The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (alternatively known as Fast & Furious 3 or Tokyo Drift) is a 2006 action film directed by Justin Lin and written by Chris Morgan. It is the third installment in The Fast and the Furious franchise and the only installment to not feature Paul Walker during his lifetime. It was released in the United States on June 16, 2006. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift follows high school car enthusiast Sean Boswell (Lucas Black), who is sent to live in Tokyo with his father, and finds solace in the city's drifting community.

Unable to secure the returns of any of the series' initial cast members, plans were made by developers to reconsider Tokyo Drift and make it a distinct entry in the franchise, which was achieved by focusing on a car subgenre, incorporating a location outside the United States, and establishing new characters. Subsequently, the chronological timeline of the franchise shifted, with all future installments (until 2015's Furious 7) being set between 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003) and Tokyo Drift.

The film also marks the first to begin the franchise's longtime association with director Justin Lin and writer Chris Morgan, with Lin going onto direct the following three sequels (and is attached to direct two additional future films), while Morgan wrote the next five installments. Casting began in April 2005, and principal photography began in Los Angeles in August 2005, with the majority of the film being shot on location in Tokyo.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift achieved some financial success, eventually grossing over $158 million worldwide. However, it is the lowest-grossing film in the franchise. The film received generally mixed to negative reviews, with some critics disliking some elements of the plot, action sequences, and acting. However, some praised Lin's direction and parts of the story. A prequel, titled Fast & Furious, was released in April 2009 to box office success, and became the highest-grossing film in the franchise at that point.

Plot
In Oro Valley, Arizona, high school students Sean Boswell and Clay race their cars to win the affections of Clay's girlfriend Cindy, driving their respective vehicles, a Chevrolet Monte Carlo and a Dodge Viper. When Sean cuts through a structure and catches up to Clay, Clay hits Sean's car repeatedly until they reach a high-speed turn, which causes both cars to crash; Sean's car is totaled. Clay and Cindy's wealthy families help them escape punishment, but because Sean is a repeat offender for street racing, he is sent to live in Tokyo, Japan with his father, a U.S. Navy officer stationed in Tokyo, in order to avoid juvenile detention or jail.

While in Tokyo, Sean befriends Twinkie, a military brat who introduces him to the world of drift racing in Japan. Sean has a confrontation with Takashi—the Drift King (DK)—over Sean talking to Takashi's girlfriend, Neela. Though forbidden to drive, Sean decides to race against Takashi, who has ties to the Yakuza. He borrows a Nissan Silvia from Han Lue, now a business partner to Takashi, but loses his first race with Takashi and ends up totaling the car due to his inability to drift.

To repay his debt for the car he destroyed, Sean agrees to work for Han. This leads to the duo becoming friends, with Han agreeing to teach Sean how to drift. Han also loans him a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution for future races, explaining that he is helping him as Sean is the only person willing to stand up to Takashi. Sean moves in with Han and soon masters drifting, gaining some clout after defeating DK's right-hand man, Morimoto. Sean soon asks Neela out on a date, and learns that after her mother died, she moved in with Takashi's grandmother, which resulted in their relationship. Takashi beats up Sean the next day, telling him to stay away from Neela; Neela subsequently leaves Takashi and moves in with Sean and Han.

Takashi's uncle Kamata, the head of the Yakuza, reprimands Takashi for allowing Han to steal from him. Takashi and Morimoto confront Han, Sean, and Neela about the thefts. Twinkie causes a distraction, allowing Han (in his Mazda RX-7), Sean, and Neela (both in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution) to flee, who are then pursued by Takashi and Morimoto (driving their respective Nissan 350Zs). During the chase, Morimoto is killed in a crash, leaving Takashi to pursue the trio on his own. Han allows Sean to overtake him in order to hold Takashi off, but the chase ends when Sean and Neela crash. Meanwhile, moments after escaping from Takashi, Han is critically injured from a t-bone collision. Han's car explodes, killing him instantly just seconds before Sean has a chance to save him.

