of danger.
It was this sense of friendship that again provided the focus in 2011‘s Fast Five, in which Diesel and
Walker’s family of outlaws, now older but not much wiser, attempted to pull off a daring bank heist in Rio
De Janeiro. The film’s studio, Universal, put aside the biggest budget yet for the fourth sequel, but the
investment proved to be a shrewd one. Buoyed by the introduction of Dwayne Johnson as the improbably
beefed-up cop on its heroes’ trail, Fast Five became the biggest hit in the series so far, making more than
$600m worldwide.
CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 23
COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

This year’s Fast & Furious 6 was an even bigger hit, with its action-thrilled tour across Europe helping to
bring in an estimated $788m.
By this point, the Fast franchise had travelled far from its racing origins, with heist, gangsters and revenge
now taking centre stage in the stories. But still, that good-natured warmth remained, and Walker’s likeable,
generous presence was a huge part of that. Even when surrounded by a crowded ensemble of martial arts
stars, ex-models and former MMA fighters, as he was in Fast & Furious 6, Walker remained the laid-back
spark in the middle of it all.
Walker’s generosity also extended to his life away from the big screen, and it’s tragic that, when he died in a
a car accident on the 30th November 2013, he was raising money for his charity Reach Out Worldwide, a
disaster relief organisation he helped set up in 2010 following the earthquakes in Haiti.
At this stage, it’s too early to say how Walker’s untimely death will affect Fast & Furious 7, which is
currently in production and was originally scheduled for release in the summer of 2014, or the projected
sequels Universal had planned for the coming years. But without Walker, the franchise’s family is left with
an empty chasm at its core.
As that car-sliding stunt near the start of 2 Fast 2 Furious proved, Walker was the beating heart of a
franchise that was all about the love of adrenaline and facing danger with a broad smile.
The Fast franchise will likely continue, but Paul Walker will never be replaced!

Paul Walker lived, and died, in the fast lane

Picture 25 - A fan signs a memorial board


The Fast & Furious actor symbolised America's love affair with the automobile

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 24


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

The actor found fame in the Fast & Furious film series, which took modified car culture – still a niche
interest 15 years ago – and made it the subject of one of the most high-powered franchises in the history of
popular cinema.
He started out as a jobbing television actor, and had a handful of supporting roles in films such as She’s All
That and Pleasantville, but his break came in 2001 when, in the original The Fast and the Furious, he
climbed into the driver’s seat of a Mitsubishi Eclipse GTS.
Something clicked. Like Steve McQueen and Barry Newman, Walker simply looked good behind the wheel
of a fast car. From that moment, the role of the driver dominated his career: not only in the Fast & Furious
films, but also in B-movies like Joy Ride, which was released in Britain under the title Roadkill and Vehicle
19.
His work didn’t tend to excite critics, although the success of the Fast & Furious series is a woefully under-
analysed phenomenon. What’s more, Walker’s central position in it – only Vin Diesel has appeared in as
many instalments – played a vital part in making it an extraordinary hit.
With his blond hair and ice-blue eyes, his character, the undercover LAPD detective Brian O’Conner, was
introduced as an audience surrogate – a familiar face for white, middle-class teenagers intrigued by the
ethnically rich and threateningly urban street racing culture.
But as the franchise progressed, Walker simply became one of the gang, alongside Diesel, Jordana Brewster,
Michelle Rodriguez and latterly, Dwayne Johnson. Magazine-handsome, he was always happy to send up
his pretty-boy image: in the most recent film, Diesel’s character referred to him affectionately as “the most
beautiful blonde here”.
There is a ghoulish irony in the fact that Walker died in a car crash, as the passenger in a friend’s red
Porsche GT – and his death may well trigger another debate about the example films like Fast & Furious set
to their young audience, as if even its stars, let alone viewers, are unable to tell reality and fantasy apart.
Which is of course, nonsense: Fast & Furious may be a recent phenomenon, but when those lines by
Faulkner were published in 1948, with American car culture still in its infancy, the open road was already a
symbol of escape. Escapism was what Walker lived for, and it was his life’s work.
Paul Walker: friends and car fans pay tribute to Fast & Furious actor
Up to 5,000 people attend memorial for Paul Walker, the Fast & Furious actor who died in a car
crash

