2 Fast 2 Furious: When Straight Movies Go, Uh, Not So Straight

2 Fast 2 Furious is gay.

(Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

I don't mean that in the way my fifth grade classmates meant it when they called me gay, I mean seriously and with no derision intended. I simply mean to say that 2 Fast 2 Furious is about the love between two very repressed men incapable of sharing their feelings. Most of the film, they disguise their love by tooling around Miami in sports cars, working undercover in the mob. But in one fascinating scene, the first the two share together, their unspoken emotions bubble to the surface.

Paul Walker's Brian O'Conner needs to convince Tyrese's Roman Pearce to help him on his undercover work. Brian and Roman were childhood friends who, after a falling out, haven't spoken in years. When Roman sees Brian, the two come to blows and, well take a look what happens next:


I assure you this isn't an Out of Context Screengrab Theater, like I've done before on Termite Art. The scene, even at full speed, involves much straddling and bear hugging and such. Their hearts aren't really in fighting. They look like they want to kiss.


The rest of the movie is forgettable, although I must admit that the original Fast and the Furious, also available in the new "Franchise Edition" DVD that is coming out in time for the new Tokyo Drift sequel, is a far better action film than I remembered it; in fact, I dare say it's blend of mindless action, well-choreographed chases, and airhead acting ("I live my life a quarter mile at a time") is just about perfect. There is plenty of carefully repressed homoeroticism in that one as well.