10 Fast & Furious Movie Stunts That Wouldn't Work in Real Life
The Fast & Furious franchise dazzles audiences with jaw-dropping stunts. But how feasible are these feats in reality? We break down the science behind the scenes.
Sometimes, you just have to suspend disbelief.
1. Falling Out of the FBI Headquarters Window
In Fast & Furious 7, the vengeful assassin Deckard Shaw breaks into the FBI headquarters to retrieve data on the racing team. When Luke Hobbs catches him, a fight ensues, and Deckard detonates a bomb inside.
Hobbs saves his partner Elena by grabbing her and leaping out of a window—at least five stories high. Luckily, a car below cushioned their fall, allowing them to survive.
In reality, Hobbs would likely have suffered fatal injuries or paralysis, landing squarely on his back. Hollywood often treats cars like airbags, but real vehicles are rigid compared to the human body, making such stunts deadly.
2. Escaping a Russian Submarine
In Fast & Furious 8, street racers head to Russia to stop a hacker from controlling a nuclear submarine. The submarine pursues them in a high-speed chase.
However, real Russian submarines max out at about 22 mph on the surface and 46 mph underwater—far too slow to chase or evade cars. Plus, remote control of such vessels is not standard; crews are essential.
3. Holding a Helicopter with One Hand
In the Hobbs & Shaw spin-off, Hobbs grabs a chain attached to a military Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and holds it with one hand to prevent the villain from escaping.
Considering the Black Hawk's 4,100 kg lifting capacity, no human could physically hold it back with one hand. The world record for one-handed lifting is just 330 kg, set in 1920. Holding a helicopter by chain would tear a human limb apart.
4. Racing Backwards
Dominic Toretto races to save a friend by overtaking a powerful car in an old vehicle. When his engine catches fire, he turns around and finishes the race driving backwards.
While some cars can reach speeds of up to 43 mph in reverse, it's highly unlikely to outpace a street racer driving forward at full speed.
5. Firing a Minigun
After shooting down a drone, Hobbs uses its minigun turret to fire at enemy helicopters.
In reality, firing a minigun by hand is impossible due to recoil. Even the strongest person would be knocked off their feet. Film crews use special rigs and blank rounds to simulate firing safely. Additionally, drone-mounted guns lack manual triggers, so Hobbs couldn't actually fire it.
6. Parachuting Cars
The team drops their cars via parachute onto a remote mountain road, where the vehicles land and drive off smoothly.
In reality, safely parachuting cars without damage is extremely challenging. Even military vehicles often sustain damage upon landing. The stunt was filmed by dropping vehicles without drivers from a C-130, but landings were recreated separately using cranes because the impact would destroy suspension components.
7. Jumping Sports Cars Between Skyscrapers
Dominic and Brian steal a Lykan HyperSport supercar and escape by leaping between skyscrapers in Abu Dhabi.
Physics professor Lee Lavridge calculated that such a jump is theoretically possible. However, the impact upon landing would be severe, likely destroying the car’s suspension and causing serious injuries to the occupants.
8. Flipping a Tank with a Car
In Fast & Furious 6, a car attached to a tank causes it to flip off a bridge, ejecting Letty.
In reality, the tank weighs around 55 tons, while a typical car weighs about 3,300 lbs (1.5 tons). A car cannot flip a tank. Moreover, the stunt would be fatal for anyone jumping onto a moving vehicle at high speed, and the impact with another car would cause severe injuries.
9. Stealing a Safe
The team hauls a 10-ton safe through the streets of Rio attached to two Dodge Charger SRT-8 cars.
Harvard physicist Randall Kelly calculated that moving a 10-ton safe at 50 mph would require around 467 Dodge Chargers working together. So, while the stunt is theoretically possible, it’s practically unfeasible with just two cars.
10. Chasing a Plane
In Fast & Furious 6, the team chases a military AN-124 plane that the villain tries to escape on. They manage to board it with their cars, preventing takeoff.
Experts estimated the chase lasted over 13 minutes, covering nearly 29 miles. The longest asphalt runway in the world is only about 3.4 miles, making such a prolonged chase on a runway impossible.
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