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Justin Lin

Justin Lin

Director, producer and writer, also actor and editor · Born October 11, 1971 (55) · Taipei, Taiwan

Justin Lin (traditional Chinese: 林詣彬; simplified Chinese: 林诣彬; pinyin: Lín Yìbīn; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Lîm Gē-pin, born October 11, 1971) is a Taiwanese-American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. His films have grossed over $3 billion USD worldwide as of March 2017. He is best known for his directorial work on Better Luck Tomorrow (2002), the Fast & Furious franchise from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006) to Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and F9 (2021), and Star Trek Beyond (2016). He is also known for his work on television programs like Community and True Detective. Description above from the Wikipedia article Justin Lin, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 11, 1971 (55)
From
Taipei, Taiwan
Works as
Director, producer and writer, also actor and editor
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 34 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 33% in 30 days

What are Justin Lin's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
36%
Self
26%
Society
20%
Morality
13%
Power
4%
Family bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 5 · Dark 2

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 6

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 8

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 2

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 2

Relentless: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their relentless movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 8

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 4 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Thrilling
9
Tense
7
Hopeful
4
Melancholic
4
Joyful
3
Other
10

How their films linger

Rousing7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Justin Lin's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Justin Lin's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

34 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 6 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Helldivers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

    Director · Producer

  • S.W.A.T. Exiles(2026)

    Show Producer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all shows

  • Last Days(2025)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Fast X(2023)

    Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • The Endgame(2022)

    Show 10 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows

  • Space Jam: A New Legacy(2021)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • F9: The Fast Saga(2021)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Warrior(2019)

    Show 30 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows

  • Magnum P.I.(2018)

    Show 96 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows

  • S.W.A.T.(2017)

    Show 88 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Star Trek Beyond(2016)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Hollywood Adventures(2015)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Scorpion(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Help (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

    Director

  • True Detective(2014)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Fast & Furious 6(2013)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Vesuvius (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Executive Producer

  • Bad Butt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Executive Producer

  • Grave Torture (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Executive Producer

  • Fast Five(2011)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Community(2009)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows

  • Fast & Furious(2009)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Finishing the Game(2007)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • La Revolución de Iguodala! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift(2006)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Annapolis(2006)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Masters of the Pillow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Actor

  • Better Luck Tomorrow(2002)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Jock (Uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Crossover (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director

  • Shopping for Fangs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director · Editor · Writer

  • BRZRKR (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer

  • Moonshadow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer

  • Stakehorse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer

  • That Man from Rio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer

Career shape

A full career of 33 titles, 28 of them dated from 1997 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Fast & Furious 6 (2013)

$789M worldwide

Highest rated

Hollywood Chinese (2007)

Midcredits 92nd

Most popular right now

Fast X (2023)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 33: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting24 of 33: 9 only directing, 15 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thWriting7 of 33: 1 only writing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score37thProducing21 of 33: 6 only producing, 15 with another role · typical Midcredits score48thEditing2 of 33: 0 only editing, 2 with another role

33 titles, 16 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 14 of them.

By decade

1990s1 · crew2000s9 · 2 acting · 8 crew2010s13 · crew2020s5 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Justin Lin's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 42nd percentile, the median of all 13; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 21 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · producer

S.W.A.T. Exiles (2026)

88th percentile spread · 32% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

True Detective (2014)

Midcredits 98th · 95% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 58/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Justin Lin's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles56–64 · median 61 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles18–51 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles37–62 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles32–38 · median 34 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles47–58 · median 52 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Justin Lin work with?

People who share at least 2 of Justin Lin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sung Kang shares the most, 7.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers