The Fast and the Furious is a 2001 action film directed by Rob Cohen and written by Gary Scott Thompson and David Ayer. It is the first installment in the "Fast & Furious" franchise and stars Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, and Ted Levine. "The Fast and the Furious" follows Brian O'Conner (Walker), an undercover cop tasked with discovering the identities of a group of unknown automobile hijackers led by Dominic Toretto (Diesel).