TOKYO DRIFT: Same F&F Formula

ITHE FAST & THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT
Cast: Lucas Black, Bow Wow, Nathalie Kelley, Brian Tee and Sung Kang
Director: Justin Lin
Time: 105 mins
Rating: * * 1/2

WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Racing, babes, attitude and more racing! Incorrigible ‘trouble-maker’ Sean Boswell (Black) is ‘banished’ to live with his father in Tokyo after running foul of the law in the US. In Japan, he gets sucked into the world of ‘Drifting” where race cars slide sideways to move in confined spaces. Of course, there is a girl (Kelley) and the Yakuza involved, but every (obviously contrived) problem here is solved by a challenge to race cars.

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL? What’s new in this sequel (The Fast & The Furious 3) is the introduction to drifting, starring some of the top Japanese cars. There are also more of everything in this F&F formula – more babes, more cars and more crashes. What is sorely lacking is a bit of intelligence in the script.

HIGHLIGHTS: A racing sequence in downtown Tokyo can get you drunk in adrenalin, or at least put you on the edge of your seat. Another cool sequence is a car doing circles around a couple of chicks – moving sideways. Also the dialogue reeks of attitude – which should impress the kids of today.

LOWLIGHTS: Other than the aforementioned cars, babes and crashes, everything else in this mindless venture is adrift in mediocrity. The acting stinks – get a load of Lucas Black breaking out into his trademark silly grin – the dialogue consists mainly of smart-ass one-liners, and the scripters must think that cops are extinct in Tokyo.

THE LOWDOWN? This one is nowhere near the animated Cars in fun and characterization, but it should whet the appetite of racing fans who get high on car crashes.