The First Fast And Furious Movie Had A Wildly Different Alternate Ending

Watching "The Fast and the Furious" in 2023, you would almost think it had nothing to do with the Fast Saga and merely included some of the same actors. It's not so much the mid-budget aesthetic or early '00s fashion trends — although Paul Walker's blonde highlights are a hoot — as it is the characters and their dynamics. Naturally, the core members of the Fast Fam are more hot-headed and less mature than their older counterparts, but they also feel like sketches to be filled in. In the context of the franchise, director Rob Cohen (who is a bad person) and writers David Ayer, Erik Bergquist, and Gary Scott Thompson's film essentially functions as the pilot for what came after.

To that point, it's obvious nobody involved in making this film had even the slightest inkling of what it would become. Members of Dominic Toretto's original crew are casually brushed aside by Mr. "Nothing's more important than family" and never heard from again. Dom (Vin Diesel) and Letty's (Michelle Rodriguez) relationship is bereft of any real weight, and comes off more like a summer fling than the epic romance the sequels would try and sell it as. Then there's the love of Brian O'Connor's (Walker) life. But am I referring to Dom or his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster)?

Either answer would be equally acceptable, judging by the film's theatrical cut. "TFATF" isn't the queerest "Fast" movie (that honor belongs to "2 Fast 2 Furious"), but it's not exactly difficult to interpret Brian's pursuit of Mia as an unsubtle attempt at deflecting attention away from his not-so-strictly-professional interest in her brother. That was less the case with an earlier version of the film, which brought greater closure to Brian's relationship with Mia and, in doing so, made it feel just a little more meaningful.

"The Fast and the Furious" famously climaxes with Brian trying to arrest Dom before facing off with him in a quarter-mile drag race in which they're nearly smashed to pieces by a passing train (a scene that feels positively realistic compared to anything that happens in "Fast X"). Dom then crashes when a truck abruptly pulls into the road, yet Brian allows him to escape in his own car, reasoning he owes him. It's a moment that cements the pair's bromance while tangentially laying the groundwork for Brian being on the run from the law when "2 Fast 2 Furious" begins.

Originally, however, there was meant to be an epilogue that saw Brian catching up with Mia while she's moving out of the Toretto family home. Upon being dropped off by his ex-boss, Brian tells Mia the police have let him go "quietly" after he let Dom get away, and says he wants "another chance." Mia, understandably, is hesitant to give him one, but Brian takes it all in stride. "We got time," he replies, helping her pack up. Or maybe he just stands in her garage like a slacker, it's a little unclear in the clip (which you can watch here).

Either way, the alternate ending is further evidence the film's creatives approached "TFATF" as a standalone story, much as one would with an actual pilot. This quiet, character-based coda also reflects how much more grounded the film is compared to what came after, hewing closer to a gritty crime-drama than a big-budget telenovela featuring indestructible gearheads. Years later, Jordana Brewster told Insider she didn't even remember this deleted scene before adding that she did recall one where "we're on a car and we're making out." Although really, who amongst us could possibly forget making out with Paul Walker?