The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift

(Movie Review)

I’m not a huge fan of these car movies, although I did rent the first one in this series a few years ago. It wasn’t a great movie, but it was good enough for a rental.

I let the second one pass me by, and would have been more than content enough not to see the third one, but because it is based in Japan, I thought I should probably see it and add it to my theme of reviewing American movies based on Japan (Kill Bill, The Last Samurai, The Grudge, Lost in Translation, Memoirs of a Geisha, Letters from Iwo Jima), thus continuing the role I have taken up on this blog as a self-appointed expert on Japan.

Like many “Japan Movies” however, this is not a movie about Japan as much as Japan serving as an exotic location against which Westerners have their own adventures. I remember my Calvin professor in “Western Perspectives of China” class said that there was a period around the turn of the century when most Western books and movies about China were simply exotic backdrops for stories about Europeans, and it appears 100 years later we are not completely out of that era yet.

Not, I hasten to add before I get too high on my liberal horse, that there is anything inherently wrong with that. For that matter, Japanese media often employs the same device, and Japanese comics and movies are often filled with stories of Japanese people going to America and having all sorts of bizarre adventures.

But it is noticeable that none of the main characters in this movie are Japanese. The hero is a white American, the best friend character is a black American, the mentor is a Chinese American, and the love interest is an Australian of indeterminate ethnicity. A multi-cultural cast certainly, but the rest of the Japanese characters are mostly reduced to the background. More is the pity because the producers were able to get a few of Japan's most recognized television talents to make cameos on this film, and then only gave them bit parts.

In fact the only Japanese who figure into this story at all are the villains. I remember thinking the first film in the series, with its Chinese bad guys, was drifting dangerously close to reviving the old stereotype of the swarthy Asian villain. This film again has chosen to focus on a white protagonist battling slimy Asian gangs.

However I am hesitant to call racism too quickly, especially since the director of this film and many of the crew are Asian American themselves. Instead, let us just say that the film has some unfortunate missed opportunities, and it could have been a lot better if it had done a better job of integrating its Japanese cast.

As for my critique of the film’s portrayal of Japan:
The entire film is set in Tokyo, which I have thus far spent appalling little time in, despite my 5 years in Japan (mostly due to my hatred of crowds). Tokyo is to some extent almost a separate country, and the rest of Japan views it in much the same way we Midwesterners view California, as that crazy place where anything goes, fashion and youth culture are at their cutting edge, and nobody has any morals.

If you watch the DVD, the director’s commentary is pretty interesting, because he talks about some of the things he exaggerated, and some of the things he didn’t. (For example, given the fact that Tokyo is one huge traffic Jam, most of these car racing scenes that take place in the movie are pretty laughable).
Also it turns out that, like “Lost in Translation”, this film was apparently plagued by Japan’s restrictive rules regarding film permits, and a lot of the Tokyo footage they either had to take illegally, or film in L.A. on sets that recreated Tokyo.

The school uniforms, school slippers, and look of the school was all pretty much dead on. However in my experience, a tall white guy cannot walk into a classroom in Japan without causing, if not massive disruption, at least a considerable show of interest and questions. I found it slightly surprising that he could simply walk into the classroom and be accepted as a new student, but then I live out in the countryside in Kyushu. I’m sure Tokyo is a lot more sophisticated and international.

Of course, the big point of this movie is not Japan or the cast, but the cars. I’ve never been really into cars the way some guys are. (In fact, those of you who know me know that’s a huge understatement. I barely know what type of car I drive).

I will say this though, I now have a whole new appreciation for “Crash” by J.G. Ballard. When I read his book about sexual eroticism and car crashes, I thought he was only being metaphorical about our society’s addiction to automobiles. 15 minutes into this movie, I realized that some people, like the target audience for these films, do seem to literally equate huge car crashes with pretty girls and sexual arousal.

Link of the Day
Impeachment Protests held in Grand Rapids and around the Country

The Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift: Movie Review (Scripted)