Few fictional characters have experienced as much career growth as the ones in the Fast & Furious franchise. Over the years, members of Dominic “Dom” Toretto’s crew have gone from participating in street races and robbing semi-trucks to stealing hundreds of millions from crime bosses and stopping nuclear wars.
Ever since the franchise started in 2001, numerous car-related heists have also been featured, with most of them turning out to be successful. But while some have been basic grab-and-go missions, others were carried out in a manner that left viewers impressed at just how badass the whole process was.
It Starts With DVD Players – The Fast & The Furious (2001)
Characters in the franchise have now gone all the way to space so far but in the beginning, things were simple. The franchise starts with a nighttime semi-truck heist. The goal is to grab the DVD players being ferried in the semi-truck and sell them.
Since it’s the introductory heist, the movie keeps things mysterious by hiding the faces of the robbers. It’s only later on that viewers get to learn that Dom was the mastermind. There are no major complications either, with everything going on without a hitch. But the heist isn’t without its delicious moments, including one where a car keeps maneuvering under the semi-truck, confusing the driver in the process.
Queenie Gets Herself Some Jewelry – Fast 9 (2021)
After getting paroled, Queenie goes back to her criminal ways. She stops by London’s New Bond Street where she steals a million-dollar necklace from a store. She then makes a getaway by stealing one of the most expensive Fast 9 cars, the Noble M600.
Queenie’s double-theft is what makes the scene indelible. Stealing an expensive necklace and then tapping that up by stealing an expensive car is the kind of move only legendary criminals pull off. The police do try to catch up with her but it’s no contest. She flees within seconds, reminding everyone that she isn’t the type of thief that needs a getaway driver.
Dom And His Crew Get Outfoxed – The Fast & The Furious (2001)
Dom and his crew go on what is intended to be their final heist in the 3rd act. They attempt to hijack a semi-trailer truck on a highway but it all goes wrong because the driver has a shotgun. He shoots Vince and fends off the crew before speeding away.
The badassness in this instance is on the side of the trailer-truck driver. Despite having to deal with a formidable crew that consists of Dom, Letty, and Vince, he maintains his composure, alternating between driving and firing shots. Thanks to his valor, Letty and Vince almost die. It only takes a dedicated Brian, who arrives late, to save the day.
Going After The Nightshade Device – Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Seeking to get the Nightshade—a device that can disable a country’s electricity supply for 24 hours—the crew chases after Owen Shaw as he is getting on a plane. They aim to stop him and get the device before the plane takes off.
What makes Dom’s colleagues so good is that they are often quick to improvise. On this occasion, they tie cables from their cars to the plane to prevent so it won’t take off. They then get inside and get the job done, but before that happens, fans see an epic fight sequence between several characters (including Dom and Shaw). There are a couple of scares and a character death but when it all ends, the Nightshade is in Dom’s hand.
Wrecking Ball Mayhem – The Fate of The Furious (2017)
Luke Hobbs recruits “the family” to help the DSS steal an EMP device that’s being kept inside a Berlin military outpost. As German soldiers are pursuing them, the team uses a giant wrecking ball to smash at their vehicles.
The wrecking ball move is an intelligent one because the crew members realize they can’t make a clean escape with all those soldiers pursuing them. The kind of destruction witnessed here is part of what makes these movies such blockbuster hits. What’s even more remarkable about the heist is that there is a twist at the end. Dom goes rogue, stealing the EMP and leaving everyone baffled.
Cars On A Train – Fast Five (2011)
It’s undoubtedly a heist that made fans take the franchise seriously. In it, Dom and his crew try to steal a collection of supercars from a train in Brazil. It turns out one of the cars, a Ford GT40, has an important chip belonging to one of the wealthiest Fast & Furious villains, the Rio kingpin, Hernan Reyes.
The brilliance of this particular heist is in the details. Watching the crew use harpoons to destroy part of the train so as to drive off with the cars is fascinating but a twist emerges. DEA agents happen to be on the train. The cars belong to a drug lord after all. As everything goes wrong, Brian has to play hero and save Mia. But the most badass moment comes when Brian and Dom have to drive their car off a cliff and into a lake. It’s a scene worthy of rewinding multiple times.
Mayhem In The Dominican Republic – Fast & Furious (2009)
The movie opens with the crew chasing after a gas truck in the Dominican Republic and Han doesn’t understand why. In one of Letty’s best quotes, she explains to him that “Down here, gas is gold.”
The heist is packed with wild moments (including the revelation that the truck driver has a pet iguana sitting on his lap). Dom and Han also get to flex their skills by driving in reverse at speeds of over 100 mph, while Letty emulates Peter Parker by jumping from vehicle to vehicle. The conclusion is unforgettable too, with the truck, whose driver has opted to jump out, rolling down the road towards Dom. Audiences fear for him but he doesn’t even blink, waiting until it’s almost hitting him before driving right underneath it.
The Abu Dhabi Sky Scraper Sequence – Furious 7 (2015)
In order to acquire a chip containing the God’s Eye program from the Jordanian Prince, Dom’s crew heads over to his party happening on one of the top floors of an Abu Dhabi tower. Since the chip is inside a car, Dom drives it through two several buildings before he is able to grab the tech.
How exactly Dom manages to drive through several high floors while maintaining his composure is still a mystery. The scene leaves audiences in awe because Dom doesn’t flinch, even when the car’s breaks fail. He and Brian still manage to pull out the chip and get out before the car goes crashing down. The brawl back at the party is an entertaining one too, with Letty emerging as one of the best fighters in the Fast & Furious franchise.
Police Station Raid – Fast Five (2011)
It takes a lot of guts to conduct a heist at a police station but that’s what Dom and his crew do in Rio. Since kingpin Hernan Reyes is keeping his money inside a giant vault at the station, the crew organizes to rip it out using cars and speed through the streets of Rio.
The heist is not only the best in the franchise but also one of the best in the history of movies. Brian and Roman’s coordinated driving while dragging the vault with their Dodge Chargers is truly euphoric to watch. The Rio Police Department suffers plenty of loss as the vault smashes through dozens of its cars. There is a happy ending too, with everyone spending their cut in different parts of the world and Hobbs staring at an empty fae vault.
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