Takashi, Sean, and his father become involved in an armed standoff which is resolved by Neela agreeing to leave with Takashi. Twinkie gives his money to Sean to replace the money Han stole, which Sean then returns to Kamata. Sean proposes a race against Takashi, with the loser having to leave Tokyo. Kamata agrees to the challenge, but on the condition that the race take place on a mountain, revealed to be the mountain where Takashi himself is the only person to make it down successfully. With all of Han's cars impounded, Sean and Han's friends then rebuild a 1967 Ford Mustang that Sean's father was working on, with a Nissan Skyline engine salvaged from Han's Silvia that was totaled by Sean in his first drift race, and other spare parts.

That night, on the mountain, crowds gather to see the race; Takashi takes the lead initially, but Sean's training allows him to catch up. Determined to win, Takashi resorts to ramming Sean's car, eventually missing and driving off the mountain while Sean crosses the finish line. Kamata keeps his word, and lets Sean remain in Tokyo and is now christened the new Drift King.

Some time later, Neela, Twinkie and Sean, the new Drift King, are enjoying themselves in their newfound homeplace and freedom. An American driver shows up to challenge Sean, and he accepts after the American proclaims himself as Han's family. Before the two begin to race, the challenger reveals himself to be Dominic Toretto.

Cast

 * Lucas Black as Sean Boswell, a young man interested in street racing and the protagonist of the film.
 * Sung Kang as Han Lue, DK's business partner (and old friend of Dominic Toretto) who befriends Sean and teaches him how to drift.
 * Bow Wow as Twinkie, Sean's first friend he meets in Tokyo and who sells various consumer goods and introduces Sean to drift racing.
 * Brian Tee as Takashi, Sean's enemy who is acknowledged as the best drift racer and given the title "Drift King."
 * Nathalie Kelley as Neela, Takashi's girlfriend who later falls for Sean.
 * Sonny Chiba as Kamata, Takashi's uncle who is the head of the Yakuza.
 * Leonardo Nam as Morimoto, Takashi's close friend and right-hand man.
 * Brian Goodman as Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Boswell, Sean's father.
 * Zachery Ty Bryan as Clay, the quarterback of Sean's school whom Sean races at the beginning of the film.
 * Lynda Boyd as Ms. Boswell, Sean's mother, who, fed up with moving Sean around, sends him to Tokyo, Japan to live with his father.
 * Jason Tobin as Earl, one of Han's friends.
 * Keiko Kitagawa as Reiko, Earl's friend.
 * Nikki Griffin as Cindy, Clay's girlfriend, who suggests that Clay and Sean race to win her.
 * Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto (uncredited), who makes a cameo appearance at the end of the film.

Production
Neal H. Moritz, who had produced the two previous installments, began working on the film in 2005. On June 8, 2005, Moritz hired Justin Lin to direct The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Lin, who wasn't intimately familiar with drifting when he was approached to helm the project, recalled: "I was in film school when The Fast and the Furious came out, and I saw it along with a sold-out crowd who just ate it up. What really excited me about directing this film was the chance to harness that energy—create a whole new chapter and up the ante by bringing something new to the table for the audience who loves action and speed." Vin Diesel agreed to make a cameo in the film in exchange for Universal's ownership to rights of the Riddick series and character, in lieu of financial payment.

Box office
Tokyo Drift brought in over $24 million on its opening weekend. The film itself was in limited release in Japan (released under the name Wild Speed 3). The US box office was $62.5 million, and it grossed another $95,953,877 internationally, resulting in total receipts of $158.5 million.

Critical response
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift gained a 38% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 136 critics; the average rating is 4.9/10. The site's consensus reads: "Eye-popping driving sequences coupled with a limp story and flat performances make this Drift a disappointing follow-up to previous Fast and Furious installments." On Metacritic, which determines a normalized rating out of 100 from mainstream critics, the film received a score of 46 out of 100 based on reviews from 31 critics indicating "mixed or average reviews."

Music
The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on June 27, 2006. The album was released by Varèse Sarabande on June 27, 2006. Brian Tyler also partnered with music producers Pharrell Williams and Dr. Dre to help curate the soundtrack. It was followed by the Original Score, which was also composed by Tyler.