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Fast and the Furious 3 Tokyo Drift movie review screener!

dreamlogic.net MOVIE REVIEW [SCREENER] . Fast and the Furious 3 Tokyo DriftShe Said:
So I wanted to see Fast and the Furious 3 because a) it’s in Tokyo and I haven’t been there in ages b) Chris does a mean slide that will evolve into a scary drift when the popo are at bay c) what the hell, it was free. Should I also mention that I really get a kick out of every ethnicity from Asia portraying Japanese people? Yes, it’s fun “pick out the Nihonjin” time! I just wonder if Americans think Japanese people look like Brian Tee, who played the snub-nosed villain rather than the “Exceedingly Handsome Guy” (it’s really in the credits according to imdb) who was actual Japanese star Satoshi Tsumabuki. That’s something I doubt many white people go through unless you’ve heard cries of “I can’t believe that German guy’s an O’Malley!”

Anyway, Fast and the Furious 3 starts off fast and furious with a car chase where we’re supposed to believe Lucas Black, who plays lead role Sean Boswell, is a teenager. He races the eldest brother (Zachary Ty Bryan) from that show with Tim the Toolman Taylor and gets into trouble with the law, which apparently is not his first time. In a pretty good snippet with Mr. Bad Cop, we learn that he’s a product of military impudence, divorced scrappy parents, and is in desperate need of a girlfriend. A weird deal is struck and instead of Juvenile Hall, he is sent to board with his estranged father in Japan. So that establishes how he gets there. The rest is just one crazy pile-up after another.

After swearing never to race ever again, on his second day in Japan in fact, he’s behind the wheel of two cars of people he just met and wouldn’t you know it, he feels the need for speed again! And in a narrow parking garage no less and he doesn’t know how to drift! Of course he loses the skirmish and must build up his self-worth and train amidst the sometimes disjointed “fast friendship abroad” and “love at first sight” scenes, some lightning quick culture introduction and assimilation, and some really really killer drift stunts and crazy crashes. The Skyline shrapnel goes flying(!) which helped me to wake up during some parts that were just a little slow and were supposed to establish warmth but it didn’t work for me. So while the lines were passable, maybe the delivery was off. Or maybe it was the lines. At any rate, it was nice to see a few unconventional shocks (a main character dies, former sumotori Konishiki in a bathhouse, bracingly not-too-cheesy storyline about being true to yourself and dealing with your mistakes, a surprise cameo and car mod –is he racing stock?!– at the end). And when it was too predictable, at least they filled it with loud music and girls in tight skirts.. and oh yes, a bunch of modified cars, which is the point, right?

HE SAID:
I hated the first Fast and the Furious. Its “undercover in the quasi-ghetto” storyline, action involving cg cars, and Rob Cohen’s inept direction enticed me about as much as a wet diaper. The second entry, 2 Fast 2 Furious, managed a few more practical car stunts, an undercover gay brotherhood storyline (second only to SWAT), and marginally better direction by John Singleton, but still left me regretting the lost two hours of my life. So, to say I had low expectations going into this third entry would be an understatement. But you know what? Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is actually the first Fast and the Furious film to live up to its namesake. In fact, it’s a darn good racing film.

Justin Lin garnered quite a bit of fame a few years back with the amazing indie phenomenon, Better Luck Tomorrow. His follow up film, the terrible Tyrese and James Franco vehicle, Annapolis, all but decimated his following. But with Tokyo Drift, Lin is back on top. Any fears he had become another Hollywood hack should subside after witnessing this baby.

Lin does near everything in his power to make this film a genuinely good film, rather than just a Fast and the Furious film. Most important was Lin’s wise decision to abandon the CG stunt-work of the previous entries. His omnipresent camera captures the action from all angles possible; street level, bird’s eye view, and everything in between. As such, the races have a palpable intensity completely absent from most race sequences today. All drifts were performed by professional drivers. All flipping, crashing, careening cars, whether in the tract home construction site or Tokyo garages, are all real. Sure, there are a few cg transitions on the mountaintop, but these are just used to connect actual stunt footage on different parts of the track. And to give you an idea of the danger involved in most of these stunts, take a look at this: the production totaled over 100 cars in the making of the film.

Lin also can’t resist the occasional stabs at social commentary. Take a look at the opening credits’ upper-crust high-school sequence for instance. As a DJ Shadow remix blares through the speakers, a sea of white faces surround a piñata shaped like a Native American, complete with headdress. They gleefully beat it down, the camera then focusing on a line of blonde and blue eyed cheerleaders. Whoo boy. It’s blatant, but ballsy. Lin also manages to pepper the film with references to other great cinematic races, from both the west and the east, classic and new. Immediately recognizable are nods to American Graffitti and Initial D, making this the first Fast and the Furious to display a cinematic rather than purely pop-culture knowledge.

There are a few spotty performances here and there, but as the radio station DJ said before the screening “you watch these films for the cars and the women.” Acting is superfluous. That said, the story was pretty decent. I did like some of the philosophy spouted by Sung Kang’s Han (perhaps the same Han from Better Luck Tomorrow?), and lead Lucas Black and supporter Bow Wow did quite an admirable job given the material. Fans of Japanese cult cinema will enjoy Sonny Chiba’s appearance as a coolly menacing Yakuza boss, and dudes just seeking to watch hot chicks will certainly go home happy. All in all: a truly awesome summer ride.

Fun fact: The film was shot on location in Japan, with a few of the street and garage scenes in LA. How to tell the difference? Look for the girls that look like transvestites. That’s LA.

dreamlogic.net -- CHRIS NELSON and KRIS KOBAYASHI-NELSON

Chris Nelson and Kris Kobayashi-Nelson are the proud co-founders of dreamlogic.net. The adventurous soulmates occasionally take a break from ghost hunting, pranking, programming, beach/park lounging to view some killer flicks.

 

  1. VERY GOOD READ….BUT NOW YOU’VE MADE ME WANT TO GO SEE THE MOVIE. I WAS PLANNING ON SAVING 7 BUCKS, NOT ANYMORE.

    CHAD on June 14, 2006
  2. FYI, Brian Tee is at least half Japanese - Tee is short for Tanaka or somesuch.

    angel on June 17, 2006
  3. Great review! Very fair and thorough.

    Brandon M on June 17, 2006
  4. i thouhgt it was a really good movie not to mention vin diesel and bow wow damn!

    Monique on June 17, 2006
  5. I wasn’t expecting much, but this was a really cool movie! I was holding my breath for the race and at the end!

    Holly on June 17, 2006
  6. i finally got around to watching this tonight. funny i also watched swat this weekend. swat was a complete waste of a movie reel, but tokyo drift had some moments. i didn’t expect much but i found a much ‘deeper’ movie then i expected, everyone more or less got on my nerves toward the end though.

    wallace on June 18, 2006
  7. I was never interested in car racing but it was my boyfriends obsession got me to the cinema to watch Tokyo Drift. I have to say I was impressed and is by far, the best Fast and Furious movie. I recently watched Friday Night Lights with Lucas Black and love his accent. True, the storyline is a bit patchy but oh well.. its a movie. Brian Tee is a very convincing bad guy.. he’s character is annoying. And I agree - playing “spot the nihonjin” was fun! Some scary looking girls… I was a bit disappointed we weren’t better represented! LOVED the opening song!

    MAI on June 20, 2006
  8. This actually was a decent movie with a decent storyline. I too was disappointed with the casting, but at least it was better than the acting in Memoirs of a Geisha.

    Christina on June 21, 2006
  9. Although I love the “Why don’t you just find a nice Japanese girlfriend like all the other white guys here?” line, I still can’t get over the fact that TF&F franchise has always chosen a white male to dominate the screen.

    Its hard enough to believe that 30+ Lucas Black looks 17, but its even harder to believe his character would be astute enough to use Japanese culture to skrew over the young wanna-be Yakuza. I mean, you’d think he’d see it coming… being Japanese and all.

    While there are many flaws to our bad boy Takashi, the worst has to be that he dates an underage girl that was taken in by his family when they were both children. He can’t score with “real” women that would much rather go to Han’s club and hang out with the chubby guy and bow-wow.

    Even with all of those flaws, I still enjoyed this film in the theater. It was great seeing technical advisors such as Keiichi Tsuchiya (AKA The Drift King) appear in the film, and to have all of the action sequences put real drift professionals behind the wheel.

    And as Chris & Kris’s DJ friend says “You watch these films for the women and the cars.”

    Alex on September 17, 2006
  10. nice review it was great do u know who sings the opening song and wat the song is called

    jose on November 28, 2006
  11. if so can u write back to me at sonysoldier50@hotmail.com thanks

    jose on November 28, 2006
  12. The song during the opening credits is:
    DJ Shadow feat. Mos Def - “Six Days”
    Track 2 on the Tokyo Drift soundtrack. You can check out brief segments of each son on Amazon.
    http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Furious-Tokyo-Drift/dp/B000FUH3KK

    ryan on May 2, 2007
  13. *wakes up. What? Tsumabuki Satoshi was in this movie? Then I really must be going to see it><

    Susan on June 24, 2008
  14. @Susan– we’ll set up a Satoshi tag just for you! (sorry the tag updates have been slow going.. it’s coming along!)

    Check out Chris’ Dororo review! Satoshi’s the Lead in that one! :)

    Kris Kobayashi-Nelson on June 27, 2008

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