It really doesn't matter too much that almost every scene in this film is so far beyond believable, for this is not a movie that's designed to make sense...it's designed to keep the audience in its seats, and in that sense this movie soars. Like the two films that proceeded it, `The Fast and the Furious - Tokyo Drift' is a high octane rollercoaster ride littered with fast cars and fast women, and for its target audience (teenage boys) it hits every mark just right. Now I am a huge fan of the first film, and a minor fan of the second. I had absolutely no expectations for this film (I thought that the previews looked lame, and no one from either of the previous films was making an appearance, well, Vin is in the last 30 seconds but that doesn't count) so when I watched it I was increasingly impressed with how much I was enjoying myself.
I'll point out first off that I was much relieved to see that Zachery Ty Bryan was only in the first few minutes of the film and that his character was not explored throughout the film...I can't stand him. That aside, Lucus Black (Friday Night Lights & Jarhead) does a great job here as Sean. Lucus is a much better actor than the overrated Paul Walker (sure, he's got great abs but his acting ability is below B-Grade) and actually made his character interesting. Sung Kang was also very good as Han and Brian Tee was believable in all his irritating bad-boyness as DK. Bow Wow takes the place of Ludacris and Ja Rule before him as the rapper-guy side kick, and he does an alright job, but he just doesn't really fit here (Luda was by far the best of the three). Nathalie Kelly plays Neela, the girl Sean is fighting for, and she is amply hot enough to vie for attention.
Sure the plot of weak and the relationships are unbelievable, I mean who can honestly say that they feel a kingpin to the Japanese/Chinese/Oriental (whatever it was) Mafia is going to agree to have his nephew and some stranger race to squash their beef? But, like I said, it doesn't have to make sense, it doesn't have to be believable. `The Fast and the Furious' franchise have done quite well for themselves giving the growing young boys of the world exactly what they want, sleek fast cars coupled with hot young tail.