A Rapid Week of Rage: Tokyo Drift

To celebrate the release of Furious 7 this Easter Sunday, each night, I’ll watch one Fast & Furious movie and report on my findings. Join me as I follow our valiant illegal drag-racers as they tokyo drift across the various speed bumps and barricades life throws at them. Today, we cover the third Fast & Furious movie, a movie with perhaps the best subtitle of any third film: Tokyo Drift. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (its full title) is notable for being a sequel that features none of the actors or characters from the previous two films in the series.

What happens:

Buckle up, readers! We’re not even at the halfway mark of Fast & Furious films and its already time to Tokyo drift! The protagonist of the third F & F instalment is a character audiences haven’t met before: high school student Sean Boswell, portrayed by Lucas Black, with an Alabama accent so thick, I assumed it was fake. (Fact check: it’s not.) As the opening credits roll, Sean shuffles through his high school’s metal detectors and keeps a detached distance from his fellow students, whether they be the rabid football fans who are viciously destroying an effigy of a native American (which I really hope was an opposing team’s mascot – still really disturbing) or the overweight kid being bullied in the auto shop. Sean is a lone wolf.

However, an innocent flirtation with the football star’s girlfriend (who is never given a name) leads to a confrontation. The jock king, Clay (Home Improvement‘s Zachery Ty Bryan!), angered by Sean’s clever repartee, tosses a baseball (confusingly – I thought he was a quarterback) through Sean’s rear windshield. Sean emerges from his car with a socket wrench, ready to bust heads, but Clay’s girlfriend suggests they race to resolve their differences. Or, more accurately (and troublingly), she suggests they race for her. When Sean says he only races for pink slips, Clay’s girlfriend says, “What about me? Winner. Gets. Me.”

So, our first street race goes. The soundtrack blasts Kid Rock’s nonsense anthem, “Bawitdaba,” informing us we are not in Los Angeles or Miami anymore, we’re in Kansas (or might as well be). They break into an under-construction housing development and the wacky race begins. Highlights include Sean driving through a half-built house, and a mobile tailgate party of Clay’s friends in a pickup that seems to move as fast as the two racers. Clay, frustrated by Sean’s persistence and his girlfriend’s comments from the passenger seat (“I thought you loved me!”), begins to ram Sean’s ride. The resulting jostling causes Clay and his girlfriend to smash into some concrete pipe, and Sean to roll his car. The three end up in the police station.

This isn’t Sean Boswell’s first run-in with the law, and a gleefully malicious case worker informs him that Clay and his girlfriend are going to avoid charges thanks to their well-to-do parents, but Sean is as good as convicted. (The casual recognition of the utter crookedness of the American legal system in the Fast & Furious movies is, frankly, both amazing and encouraging to see in a mainstream action franchise.) Mrs. Boswell arrives and attempts to see if there’s a way Sean can avoid juvenile detention or – worse – being tried as an adult. They’ve moved three times in the past two years because of Sean’s troubles. And so, a bold new solution is chosen without Sean’s input: he’s being sent to Tokyo to live with his dad.

Sean Boswell arrives in Tokyo (in Japan, a helpful subtitle reminds us), a crowded, modern city that, nevertheless, prominently displays billboards for M.C. Hammer’s new album. (When was this shot?) Sean’s dad (Mr. Boswell to you and me) is unprepared for his son’s arrival and has to usher a young woman out of his apartment before he lets his son in. Sean’s dad says he would have picked him up at the airport, but his arrival date was confused because of the international date line. Mr. Boswell, who may or may not be in the American Navy (he wears a lot of Navy shirts and carries a pistol), lays down the rules of his home, the most crucial one being that Sean is not allowed anywhere near a car. (Dad, do you not realize this is a Fast & Furious movie?)

