The Ending Of Fast Five Explained

The Fast and Furious franchise used to be about car racing. At some point, though, the focus of the series changed. By the time audiences saw Fast Five, the movies still featured plenty of cars, but the storylines became more about daring heists and other criminal escapades. 

In Fast Five, for the first time in the series, the movie features Dom (Vin Diesel) assembling a crew of expert criminals that are pulled from previous installments in the franchise. The result was a truly thrilling film, one that perfected what the franchise would become in subsequent installments. Like all great heist movies, Fast Five features several outstanding action sequences, and a reveal that shows you how the entire heist came together. Dom and his crew have a plan, and they execute it to perfection, fooling everyone in the process. 

The details of that ending may seem complicated, but if you watch carefully, every aspect of the finale makes perfect sense. Although it was technically the fifth film in the franchise, Fast Five was the installment that changed the direction of the series forever. It's the best film, and it definitely has the best ending.

The theft at the center of Fast Five is, essentially, a massive amount of cash. Crime lord Herman Reyes is in league with the police in Rio de Janeiro, and has stashed $90 million in the police vault. Although stealing the money from the vault initially seems impossible, Dom's crew eventually decides to raid the building and physically remove the vault from the police station.  

Then, the movie transforms into an extended car chase as Dom and Brian (Paul Walker) drag the vault with their cars. Eventually, the two of them are cornered and Dom tells Brian to go on without him. Dom then proceeds to drive his car into the police and Reyes' forces, which have both been in pursuit. Dom uses the vault to destroy their vehicles, but is eventually cornered by Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), an American agent who has been pursuing Dom's crew throughout their time in Rio. 

Brian returns to save Dom, and Hobbs executes Reyes. Hobbs then agrees to give Dom and his crew a 24-hour head start, provided that they leave the safe behind. They agree, and drive off into the sunset. 

It isn't until after they've gotten away that Hobbs opens the safe and finds it empty. During the chase, Dom's crew switched safes, allowing them to get out with the $90 million. 

At the end of Fast Five, we see Dom, Brian, and Mia (Jordana Brewster), who is now visibly pregnant, relaxing on a tropical beach. The film ends with Brian and Dom renewing their rivalry. They agree to a no stakes race to determine who is the better driver, but we don't get to see who wins in the end. 

The rest of the crew is given their various shares, and we see them all go their separate ways in the aftermath of the heist. Although more Fast sequels would come after this installment, this movie is the one that takes them into the realm of millionaires. They get away with the money, and each member of Dom's crew gets a moment to drive off into the sunset. 

In reality, of course, Fast Five isn't the end of their story — it's simply one of the most thrilling chapters in it. And in the credits, the filmmakers made sure to tease what would come next.

The Fast and Furious franchise isn't technically a superhero series, that doesn't mean they can't use mid-credit scenes to set up future installments. Fast Five was no exception to this trend, and included a scene where Hobbs is briefed on the hijacking of a military convoy in Berlin. In the file on the case, he discovers a photo of Dom's former girlfriend Letty — who has, until this moment, been presumed dead. 

Fast Five's ending may leave all of the characters in a good place, but in its final scene, it also sets up the sequels to come. In the aftermath of Fast Five, the franchise has become dominant in the world of pop culture. And although there are merits to every sequel that has come after Fast Five, many consider this installment to be the crown jewel of the franchise thus far. 

With the ninth installment in the series coming soon, though, there's still plenty of time for it to be topped.