Welcome to the adrenaline-fueled world of the Fast & Furious franchise, where the laws of physics are not merely bent but often obliterated. These films have captivated audiences with their gravity-defying car stunts that push the boundaries of action cinema. In this article, we’ll buckle up and speed through the Top 5 Fast & Furious Stunts That Defied Physics, exploring just how outrageously they flout the rules of reality.
5. Fast Five – Vault Heist
Starting our list is the heist that had jaws dropping worldwide: the vault chase from Fast Five. Remember when Dom Toretto and Brian O’Connor hitched a 4000 kg safe to their Dodge Chargers and dragged it through Rio de Janeiro’s streets? It is absurd and ridiculous, but anchored in something approaching real physics. The safe has mass and weight, and presents a problem around which the characters must improvise,
leading us to question what’s possible in a high-speed chase. Director Justin Lin insisted on practical effects, saying, We should just do it CG. And I was like, ‘No, no, no. Let’s just build what a vault would look like and then just go out and tow it around and see what happens.
The result? A stunt that’s as implausible as it is iconic.
4. Furious 7 – Skyscraper Jump
In fourth place is the jaw-dropping skyscraper jump from Furious 7. This stunt took our heroes’ escapades to new heights—literally—as a car leaps between Abu Dhabi’s high-rises. A physicist stated that to cover the necessary 150 feet in time to fall from a highrise, the car would need to be traveling about 70 miles per hour for a four-story drop or about 100 miles per hour for a two-story drop. Despite this analysis, the scene remains one of the most talked-about moments, even though the plot seemed a bit fabricated just for the end result of the skyscraper stunt,
according to some viewers.
3. Fast & Furious 6 – Tank Rampage
The third spot goes to Fast & Furious 6, where a tank barrels down a highway at impossible speeds. Owen Shaw drives this behemoth over 60 mph, outpacing regular traffic—a feat unachievable by real-world tanks due to excessive friction on their treads. The windshield should have definitely shattered from such a large impact force over a short period of time,
yet it doesn’t, further showcasing the film’s disregard for physics. This scene exemplifies how Fast & Furious often pays no attention to physics or gravity.
2. The Fate of the Furious – Submarine Chase
Silver medal in our ranking goes to The Fate of the Furious, where our protagonists face off against a nuclear submarine emerging from beneath a frozen sea. In one of the franchise’s most cosmically outrageous scenes, cars race across ice with a sub in hot pursuit—a chase so spectacular that ignoring logic becomes mandatory for viewers. This sequence perfectly encapsulates how these movies have jumped several sharks in pursuit of ever-more extravagant action.
1. Fast & Furious 7 – Parachuting Cars
Topping our list is the unforgettable parachuting cars scene from Fast & Furious 7. Vehicles plummeting from an airplane and landing flawlessly on a mountain road is perhaps one of cinema’s most spectacular violations of physics principles. This stunt epitomizes everything fans love and critics bemoan about these films: it’s utterly impossible but undeniably thrilling.
In conclusion, while these stunts might make Newton turn in his grave, they contribute immensely to what makes the Fast & Furious series so successful: pure, unadulterated escapism. These physics-defying feats aren’t bugs; they’re features—integral to a franchise that invites viewers to leave reality at the door and embrace cinematic spectacle at its most extreme.