Sean adjusts to the little differences of life in Tokyo, like the close quarters of apartment living, wearing a school uniform, having to take off his outdoor shoes in class, and a language he doesn’t know at all. (Interestingly, Sean doesn’t learn more than a couple Japanese words the entire film.) His first day in class, he scopes out an attractive girl in his homeroom class, and befriends Twinkie (played by Bow Wow!), an army brat who sells electronics and sneakers to his classmates and provides wisdom about Japanese food that doubles as political commentary: “Japanese food is like the army: don’t ask don’t tell.” Sean quickly learns Twinkie is a car guy, and asks to see his ride. Moments later, Twinkie reveals, by far, the ugliest car we’ve seen in the F & F series so far, a green, Incredible-Hulk-themed sedan, complete with Hulk hood decals, doors with sculpted clenched fists, and a tuft of hair on the roof.

Twinkie takes Sean to a parking garage that serves as the hub of Tokyo’s illegal racing scene. Much to Sean’s delight, he notices Neela (Nathalie Kelley), the girl he noticed in class earlier, is apparently a car fan as well. He makes a beeline for her and immediately lays on his southern charm. (Unfortunately, he uses that favourite white guy line, “Where are you from? But, like, where are you really from?”) The only problem is that Neela is currently seeing an unpleasant young man named D.K. (Brian Tee), who tells Sean to beat it. When Sean gives D.K. guff, Twinkie and Neela tell Sean to lay off. Twinkie takes Sean aside to warn him that D.K. is yakuza. D.K. wants to race Sean, but Sean has no car. Surprisingly, D.K.’s snacking friend Han (Sung Kang), offers his keys. Twinkie tries to give Sean some pre-race advice, and cautions him that D.K. stands for “Drift King,” to which Sean asks, “What d’ya’ mean, drift?”

Drifting, for the uninitiated, is when drivers use the throttle, brakes, clutch, gear shifting, and steering to keep the car in oversteer while making tight turns. I don’t know what that means either, but it sure looks cool. D.K. and Sean (in Han’s very nice car) are to race to the top of the parking garage. Interestingly, a man in a finely tailored suit heralds the start of the race, and the two race off to the sounds of Atari Teenage Riot. Sean doesn’t know how to drift, so on the tight turns of the parking garage, he smashes into walls and bounces off pillars. D.K., meanwhile, gracefully drifts, gently grazing walls as he turns. The onlookers take the elevator to the finish line, where D.K. arrives in style. Sean drives up a minute later in Han’s totalled car to the jeers of the assembled crowd. Han, still snacking (shades of Roman Pearce in 2 Fast 2 Furious), tells Sean to not leave town.

The next day, Han is leaning on another (less-smashed) car, waiting for Sean at the end of the school day. Sean is going to work for Han, collecting debts from people, acting as an enforcer of sorts, to pay off the car he destroyed: “I don’t care if you’re sick as a dog or in bed with Beyoncé. I call, you show.” (Let’s be reasonable, Han.) Sean agrees (even though he has no choice), but insists Han teaches him how to drift. A beautiful friendship is beginning. However, Han is connected to D.K. (who hates Sean), and his blonde-haired thug Morimoto. Han clarifies that D.K. isn’t yakuza, but his uncle is. D.K. is involved in lower-level criminal activity that gets protected because of his family connections. While Han and Sean go for a late-night drive, Sean asks why Han doesn’t race. Han says he would only race if it were for something important. But during their drive, they zip past a police cruiser. Han reveals an interesting plot point: police cars in Japan can’t go over 180 kph, so if you’re driving faster than that, they don’t even bother to chase you.

Sean and Han continue to work together. Sean trains at drifting at a vacant seaside parking lot. Han, in a Goodfellas-esque Steadicam scene, takes Sean through one club, then a second club (exclusively for models, it would seem), then to his garage, filled with sweet cars and motorcycles. There, he presents Sean with his own car: a red Evo (extra-virgin olive oil?). But Sean’s dad realizes he’s been out racing, despite his airtight excuses (“Hey, Dad, I have to stay after school for some (unidentified) extracurricular activities.”), and warns him he’s treading on thin ice. Dad is a bit of a gearhead, too, as we see him working on the body of an American muscle car in his garage.

