The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift

Lin, Justin. The Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift. Universal Studios, 2006. PG-13. 105 minutes. ISBN 1-4170-1349-4

Plot
Sean Boswell is a teen with a passion for illegal racing, and he has the rap sheet to prove it. In order to avoid trouble, he and his mom has been moving each time he is busted. Not this time, to keep him from serving time in jail his mom sends him to his father, a military man living in Tokyo Japan. It does not take long for Sean to get mixed up with the racing crowd there, except the scene is complicated, the stakes are higher and he has yet to master drifting, a new and dangerous way to race.

Critical Evaluation
I must admit that there was not that much expectations going in, but the movie turned out to be surprisingly entertaining. Of course there is not that much character development or an intricate plot, but the action was non-stop and there weren't any boring breaks in the movie. The drifting in the movie was amazing to watch and the acting was pretty solid all around. Guys will enjoy the movie for the good driving and fancy cars while girls will enjoy the fast action pace of the movie.

Reader's Annotation
Sean Boswell, a kid with a juvenile record for illegal driving arrives in Tokyo. He has no problem finding the racing crowd, only to find higher stakes and a new way to race.

About the Author
Justin Lin is a director hailing from Taipei, Taiwan. He graduated from the UCLA Film School. He has also directed Fast and Furious 4.

Genre
Action

Curriculum Ties
Culture
Peer Pressure mentality

Book Talking Ideas
Why do you think Sean is unable to stay away from trouble?
What do you think of the cultural differences between American and Japanese teens?

Reading Level/Interest Age
13+

Challenge Issues
Scenes of parties, illegal transactions and violence

Challenge Answer
The party scenes and violence are brief and the movie shows negative consequences of illegal transactions.

Why Included in Selection
I was curious about the Fast and Furious movies and was interested in the movie's portrayal of Japanese culture.