Fast and the Furious

As a certified car nut, I’ve watched the Fast and the Furious at least 10 times; 2X in the cinema, 3X in HBO movies and the balance on VCD.

I especially like the line delivered by Brian O’Connor (Paul Walker) and Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) during a drag race scene about 10 minutes into the movie. Dominic won and Brian came in last. Despite the lousy finish, Brian mustered enough guts to say that he almost beat Dominic, who was considered the “king” of street racing. Here are excerpts from the movie:

Before the race:
Brian: So check it out it’s like this…I lose, winner takes my car, clean and clear. But if I win, I take the cash and the respect!
[the crowd says “respect?” Then laughter]
Brian: To some people, that’s more important.

After the race:
[Brian was smiling despite losing big time and thrashing his car]
Brian: Dude, I almost had you!
[Laughter]
Dom: You almost had me? You never had me - you never had your car... Granny shiftin' not double clutchin' like you should. You're lucky that hundred shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake! You almost had me?
Extra: You Tell him Dominic. Get out of here
Dom: Now, me and the mad scientist got to rip apart the block... and replace the piston rings you fried.
[closes bonnet of car]
Dom: Ask any racer. Any real racer. It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning's winning.

It’s a matter of perspective. For Brian, respect means a lot. Even if he “almost” beat Dominic, it was an accomplishment for a novice racer like him. For Dominic, it’s an on and off thing, it’s either you win the race or not. Another way to look at it is the experience factor. As you gain experience, your standards increase. You progress from being satisfied with almost meeting your objective to getting addicted to the prospect of always exceeding your set objectives.