When teenage road-racer Sean Boswell (Lucas Black, who is too old for the part, but hey-ho) gets in trouble with the law for a third time, he avoids a jail sentence by going to live with his father in Tokyo; there, he becomes involved in the drift racing scene, coming to blows with DK (Brian Tee), the nephew of a powerful Yakuza.
Tokyo Drift gets short shrift from some Fast & Furious fans because it steers the franchise away from the US street racing scene and because it doesn't star series regular Paul Walker. While it might be a slight step down from the previous entries, being a little too teen-centric with its predictably troublesome high school protagonist, I don't think it's all that bad. As a fan of all things Japanese, I can appreciate the colourful Tokyo setting, the Yakuza storyline, and, of course, all those oriental cuties in extremely short skirts.
Director Justin Lin, who went on to helm parts 4, 5 and 6 in the series, handles the car scenes with aplomb, each race shifting up a gear in terms of adrenaline-pumping action. Drifting—sliding the car around sharp corners at high speed—adds a new level of excitement to the action, with a mountain road finale offering plenty of nerve jangling, edge-of-the-seat moments. The film closes with the reappearance of a familiar face, paving the way for further instalments.
Tokyo Drift gets short shrift from some Fast & Furious fans because it steers the franchise away from the US street racing scene and because it doesn't star series regular Paul Walker. While it might be a slight step down from the previous entries, being a little too teen-centric with its predictably troublesome high school protagonist, I don't think it's all that bad. As a fan of all things Japanese, I can appreciate the colourful Tokyo setting, the Yakuza storyline, and, of course, all those oriental cuties in extremely short skirts.
Director Justin Lin, who went on to helm parts 4, 5 and 6 in the series, handles the car scenes with aplomb, each race shifting up a gear in terms of adrenaline-pumping action. Drifting—sliding the car around sharp corners at high speed—adds a new level of excitement to the action, with a mountain road finale offering plenty of nerve jangling, edge-of-the-seat moments. The film closes with the reappearance of a familiar face, paving the way for further instalments.