Picture 26 - Tribute

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 25


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

The sounds of high-performance car engines filled the air on Sunday as thousands of fans, friends and car
enthusiasts headed to the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita to pay tribute to Paul Walker at the site where
the “Fast & Furious” actor died in a car crash.
The memorial was scheduled to begin at noon, but mourners began arriving hours beforehand to leave
flowers, candles, stuffed animals and other tributes.
By afternoon, about 5,000 people, including entire families with children, dropped by, Los Angeles County
Sheriff's Capt Mike Parker said, adding that the gathering was mostly peaceful.
Many arrived in cars built for speed, and the sounds of engines revving echoed close to where Walker and
his friend died on Nov. 30. The event concluded Sunday evening with a cruise through the area 30 miles
northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
Walker, 40, was killed when the Porsche Carrera GT he was riding in smashed into a light pole and tree and
then burst into flames. The actor's friend and financial adviser, Roger Rodas, who was driving, also died.
Authorities say speed was a factor in the crash.
The two had bonded over a passion for fast cars. They co-owned an auto racing team named after Rodas'
custom car shop, Always Evolving, and Rodas, 38, drove professionally for the team on the Pirelli World
Challenge circuit this year.

Picture 27 - Tribute
A fan places a poster onto tributes during a memorial rally near the site where Paul Walker and Roger Rodas died
in Valencia, California

Picture 28 - A poster of actor Paul Walker lies on top of flowers and other mementos left by fans
CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 26
COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Paul Walker's Fast and Furious hits - US actor Paul Walker rose to fame playing
undercover agent Brian O'Conner in no less than five Fast & Furious movies
The first film of the franchise was released in 2001 and the seventh is currently in development.
The 40-year-old star of the films Paul Walker was killed as a passenger in a Porsche which hit a lamppost
and burst into flames in Los Angeles.
The big-budget film had been on a production break over the Thanksgiving weekend, on the Saturday of
which Walker died in a car crash.
He was due to return to the film set in Atlanta, with fellow cast members Vin Deisel and Dwayne Johnson,
the next day to resume shooting.
MTV Movie Awards: Vin Diesel sings tribute to Paul Walker - Vin Diesel pays tribute to his late Fast and
Furious co-star and friend Paul Walker at the MTV Movie Awards by singing See You Again.

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 27


COLEGIUL NAȚIONAL NICOLAE BĂLCESCU ATESTAT COMPETENȚĂ LINGVISTICĂ LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

Webliography

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/paul-walker/28425/paul-walker-the-heart-of-the-fast-furious-
franchise
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/11531901/MTV-Movie-Awards-Vin-Diesel-sings-
tribute-to-Paul-Walker.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/10486891/Paul-Walker-lived-and-died-in-the-fast-lane.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newsvideo/celebrity-news-video/10488062/Paul-Walkers-Fast-and-
Furious-hits.html
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/10505193/Paul-Walker-friends-and-
car-fans-pay-tribute-to-Fast-and-Furious-actor.html

http://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2013/dec/09/paul-walker-memorial-california-pictures

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2_Fast_2_Furious
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwayne_Johnson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elsa_Pataky
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_%26_Furious_(2009_film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_%26_Furious_6
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_Five
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Furious_7
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gal_Gadot
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_Statham
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordana_Brewster
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludacris
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Rodriguez
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Walker
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sung_Kang
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fast_and_the_Furious:_Tokyo_Drift
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fast_and_the_Furious_(2001_film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrese_Gibson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vin_Diesel

CĂTĂLIN - GEORGE SPÂNOCHE 28

You might also like