Fast and the Furious 3:
Toyko Drift
3 of 4 Stars
Rating: PG-13 for Violence, Sexual References and Mild Language
Starring: Lucas Black, Shad 'Bow Wow' Gregory Moss, Nathalie Kelley, Sung Kang, Brian
Tee
Directed by: Justin Lin
Produced by: Clayton Townsend, Ryan Kavanaugh, Lynwood Spinks
Strap on your seatbelt and prepare yourself for the thrill ride of the summer. OK, maybe the
movie was not that great but it was actually a fun movie. The Fast and the Furious 3 is all
about fast cars, fast women and fast money and it delivers all of those and then some.
The Fast and the Furious 3 is lacking the original star power of the first 2 movies. Vin Diesel
and Paul Walker each added their own flare to the movies, but this time around, the new
blood actually does pretty well. Lucas Black is the new rising star in Hollywood who has the
looks, charm and southern drawl. He holds his own as an action hero and as the romantic
lead. I was surprised because he has up until now mostly played in low budget movies or bit
parts in larger movies. This time the movie is all about him which should boost his earning
potential and role choices.
The plot of FF3 is incredibly thin but then again you don’t go to a FF movie expecting plot or
dialogue but for the action, special effects and most importantly, the driving. On that level
this is an excellent movie. This time the movie takes place in Tokyo where the new hero
moves because he has been getting in way too much trouble in the states. He moves in with
his father and has sworn not to drive while he is under his father’s roof. Temptation however
quickly takes over and he gets mixed up with the wrong crowd. He is introduced to a different
style of racing that he is not familiar with called “Drifting.” Drifting is all about slamming turns
that nearly wipe out your car, but with the touch of an emergency break and the twist of a
wheel, the car is sent into a gliding motion around every sharp corner. The movie has the
usual mix of romance, gunplay and action but is severely lacking on the human element. The
car scenes are much better than either of the first movies, but they are so awesome they
seem fake and over stylized. Well, OK, they are fake, but they are still fun to watch.
There were really no heroes in this movie, and the chemistry between the love interests
appears like a fire without a flame. They lack any emotional connection, due mostly to the
fact that the romantic female lead really cannot act. She seems to be reading her lines more
than delivering them with conviction.
Bow Wow, who plays Lucas Black’s sidekick, does a great job as does the mostly Japanese
cast. The car scenes were out of this world and reminded me of the old Steve McQueen
movie “Bullet” which had one of the greatest car chases of all time.
I also liked that the father/son relationship was one of respect and honor, rather than making
the father look like a jerk as in so many movies. I do wish that the father’s part had been
more developed. I also liked the messages that the movie taught about responsibility and
taking care of one another. There were quite a few points about making selfless decisions.
At times they seem a bit too preachy but at the same time you can’t get enough about
character.
On the negative side, there are a few dirty jokes that they toss in there and yes there are the
2 lesbian kissing scenes (yes they are fully clothed and they are only about 1 second long)
as they had in the 2 previous movies. Why they feel the need to show two women kissing is
beyond me but nonetheless they do. They also have their fair share of women with really
tight, short skirts, as well as plenty of cleavage. Other than the kissing scenes there is no
sex at all in the movie and the foul language is kept to a minimum.
If you are up for a no-brainer movie with lots of fast cars and good acting then this movie is
right up your ally.
Parental Warning: Not for kids. There are the 2 scenes with women kissing, along with sexual
references and scantily clad women through out the movie. That said, this movie is FAR less
sexual than the 2 previous movies and with far less foul language than the others as well.
2.5 of 4 Stars
Toyko Drift
3 of 4 Stars
Rating: PG-13 for Violence, Sexual References and Mild Language
Starring: Lucas Black, Shad 'Bow Wow' Gregory Moss, Nathalie Kelley, Sung Kang, Brian
Tee
Directed by: Justin Lin
Produced by: Clayton Townsend, Ryan Kavanaugh, Lynwood Spinks
Strap on your seatbelt and prepare yourself for the thrill ride of the summer. OK, maybe the
movie was not that great but it was actually a fun movie. The Fast and the Furious 3 is all
about fast cars, fast women and fast money and it delivers all of those and then some.
The Fast and the Furious 3 is lacking the original star power of the first 2 movies. Vin Diesel
and Paul Walker each added their own flare to the movies, but this time around, the new
blood actually does pretty well. Lucas Black is the new rising star in Hollywood who has the
looks, charm and southern drawl. He holds his own as an action hero and as the romantic
lead. I was surprised because he has up until now mostly played in low budget movies or bit
parts in larger movies. This time the movie is all about him which should boost his earning
potential and role choices.
The plot of FF3 is incredibly thin but then again you don’t go to a FF movie expecting plot or
dialogue but for the action, special effects and most importantly, the driving. On that level
this is an excellent movie. This time the movie takes place in Tokyo where the new hero
moves because he has been getting in way too much trouble in the states. He moves in with
his father and has sworn not to drive while he is under his father’s roof. Temptation however
quickly takes over and he gets mixed up with the wrong crowd. He is introduced to a different
style of racing that he is not familiar with called “Drifting.” Drifting is all about slamming turns
that nearly wipe out your car, but with the touch of an emergency break and the twist of a
wheel, the car is sent into a gliding motion around every sharp corner. The movie has the
usual mix of romance, gunplay and action but is severely lacking on the human element. The
car scenes are much better than either of the first movies, but they are so awesome they
seem fake and over stylized. Well, OK, they are fake, but they are still fun to watch.
There were really no heroes in this movie, and the chemistry between the love interests
appears like a fire without a flame. They lack any emotional connection, due mostly to the
fact that the romantic female lead really cannot act. She seems to be reading her lines more
than delivering them with conviction.
Bow Wow, who plays Lucas Black’s sidekick, does a great job as does the mostly Japanese
cast. The car scenes were out of this world and reminded me of the old Steve McQueen
movie “Bullet” which had one of the greatest car chases of all time.
I also liked that the father/son relationship was one of respect and honor, rather than making
the father look like a jerk as in so many movies. I do wish that the father’s part had been
more developed. I also liked the messages that the movie taught about responsibility and
taking care of one another. There were quite a few points about making selfless decisions.
At times they seem a bit too preachy but at the same time you can’t get enough about
character.
On the negative side, there are a few dirty jokes that they toss in there and yes there are the
2 lesbian kissing scenes (yes they are fully clothed and they are only about 1 second long)
as they had in the 2 previous movies. Why they feel the need to show two women kissing is
beyond me but nonetheless they do. They also have their fair share of women with really
tight, short skirts, as well as plenty of cleavage. Other than the kissing scenes there is no
sex at all in the movie and the foul language is kept to a minimum.
If you are up for a no-brainer movie with lots of fast cars and good acting then this movie is
right up your ally.
Parental Warning: Not for kids. There are the 2 scenes with women kissing, along with sexual
references and scantily clad women through out the movie. That said, this movie is FAR less
sexual than the 2 previous movies and with far less foul language than the others as well.
2.5 of 4 Stars
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