However, all is not well. The next day at school, Twinkie’s friends warn Sean that Twinkie needs his help on the rooftop. D.K.’s lapdog, Morimoto (who I guess is a high school student), is delivering a vicious beating to Twink in front of a crowd of other students. Apparently Twink sold Morimoto a broken iPod. Sean intervenes, giving Morimoto another iPod, and the angry young man leaves. Twinkie is pissed off at Sean for stepping in; now all his clients will expect exchanges, but Neela, who was watching from the back of the crowd, is quietly impressed by Sean’s actions. Sean follows up by apologizing for his past behaviour toward Neela: “Your life isn’t any of my business.” (But secretly, their love is totally growing.)

Whlle some of the other crew play night soccer, Han and Sean talk about life. Han cryptically reveals he’s in Japan to escape law enforcement in another country. When Sean asks why he offered his keys during that first race, Han says that he has money, so he wasn’t worried about the car. But he wants to surround himself with the right people, and he had a good feeling about Sean. This is followed by some Grade-A automotive bonding: Han gets some women’s numbers by doing donuts around their car, then he takes Sean to the mountains, where drifting all began. Yet as close as Han and Sean get, Han won’t let Sean see the true depths of illegal activity he and D.K. are involved in. In true Gladwellian form, Sean gradually gets better at drifting over hours and hours of practice. Yet just as all seems to be going well, Sean’s dad finds he’s been sneaking out at night and kicks him out of the apartment. Sean goes to live with Han in the garage.

Shortly thereafter, Sean races D.K.’s second-in-command, Morimoto, in the very same garage where Sean suffered his earlier humiliating defeat. This time, Sean uses his new drifting skills to handily beat Morimoto, who responds with a most epic in-car freakout of all time. Perhaps buoyed by his recent race win, Sean flirts with Neela via instant message. Sean’s online name is bama_boy (either referencing his state of origin or his enthusiasm for then-senator Barack Obama), and he asks Neela, “how come i never c u drift???” (This shall henceforth be my opening line for any potential romantic interests.) Soon, Neela and Sean are out for dinner together, and Neela is revealing how she’s an orphan, and D.K.’s grandmother took her in when her mother died (which introduces a creepy Flowers in the Attic vibe to our car film). Then, Neela is drifting through the mountains at night (in an incredibly balletic scene), with Sean in the passenger seat, listening to her wax poetically about drifting. As we’ve heard before, when you’re racing, everything else disappears.

Obviously, D.K. doesn’t take these new developments well. He rolls up with his crew to the parking lot where Sean practices drifting and beats him to a pulp. When Neela sees Sean’s bruised face at school the next day, she immediately breaks things off with D.K. Ever the gentleman, D.K. responds by reminding Neela that her mother was a “streetwalker” (I prefer the term “sex worker”) and that she’d be the same if his grandma hadn’t taken her in. Neela leaves and goes to stay with Han, as well. A bit after that, D.K.’s Uncle Kamata (Sonny Chiba!) arrives, dressed like he’s in Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker. He informs D.K. that, according to his bookkeeping, his partner Han has been stealing from the two of them.

D.K. and Morimoto show up at Han’s garage and D.K. immediately punches Han in the face, then draws a gun on him. Han tries to explain D.K. should have expected the theft, given they’re both thieves. Thinking quickly, Twinkie pulls down the garage doors, which causes a distraction that allows Han and Sean to get the jump on D.K. and Morimoto. They grab Neela and hop into their cars, and after Sean sort of runs Morimoto over, they zip out of the garage. The chase is on, with Han and Sean pursued by D.K. and Moirmoto. What follows is a high-speed chase through the crowded Tokyo streets. Interestingly (and for the first time in a F & F movie), the protagonist and his love interest are riding together in a chase, which I think just speaks to the purity of the love between Sean and Neela in Tokyo Drift.

Morimoto gets into a head-on collision in a tunnel (so that’s bad), but the other three continue, dangerously drifting through a crowded pedestrian scramble. Eventually, D.K. pulls a tight 180 and begins to fire his pistol at Han . Han’s car is then T-boned by a random other car and promptly explodes. Han dies instantly, which is kind of loss of innocence in the F & F films. (No other primary character has died in the franchise so far.) Sean and Neela escape via the subway and, with Han dead and nowhere to turn, go to his father’s apartment. Unfortunately, D.K. thought to visit Sean’s dad as well, and he forces Neela into his car and pulls a gun on Sean. Luckily, Mr. Boswell appears at the doorway, gun in hand, and forces D.K. to leave. Dad, after saving the day, says Sean is getting on a plane and leaving the city tonight, but Sean insists he has to take responsibility for the mess he created.

