Netflix Says Goodbye to Christopher Nolan's Favorite Fast and Furious Movie

Christopher Nolan has spent his career making some of the most ambitious movies in Hollywood, from Inception and Interstellar to Oppenheimer and The Dark Knight. He is, in essence, a blockbuster auteur, and we've seen him in the Criterion Closet. We know this man has taste. So when he starts describing the lore, the action and the thrills of the lowest-grossing installment of Hollywood's most unlikely franchise, you know it's an interesting thing to listen to.

That movie is The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and the 2006 action thriller is officially leaving Netflix in the United States. Directed by Justin Lin, the third installment in the franchise took audiences away from the familiar faces of the first two movies, introducing a new cast and moving the action to Japan. Nolan has previously praised the movie and Lin's direction, describing it as his favorite installment in the series.

The story follows American teenager (although that's pushing it given how old he looks) Sean Boswell, who, after one too many run-ins with the authorities and trouble at school, is shipped off to Tokyo to live with his disciplinarian dad. There, he falls into the drifting scene in Tokyo, and Sean soon finds himself caught up in a rivalry with a local racer known as the Drift King, while developing a friendship with Han, who teaches him how to survive on the streets.

The cast is led by Lucas Black (NCIS: New Orleans) as Sean Boswell, alongside Sung Kang (Fast Five) as Han, Brian Tee (Chicago Med) as Takashi, Nathalie Kelley (The Vampire Diaries) as Neela, Bow Wow (Like Mike) as Twinkie, Brian Goodman (Rizzoli & Isles) as Major Boswell, and Sonny Chiba (Kill Bill) as Kamata. Vin Diesel also makes a brief appearance as Dominic Toretto.

Why Does Christopher Nolan Love 'Fast and Furious'?

Nolan has made no secret of his love for the Fast & Furious franchise, particularly Tokyo Drift. Speaking on Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast in 2020, Nolan admitted that he had "a very soft spot for Tokyo Drift," while also praising director Justin Lin for taking the series in increasingly outrageous directions. He doubled down during a 2024 appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, describing the movies as "a tremendous action franchise" and revealing that he watches them regularly. When Colbert admitted he'd never seen a single installment, Nolan recommended starting with Tokyo Drift and watching it as a standalone movie. Horowitz later told Lin that Nolan had identified the film as his favorite in the series, leaving the director understandably delighted. It's important to note, however, that Nolan explicitly said he felt "no guilt" about loving these movies. And when he speaks, we should all listen.

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift is leaving Netflix in the United States.