Review of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) by Robbie M — 27 Jul 2013

Every established film series has a "black sheep" in the family, and 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift' is exactly that. While it may have not been considered as bad as it is had it been an original movie, the fact that it has to live up to the 'Fast' brand puts it at a huge disadvantage.

Sure, the selection of Tokyo as the setting for 'Drift' is out of the box and unique, but location can only make so much of a difference when the rest of the film is not up to par. To further subtract from things, none of the original cast members return for this adventure, instead opting for newcomers Lucas Black, Bow Wow, Nathalie Kelley and Brian Tee.

None of them are bad actors in their own right, but at the same time, they're not standouts. The plot is formulaic, as we follow a high school misfit with a love of street racing (Black) who's banished to live with his father in Tokyo where he makes friends - and enemies - only to hone his racing skills and the art of the drift.

While there are some stylized racing scenes that get the adrenaline going, the film seems too "young" for its own good. Nothing about 'Drift' is especially exciting, it's all pretty blah.

While the team that put together 'Tokyo Drift' deserves props for trying something different, it really does not compare with any other entry in the franchise.