7. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
It’s hard to argue with the simple fact that The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift both sounds and looks like the sort of straight-to-video franchise “sequel” we end up with once any mainline series spins out.
Yet in just the third movie, Universal made the all-timer head-scratcher of a decision to move away from both Dom and Brian – save for a Dom cameo added in reshoots, of course – with an entirely new setting and cast.
But it cannot be denied that Tokyo Drift is something of a cult fave among fans; it’s arguably more about car culture than any other film in the series, largely eschewing crime thriller histrionics in favour of a threadbare story focused almost exclusively around the world of drift racing.
It is, undeniably, a thoroughly ridiculous piece of work as written by Chris Morgan – who would go on to write all future movies until F9 – full of outrageous dialogue, cringe melodrama, and an ill-advised scene in a Tokyo bathhouse that quite has to be seen to be believed.
Yet there’s a bewildering charm to the film all the same; boldly making the protagonist southern loner Sean Boswell (Lucas Black, never once convincing as 17 years old), pairing him a “sidekick” double his age in Han, and pitting them both against the preposterously monikered villain Drift King (Brian Tee).
Though it gets off to a slow start, Tokyo Drift‘s secret weapon allows it to weather all these sure issues; Justin Lin, whose kinetic, vibrant direction bleeds passion for this subculture, with far less of an emphasis on overpowering visual effects compared to the previous film.
Aided by a banging soundtrack and some amusingly bizarre asides – including a most unexpected cameo from Japanese screen legend Sonny Chiba as the head of the Yakuza – this is a good deal more fun than, well, just about anyone likely expected going in.
In lesser hands, Tokyo Drift could’ve been the series’ early death knell, but Justin Lin’s confident, propulsive direction makes it a fun, and ultimately necessary, adjunct.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
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