The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

Branching away from any original cast members of the first two films, thankfully, Tokyo Drift provides a refreshingly new look to the franchise.

Tokyo Drift is possibly my favourite of the series, or at least its up there with the first film; it only has a few problems that can be swept under the "It's Fast and the Furious, what do you expect" carpet. The story follows American "teenager" Sean Boswell (Lucas Black) whose reckless driving lands him prison time, but to avoid this he moves in with his father in Tokyo. He attempts to move on a dangerous rival's girl, and must become a competitor in the street racing's drifting scene.

I say "teenager" as that's what IMDb says, and he does go to school in the movie… but honestly, he's the oldest teen I've ever seen. Along with every other "teen" in this movie! While I talk negatives, the majority of the film is set in Tokyo yet 95% of the dialogue is English and Sean has a knack of meeting every foreigner in the city. I don't mind this so much, but I fully expect all of the Japanese characters to speak Japanese, especially when Sean isn't present!

But, unlike 2 Fast 2 Furious (choke) this film actually cares for its characters and their personalities (as Sean says early on: "It's not about the ride, it's about the rider") from Sean's fish-out-of- water acceptance, to his mentor Han's closet of skeletons. The villain isn't ridiculous either, his uncle is part of the Yakuza and he has a serious "king of a little hill" problem. Again unlike 2 Fast 2 Furious (gag) the cars have never looked better, sleek and refined and the drifting action is spectacular, especially when synchronized. Plus, no CGI, just skilled professional drivers, making the film worth seeing solely for the racing.

There's no stupid Tyrese Gibson mugging at the camera, no rats in buckets, no CGI, just an entertaining (albeit poorly localized) flick featuring excellent car racing and professional stunts.

Look behind the woeful accent and this is actually a good movie. The first F&F was about racing, then went all Miami Vice. A final return to the street racing scene had to move away from the original cast as they had lost their 'From the streets' appeal.

Anyway back to this, some sweet cars that aren't the massively expensive hyper cars of later episodes and some trick driving to boot.

A quality film if you manage to watch it a couple of times and don't dwell on the accent.

Usually when a film has a Part III, it leaves you with, "Why did they make a third film?" Case in point, "Smokey & The Bandit". Now I am dating myself if that's the only film I can come up with when it comes to trilogies. But car movies are seldomly done in trilogies. Star Wars, The Godfather, Lord of the Rings and Back to the Future are the only exceptions that have worked in the past because there's an on-going story line.

Tokyo Drift was a good film. Good plot line (if you disagree, then you're a "Too much to think" film-goer, stay with chick-flicks then). Good action. And of course, cool cars. The fact that it strayed away from Part I & II was a good idea. And film director, Justin Lin did an great job getting his vision to film. The mounted camera on a super-fast go-cart gave some spectacular shots.

It's a good escape film with the "new kid in town, gets beat up or loses in some sort of competition, learns from a local to be better then wins in the end." But for a trilogy film it's excellent compared to other Part III films that have been released.

FILM: 7.0 Rewatching the 2006 film The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, I find myself enjoying it more than most people seem to. So, here's an unpopular opinion: Tokyo Drift ties as my third favourite film in the series. The film ramps up the fun straight away, ditches the cheese of the second instalment, and goes for an original plot.

One of the aspects I appreciate most about Tokyo Drift is its unique setting and storyline. Shifting the focus to Tokyo and introducing the world of drift racing feels fresh and exciting. The races and chases are some of the series' best, with a kinetic energy that keeps me engaged throughout. The soundtrack is another highlight, with its thumping beats perfectly complementing the high-speed action.

I know people heap crap on it for not keeping it in the "family," but it's an undeniably fun ride. The absence of the core characters initially feels strange, but the new cast manages to hold their own. Lucas Black as Sean Boswell brings a different kind of protagonist to the table, and I find his journey from outsider to drift racing aficionado quite compelling.

The character of Han, played by Sung Kang, is a standout. His cool, mentor-like presence adds depth to the film and makes for some memorable moments. The Tokyo setting is visually stunning, and the film makes excellent use of its locations, showcasing the vibrant cityscape in a way that's both thrilling and immersive.

What I like about Tokyo Drift is its ability to balance the adrenaline-pumping action with a story that feels grounded. The film doesn't rely on the over-the-top stunts that the later entries in the series do, and that simpler approach works in its favour.

Overall, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is a fairly positive experience that brings something fresh and exciting to the franchise. While it may not be everyone's cup of tea, I find it to be a fun and engaging film that stands out in its own right.

FORMAT: Blu-ray

VIDEO: 9.0 1080/24p presentation Detail level: Excellent Colour reproduction: Excellent Level accuracy: Excellent Encode: Good Master condition: Good

AUDIO: 10.0 DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio Dialogue reproduction: Excellent Soundtrack & effects clarity: Excellent Dynamics: Excellent Surround sound presentation: Excellent LFE content: Excellent

MOOFIEMETER: 7.0.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is the least popular of the Fast and Furious franchise but it's also the most underrated. While I thought the country accent was a little overblown and some of the cgi looked a little too obvious, the movie was really good. The plot is fresh and exciting, the acting is spot on, and the cars are great. That's honestly one of my only gripes with 2 Fast 2 Furious is that, while really entertaining, it got away from the car element quite a bit. This movie brought back the cool car factor that made the first film so special. Overall, while it wasn't as good as the first two, it was still a great movie in its own right and one that can stand alone without the others.