Twinkie meets up with Sean to tell him he’s leaving town and suggests Sean come with him. Sean has another idea: “I’m gonna’ talk to Kamata.” Twink, understandably, thinks trying to reason with yakuza member is not the best plan. Nevertheless, he gives Sean some money that he figures might help with Uncle Kamata. Sean arrives at Kamata’s club, but – oops! – D.K. and Neela are also there for what I assume is a pretty awkward family dinner. Sean offers Kamata the money as repayment for what Han took, and apologizes that he and his nephew D.K. have embarrassed him. This just causes D.K. to fly into a rage. Sean suggests he and D.K. settle things with a race, with the loser leaving town for good. Despite D.K.’s incredulity, Kamata is into it. The race will happen on the mountain.

One problem: Sean doesn’t have a car anymore. He and the remaining members of Han’s inner circle pass the police lines and find all the cars have been confiscated by the police, save for Han’s wreck (the car Sean totalled at the beginning of the movie). Sean takes its perfectly good engine, puts it into the muscle car his dad was working on, and – boom – new car. However, the muscle car is a bit too heavy for drifting, so Sean has to train again, drifting in his Death-Proof-esque ride on the mountain the final race will take place on. Twinkie warns him that D.K. is the only person to make it to the bottom of the mountain in a race. (Which means, I guess, that there have been a lot of fatalities on that mountain?)

Finally, the night of the race arrives. They start at the top, and with every drift, they nearly slide off a cliff. Things get intense, with pieces of D.K.’s car flying off into Sean’s windshield. D.K. nearing the end, slides off the cliff, Speed-Racer-style, and nearly crashes into Sean as he drives down to the next level. (D.K. is okay, though. He emerges from his smashed car in one piece.) Uncle Kamata respects the win, and Neela and Sean reunite! Cut to: weeks (months?) later, with Twinkie in the parking garage again. He runs up to Neela and Sean, saying some guy wants to race “the new D.K.” Moreover, Twink says this guy claims he knew Han. Said Han was family. Sean drives up beside his opponent, and who should be in the driver seat but Dominic Toretto! OMG, you guys, Vin Diesel is back!

Takeaway points:

