The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) Movie Review

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) Movie Review

Can I just say that, from what I’ve seen, the Fast and Furious movies are really, really awesome. Like, lots of people say that they’re bloated, stupid, and pointless, but those people are totally missing the point. They’re not trying to be intellectual; they’re trying to be awesome, which they are. I have only seen the original three films, which are apparently not nearly as good as the newer ones, but I absolutely love this series. Back when I saw 2 Fast 2 Furious, I almost immediately considered it my favorite stupid movie (it probably still is). And Tokyo Drift is just as good. I wouldn’t consider it “dumb,” actually. It’s not exactly a mind-bending film, but it does the job, and unlike 2 Fast, doesn’t have nearly as ridiculous of dialogue or stunts. The original The Fast and the Furious is like a gritty, dusty crime thriller that was not really trying to be a franchise movie at all. 2 Fast 2 Furious is actually very unintelligent, I admit, but it’s really colorful and loud and amazing. And then Tokyo Drift is just a really fun, fast-paced teen movie that has basically nothing to do with the other movies in the series, which I think actually helps its cause. I really loved this movie; I’ll probably watch it again soon.

So basically, here’s what it’s about! Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), a country kid who loves racing and driving cars, gets in trouble after he gets caught racing an annoying kid at his high school. So instead of staying in town and risking getting eventually arrested, his mom sends him to Tokyo to live with his estranged dad. Sean starts going to school in Tokyo and quickly becomes friends with Twinkie (Bow Wow), who shows him the ropes of the local street racing scene. He then starts to get to know the other characters, which include Han (Sung Kang), a laid-back dude who eats a lot and gets in too deep with illegal activity, Neela (Nathalie Kelley), who doesn’t really do much besides sit in class, and her criminal boyfriend D.K. (Brian Tee), who I guess also goes to high school? Besides Neela and Twinkie, they all look like they’re well into their 20s. Anyway, Sean and D.K. become fast enemies, partly because of Neela and partly because they both have big egos that don’t work well together. Their bitter rivalry turns super bitter once D.K.’s mafia uncle gets involved, and then there’s a lot of car racing. That’s pretty much the plot, without any spoilers or anything.

There really is a lot to love about this movie. The characters are all so great. The fake accents are painfully awful and sound really forced, which eventually becomes somewhat charming. Everyone is trying so hard to make the script seem believable, which it never really is, but it was a nice try. In the end, that’s really what the movie is: a ridiculously fun teen action movie that jumps the shark at every opportunity to do so. The racing and action scenes are excellent, the car choreography is very impressive and, according to legend, this movie has more car racing than any other F&F movie (!!). But yeah, the camerawork is very admirable and the overall movement of the film is slick and sleek: cars, people and all. It’s not as aggressive as the original or as loud as the sequel. If you’re looking for an F&F movie for someone who doesn’t usually enjoy the series, Tokyo Drift will most likely win them over. Don’t get me wrong, if you love movies like Furious 7 and Fast Five, you’ll enjoy it, too. The direction and art style of the movie have a distinct personality and nothing is ever bland. There isn’t a scene that doesn’t pop; there isn’t a color scheme that doesn’t interest viewers; there isn’t a song that doesn’t capture your attention (included in the film is the song “Tokyo Drift” by Teriyaki Boyz, which is a sort of urban legend where I grow up). Everything has flair and flavor and doesn’t allow your attention to be averted.

If I had criticism for Tokyo Drift, it would be the somewhat messy ending. All coherence is just thrown out the window toward the end of the movie, which in some cases I would find kind of fun, but here it just left me thinking, how does this make any sense? And not necessarily in a good way. The Japanese mafia is brought into the picture, which is problematic in itself, but then somehow Sean, this one white guy, just manages to anger them and then make good terms with them by winning a car race against them. I think maybe the screenwriters eventually got tired of trying and just decided to have fun writing whatever they wanted. Also, the moments where they try to make the movie have deep, thoughtful moments feel really awkward and aren’t believable. There’s a subplot with Sean and Neela where they connect because they both feel like outsiders, which I guess is fine, but neither of them ever seem very sad or left out. Sean just kind of barges his way into everything, and then wonders why people don’t really like him. From the audience’s perspective, he’s alright, but if you look at him from, say, D.K.’s perspective, he’s very annoying. It’s almost like The Karate Kid: a well-meaning kid from somewhere goes to a new place, and upon getting there, immediately disrupts the reigning king’s system. If you were the reigning king, who is always portrayed as obnoxious, wouldn’t you be really frustrated when some new guy takes everything away from you? And then when you try to take it back, you’re the bad guy?

Safety Chart:

Violence: 5/10- Lots of car crashes, cars exploding, and rolling around. Fistfights and a little blood. Someone dies in a shocking yet unrealistic explosion.

Language: 5/10- Some cursing, nothing truly alarming.

Drinking/Smoking: 6/10- Teenagers drink and smoke at races, clubs, and parties. Cigar smoking is also shown.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is probably one of the best pure entertainment movies of the late 2000s. It doesn’t take itself too seriously (Bow Wow drives around a truck that looks like the Hulk… seriously, look it up) and it’s all in good fun, for better or worse –  mostly for better. You can’t really go wrong watching this, although people who consider themselves connoisseurs of film will think it’s stupid and so will people who only like car movies similar to Driving Miss Daisy and The Lady in the Van. But I think most people, if they see it, would find something about it to connect to. As a grade, I’m gonna give it a B+. That might sound a little too high, and maybe it is, but I’m standing tall and giving it a B+. It’s crazy and all over the place but in the end it all comes together.