The Fast & Furious franchise is full of memorable moments that its fans will always cherish. But according to Vin Diesel, the star of the high-octane, action-packed saga, the ending of Furious 7 ranks as one of the best moments in the history of cinema.
The final minutes of the seventh entry in the successful film series were very emotional, to say the least, for both the production and fans alike as it would mark the last appearance of Brian O’Conner, played by Paul Walker. Walker, who had starred in every entry up to that point except for Tokyo Drift, had sadly died in a car accident in 2013, two years before the release of Furious 7.
Like the characters in the film, the actors dedicated to the franchise never leave family behind, and even though their brother was gone, there was no way they weren’t going to give him a proper send-off in the seventh film. Utilizing CGI and old footage, O’Conner was able to not only complete the mission with his crew, but he was able to take that last ride off into the sunset. I don’t think anyone would have ever expected a Fast and Furious ending to make even the toughest gearhead shed a tear, but shocking audiences is what this franchise is known for.
While doing an interview to promote the release of his film Bloodshot, Diesel talked about what that last scene meant to him and expressed why he feels it could be one of the best moments in cinematic history.
“It was a very tough moment. But there was some solace in the fact that we were able to protect from the natural whim of a producer or anyone to say, ‘Well now you’re going to go avenge the character,’ and use it as a plot and we were able to do something so beautiful and so classy. Might be the best moment in cinematic history. Not just in my career but in cinematic history. Men around the world, everyone was able to cry, but men around the planet for the first time in history were able to cry together.”
Diesel and Walker had a powerful bond, and it’s undeniable that the man definitely misses his friend. While many may question the scene qualifications to attain that audacious status that Diesel places upon it, fans of the franchise will agree that it’s probably the best in the history of the Fast & Furious.
Looking towards the future, though, and the ninth chapter in the franchise was set to release in May, but due to growing concerns from the coronavirus, Universal decided to push the film back almost a year. Fans are understandably not thrilled about this move from the studio, but they consider their fans family and if we’ve learned anything from Fast and the Furious, it’s that you take care of family, no matter what. Besides, all the crazy action and insane stunts will still be there when Fast & Furious 9 releases on April 2nd, 2021