Sources: Wikidata · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Universal Pictures released The Fast and the Furious in 2001, a modest summer action picture that became a cultural juggernaut and launched one of the highest grossing franchises in film history. Built around underground street racing culture in Los Angeles, it introduced audiences to Dominic Toretto's crew and the undercover cop drawn into their world. The film's success reshaped studio thinking about car culture, ensemble casts, and franchise longevity, spawning sequels that still dominate box offices two decades later. Its low budget origins and massive returns made it a frequently cited case study in modern blockbuster economics.
This cell bears the name Leon, a member of Dominic Toretto's inner circle within the original crew, played by Johnny Strong. Leon occupies a smaller but recognizable place among the ensemble, valued by collectors for rounding out the ensemble beyond the marquee names of Diesel, Walker, and Rodriguez. A piece bearing his name situates the frame within scenes built around the crew's dynamic, the loyalty and tension that defined their world. For franchise collectors, supporting cast pieces like this fill out a fuller archive of the film's original cast beyond its leads.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Fast and the Furious (2001).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or deformation.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible along one edge, with what appears to be a Dolby Digital data block strip in the inter-perforation zone on the same edge, and a DTS timecode line is also discernible, consistent with a tri-format release print.
Edge print
Edge print reads, mirrored: '5383 446 151 1 KO.4K 52 5000 M'; 'SAFETY' designation is implied by the stock code but the word itself is not fully legible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight blue-cyan tint typical of modern polyester safety stock; dye image shows warm amber-yellow tones with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No visible scratches, splice marks, or cue marks are seen in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single continuous shot, consistent with a release print of The Fast and the Furious (2001).
Era check
The Dolby Digital inter-perforation data blocks combined with a DTS timecode line and the Kodak stock code are consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 2000s, matching the 2001 release date on record.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000062857
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
