Film review for INITIAL D taken from Today newspaper
The "D" stands for drifting - a trick which involves braking your vehicle suddenly, causing it to slide through the turns in a road.
For its exciting race sequences, stylish camerawork, and, well, little else really, Initial D is a film that hugely satisfies at the visceral level. It also shows Taiwan singing superstar Jay Chou can act well enough in a role which has him portraying ... himself, more or less.
Based on a best-selling Japanese comic book, the story centres on Takumi (Chou) the son of a beancurd seller (Anthony Wong).
Unknown to his friends, Takumi is a pretty good driver. In fact, he is to road racing as Matt Damon was to mathematics in Good Will Hunting: A savant who can, on his day, beat top professional racers, even when driving a car with less horsepower.
In filling the role of Takumi - a young man whose father, once a legendary driver, is now a drunk - the soft-spoken Chou is suitably shy and introverted. Despite his economy with words, he has a girlfriend (Anna Suzuki) who he's crazy about; one kiss from her, and he's left a grinning idiot.
The love angle doesn't figure much in the story - Suzuki unfortunately comes off as a wide-eyed bimbo - as is the dark secret she keeps from Takumi.
And, to be honest, the plot isn't particularly gripping. It largely revolves around the pretty squabbles between ego-fuelled drivers - played by Jordan Chan, Edison Chen and Shawn Yue - who all want to beat Takumi to claim the mantle of king of the mountain.
However, what the film lacks in substance, it makes up for in style and humour.
Chapman To, who plays Takumi's best friend, a man with sadly misplaced faith in his unimpressive driving skills, is the chief source of comic relief, though he comes close to wearing out his welcome with his silly antics.
Wong, always a reliable actor, is a sombre, tragic figure as the fater, a man with a black sense of humour. Takumi has him to thank for his astounding driving skills: He's forced by his father to deliver beancurd in the dead of the night, driving without a licence.
And the real appeal of the flick: For the most part, Initial D is a stunning display of stunt driving.
The technical crew and stuntmen deserve the plaudits for making Chou look incredibly cool as he drives around, looking bored as heck, head casually propped up by his arm.
If directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak had have made more of the love story - or simply cut it oit entirely, Initial D would have been much better, without those slow moments to haul in its adrenaline-pumping pace.
rated 4/5 stars!