[The_Blur]

While watching Tokyo Drift, I had a thought about these movies. While they feature some unbelievable driving talent and some ridiculously fast cars, there are several things that are very wrong with these movies.

The first thing I noticed are the gang-related plotlines. There is always a mob or crime syndicate involved in the films, menacing society with their gorgeous cars and criminal drivers. If I were in a mob, I would probably not want to drive a brightly painted vehicle that I show off to the world. Wouldn't such a ride lead to unwanted attention from competing gangs and law enforcement? I am willing to accept that local law enforcement might be corrupt or lax, but nationally, someone would either try to take down the group or assassinate top members. If I were in a competing gang, seeing an enemy member in a tricked out whip would make the job of finding the enemy way too easy. I would beg for that opportunity. Thus, gangsters driving tricked out rides could not represent a feasible situation.

Additionally, the drivers of these cars treat them like beaters, using them to mash other drivers off the road or into obstacles. If I were driving a 350Z with an expensive custom paint job and hours upon hours of motor work, I would not dare slam my vehicle into someone else's car. I would cry if my beautiful monster mobile got beat up like that.

Moreover, they put an import motor in a classic Mustang! What's wrong with these people? Fitment and calibration issues aside, I can understand the symbolism of including both styles in the car that wins the final race on that drifting mountain, but they could afford all the aftermarket work to their other cars, so why did the supporting characters refuse to cough up a few thousand yen to modify or repair an existing import or, alternatively, to restore the Mustang to its former glory and modify the Mustang as a powerful muscle car instead of a crossbreed of middleweight V6 import and heavyweight V8 styling? I have no doubts that such a restoration would cost far less in both time and effort than the crossbreed they produced. If you do not agree, then at least you can concede that finding an existing car and upgrading it would have been even more feasible as the car would already have all of its parts, a basis on which the Mustang did not rely. The last argument I have for the Mustang is why it was the symbolic car for the American military father, as well as the symbol of crossbred tuning. For a crossbred car to win, it must be the best of everything. It should have the best suspension with the best steering and the most appropriate tires for the course. If you have to swap the motor, pick the most powerful, easily tunable motor available. I have no reason to believe that the Mustang is symbolically the best car because it is not the best car. A Corvette would have made more sense as it has traditionally had a huge calling, like the Mustang, and is considered by many as a dream car. The Mustang is too attainable, and, therefore, not impressive enough to symbolize American cars. Tokyo Drift was intended to bring together the American and Japanese styles, but they chose an inappropriate car to make that happen. The Mustang is a direct competitor of the Camaro, GTO, Charger, Firebird, and Challenger in many categories, including power, comfort, and style. To choose the Mustang is to create conflict between those American car supporters. A Corvette or Viper is more unifying as they are a higher tier of car than the Mustang, and everyone can agree that they are exemplary automobiles. The classic Corvette would be the best choice since the classic Stingray is considered one of the most desirable American cars for collectors and car enthusiasts. Ultimately, the Mustang crossbreed in the third film does not make sense.

Lastly, a big race does not resolve conflicts. If I went to a top Yakuza gangbanger and demanded to race him to decide who runs this bitch, he would shoot me on the spot. There is no reason to abide by the rules of an arbitrary race since the mobsters in these films do not obey laws of any kind. While the idea of racing for a purpose greater than victory is inspiring an philosophical, racing is ultimately a battle of minds, decided by who has the best knowledge of their car and applying that knowledge by making it faster and better looking. The Fast and the Furious series takes racing as a form of resolving conflict, but the truth is that racing usually ignites conflict and excuses for loss. While that may not affect us Camaro winners, losers and winners alike make evident to us the fact that no one car is supreme. With the right resources and research, any car can be made a monster—not just the wild creations of film producers on a quest to jump start the young automotive aftermarket industry.

I just wanted to get some consensus. I used to belong to a Cobalt site where this type of stuff was viewed as God-like. Never have I agreed, but I just wanted to see what you guys thought of the crazy stuff they pull in these films.