Tokyo Drift was one of the lowest-earning films in the Fast & Furious franchise, but the film gained cult status over the years. It came to be known as one of Justin Lin’s best works in the franchise. Lin took several risks to make an authentic film, which included breaking the law in Japan. However, he had the backing of Universal Studios to avoid facing serious consequences for his lawbreaking.
Justin Lin’s Tokyo Drift moved away from the stories of Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner and focused on Lucas Black’s Sean Boswell. Upon his arrival in Tokyo, Sean gets involved with the city’s illegal drifting community, where he makes both friends and enemies.
Tokyo Drift Filming Almost Got Director Justin Lin Arrested
When Justin Lin was tasked with helming the third film in the Fast & Furious series, he decided to focus it on the illegal drifting community in Tokyo. While most of the American films set in Tokyo were filmed in local locations, Justin Lin badly wanted to film a few scenes from Tokyo Drift authentically in Tokyo. He particularly wanted to film drifting scenes in the busy streets of Shibuya.
There was one major issue in front of Lin — getting a film permit for foreign films in Tokyo was difficult. The process of securing the permit was more costlier and had quite a few frustrating procedures. Directors like Sofia Coppola went to great lengths to film scenes of her film, Lost in Translation, in Tokyo. This issue forced many American films to film at other locations and reproduce it to look like the Japanese capital.
Things were never going to be easy for Lin to get the permit, since he was a relative newcomer in the industry. The only way for him to get a few authentic shots was to shoot it illegally without a permit. Lin did exactly that and the crew was kicked out of the Shibuya area by law enforcement shortly after the filming was completed. The Tokyo police arrived to arrest the director of the film.
However, Universal Studios trusted their director’s cinematic vision and had a plan, in case things went south for him. The studio had already hired a ‘fall guy’, who would come in handy if the director landed in major trouble. The fall guy claimed to the Tokyo police that he was Lin and spent a night in jail for breaking the law (via Digital Spy).
Lin got some decent footage to use in his film, but the rest of the film was mainly shot in Los Angeles. Justin Lin’s commitment prompted the studio to bring him back for more Fast & Furious films.
Christopher Nolan Has A Very Soft Spot For Tokyo Drift
Many fans would not consider Christopher Nolan as a Fast & Furious type of guy, but the Oscar-winning director was vocal about his love for the franchise. He particularly mentioned Tokyo Drift by name during several instances. In an interview with Josh Horowitz of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Nolan revealed that he had a “very soft spot” for Tokyo Drift among the Fast & Furious films.
During his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the Interstellar director defended the movies when Stephen Colbert called them “guilty pleasure” movies. Nolan shared that he would start with Tokyo Drift and watch it as a standalone feature. He shared:
“I have no guilt about being a fan of the Fast & Furious franchise. I watch those movies all the time. I love them. I’m amazed you’ve never seen one of them. It’s only the last few where a specific arc and mythology develop. I would start with Tokyo Drift and watch it as its own thing.”
The film grossed $159 million against its $85 million budget at the time of its release. Critics particularly praised the driving sequences in the film, which made it popular among fans in the subsequent years.
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is now available for rent on AppleTV+.