• Is Sean Boswell as pacifist hero American action movies have been waiting for? When we first meet Sean Boswell, he seems quick to anger. (He grabs a wrench when Clay throws a baseball through his car window.) But once in Tokyo, he does everything he can to avoid conflict. Instead of fighting Morimoto when he’s beating Twinkie, he offers him an iPod exchange. Likewise, when D.K. is trying to kill him, Sean’s all like, “I’m going to reason with his gangster uncle.” Not that Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) was an overly aggressive hero, but Sean Boswell looks nearly Christ-like in comparison. He wades into dens of criminal activity, armed only with his charm and a confidence that all conflicts can be resolved through street racing. And the film rewards him for his non-aggression: he impresses the girl of his dreams with his pacifism, he makes D.K. leave town. It’s kind of a subversive message for an action flick.
• At first, I was reluctant to accept a non-Paul-Walker protagonist, but Lucas Black is extremely charming and won me over. He is not unlike a butch Topher Grace. (Though Topher Grace is looking pretty butch himself these days.) Tokyo Drift is often considered one of the worst of the Fast & Furious films, but I think that’s an unfair assessment that stems largely from its relative remove from the other movies. I might be even willing to say it was the best of the three I’ve seen so far.
• Tokyo Drift continues to highlight the Fast & Furious films’ problems with women. As soon as Clay’s girlfriend (who has no name) suggests racing as a contest to win her, I knew we were in trouble. But things improve after that initial situation. Neela is one of the more well-drawn female characters in the F & F movies, and, in a change of pace, we see couples racing together, and even a scene with a woman driving with a man as the passenger. I don’t know what that means, but subconsciously, it’s some attempt to put men and women on more equal footing (within the world of illegal street racing).
• Tokyo Drift is also notable because it’s an American film set in Japan with a total minimum of cringe-worthiness regarding the culture clash. There are a couple of off-colour Twinkie remarks, but the movie avoids a lot of the stereotypes of Japanese culture we find in similar movies. This may have something to do with the skill and sensibilities of director Justin Lin, a Taiwanese-American director who cut his teeth doing indie films. (More on him later.)
• One thing I didn’t expect is the beauty of drifting. It’s like dance done by cars, and some of the scenes (especially those on the mountain) are nearly sublime. Of the three films I’ve seen so far, Tokyo Drift is the closest to a dance film, both in that the fact that conflicts are resolved by races (the F & F equivalent of a dance-off), and that the cars are, almost literally, dancing.
• The first movie featured Ja Rule. Ludacris was in 2 Fast 2 Furious, and Tokyo Drift has Bow Wow (or Shad Moss). With each Fast & Furious movie, the hip-hop artists who co-star get progressively less amazing. I half-expect Macklemore to show up in the fourth movie.
• I first heard of director Justin Lin from his indie film, Better Luck Tomorrow, a great Tarantino-influenced movie about overachieving Asian-American high schoolers who delve into the criminal underworld (with unfortunate consequences). Better Luck Tomorrow is also notable because it’s, in a way, Han’s origin story. Actor Sung Kang plays Han in Better Luck Tomorrow: it’s the same character! Justin Lin transplanted a character from his first feature film into the Fast & Furious universe. How cool is that? (Watch the trailer; it includes the phrase, “fast and furious.”
• “Twinkie” is an unusual choice of nickname for Bow Wow’s character. “Twinkie” is a slur used against Asians who have adopted a lot of white culture: “yellow on the outside and white on the inside.” Director Lin (and most of the cast) would have been well aware of the word’s slang usage, so I don’t really understand why any character (no less the film’s sole black character) would have that nickname.

How fast?: I was going to suggest that Tokyo Drift is not all that fast, and that while they drive way faster than is safe on city streets, the real pleasure of the movie is the finesse with which the drivers take the turns and weave and drift around other cars and objects. Then I remember that Han is driving at 197 kph when clocked by police … so it’s plenty fast.

How furious? Not furious at all! Only the bad guys (D.K. and, elaborately so, Morimoto) demonstrate true fury. As described above, once Sean arrives in Tokyo, he is very level-headed, always looking for an alternative solution to anger and violence. (That solution: usually illegal street racing.)

Favourite car stunt: It’s kind of a low-key moment, but watching Neela (and a line of other cars) drift along the mountain edges at night was completely hypnotic. Like watching a Busby Berkeley musical number done with cars.

Most magical soundtrack cue: Teriyaki Boyz’ titular “Tokyo Drift” plays once Twinkie introduces Sean to the world of illegal street racing in Tokyo. It’s a pretty great Japanese hip-hop tune.

Unexpected cameo: Even though seeing the kid from Home Improvement drag race was an unexpected pleasure, there’s an even better cameo. Fun fact: there’s a real D.K. (though he is reportedly less criminal than the one in the movie). Keiichi Tsuchiya is a race car driver known as the “Drift King” for his skills in drifting. He has a tiny role in the movie as one of the fishermen who watches Sean train and remarks, “You call that drifting?” in Japanese.

Bechdel Test Moment: There definitely isn’t one, unless you count when the high school teacher talks to her entire class, or when the models in the models-only nightclub cheer in each other’s general vicinity.

Line of dialogue that makes it clear we’re talking both about a car and the driver’s sexual organ(s): When Twinkie introduces Sean to the parking garage scene, he passes a box of tissues to him, “for when you blow your wad.” (Gross, Bow Wow.)

Best fashion moment: Though he’s despicable, Morimoto knows how to dress! I loved his bloody punk tank top and the suspenders he wears while delivering a beating to Twinkie.

Next up: Fast & Furious (2009).