Fast & Furious 3 (3 Stars)

As you can see from the poster, the correct name for this film is "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift". I've renamed it "Fast & Furious 3", because of the inconsistent names and numbers used in the series.

This film has almost no connection with the previous films. None of the actors from the previous two parts return, apart from Vin Diesel in a brief cameo. Some of the characters return in later films in the series, but I'll discuss them when I get to those films. The only thing that connects this film with the previous films is that it's also about car racing.

Sean Boswell is a 17-year-old high school student who has an obsession with racing. The opening scenes show him having an accident, doing a lot of damage, in an illegal race. It's his third conviction, so it's possible he'll be tried as an adult. Before this can happen, his mother sends him to live with her ex-husband who works for the US Navy in Tokyo.

Sean has to go to a Japanese school. He's out of place, since he doesn't speak a word of Japanese. Aren't there any American schools for him? But he's in luck. An American boy called Twinkie, presumably an army brat, takes him under his wing. More significantly, he introduces Sean to an underground car racing community. Sean has problems from the start. He approaches Neela, a girl he recognises from his school class, but she's the girlfriend of Takashi, the nephew of a Yakuza boss and also a gangster in his own right. Sean is befriended by Han, Takashi's partner in crime, for no apparent reason.

Sean wants to race against the others, but he has to learn the art of drifting. If I understand correctly, this is a driving style in which the car makes turns by rapid breaking, allowing the back wheels to overtake the front wheels.

I'm not sure how to rate this film. The story is awful. It's so infeasible that underage youngsters can be driving around in expensive cars, whether in America or Japan. The only good thing about the film is the spectacular races. The film is weaker than the previous two films, but I'll be generous and give it three stars.

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