Project_ Reviews

Initial D (2005)

Ordinary

[7/10 · 28 June 2005]

This is perhaps a good example of the direction Hong Kong film has gone in recent years. Being a fan of the anime series, it is inevitable that I will draw comparison to it, so let's get that out of the way. (If you've never seen the anime or read the manga, ignore the next paragraph!).

My first big sticking point is the exception of several key recurring characters; where has Keisuke and his yellow RX-7 gone? The rest of the NightKids and Speedstars? There's a RedSuns sticker on Ryousuke's car but there's no team there! This has the result of cutting two seasons of anime into a short movie, leaving little room for a sequel. The characters and relationships themselves have changed beyond recognition. When was Bunta ever a drunk idiot? I don't remember Yuuichi being Itsuki's father? Or Ryousuke being so cocky or that he was ever a smoker (he's meant to be in medical school!) or was so friendly with Takeshi? Or that they ever ran three car races? The list is infinite, so I'll just leave it there.

Firstly, the mixed bag: actor choices. Jay Chou playing the main character is the most debatable. Being Taiwanese and naturally Mandarin speaking, he makes an attempt at the Cantonese translation, but valiantly fails. Cantonese speakers like myself can clearly tell his tone and accent is too far out of place around the other naturally Cantonese speaking actors. Even worse is that his girlfriend is Japanese, and her lines are clearly dubbed. There is absolutely no chemistry between them, and he reacts like a cold dead fish to her advances. No offence, but she isn't all that great looking either.

The art-house look camera work is generally well done, most of the time giving the film a unique (though common) style, but sometimes it makes the scene and shot transitions confusing. The best part of the movie is clearly the racing scenes; none of this straight line drag 'The Fast and the Furious' business with riced up cars or speeded up replays of cars driving at normal speed 'Legend of Speed' style. There is clearly real driving skill shown on the actual mountain passes in Japan (compliments to the stunt drivers!).

In terms of the acting, Jay Chou tries his best to emulate Takumi's sleepyness, but the 'driving with one hand and the other on the face look' clearly adds nothing except to show what a couple of the audience may be doing. As for the rest, they try to work with the little substance actually present. Anthony Wong plays what he is asked and does it with his usual flair, Shawn Yue does an excellent job in the interpretation of his character, and Jordan Chan plays his terribly dressed antagonist with his effective silence.

Unfortunately the entire film has the feeling of being dumbed down and is clearly made as one of those films where the audience wants to copy its image; from the incessant slang and constantly unneeded swearing (there has never been a conversational expletive in the anime!), the need for everyone to smoke, the excessive sexual innuendo; some of the humour is effective but the more adult jokes and language clearly makes it not family friendly. This isn't something that should really be seen by its target age brackets.

To sum up: average acting, bad plot, but excellent race scenes: 6.2/10

Tigerland (2000)

Very different, very beautiful

[8/10 · 4 October 2004]

Colin Farrell delivers perhaps the best performance of his career as the trouble making but ultimately good willed Bozz, in what turns out to be one of the most different anti-war movies available. Beneath its incessant swearing and violence, it is a story about the struggle of one man who wants to stay in touch with his humanity. Coupled with a haunting and poignant drum beat in the background, Tigerland pushes its message against war by showing the dehumanising of soldiers and what is required of them, using Vietnam very effectively being perhaps the most morally problematic war of the last century.

In every other war movie, the soldiers themselves must be almost superhuman - life and death of themself and the men around them depend on it. They must think without morals, without remorse, about the actions they must take. Tigerland makes this point most blatantly with the declaration about guard duty by SFC Ezra Landers (Afemo Omilami) - "You keep shooting till whatever made the noise is dead. I don't care if it is a woman, child or little Johnny next door". Bozz is the draftee who tries to remain human by rebelling against the training and practically everything about the army, so try and get himself kicked out, because as he said himself, "I'm not ready to go kill women and children."

Tigerland clearly states it cause against war, showing graphically the violence both the officers and the soldiers inflict on each other. Portrayed directly and extremely opposite to Bozz's character is that of Private Wilson, who tries to epitomise in himself the 'soldiering' the army is trying to drill into the men - to kill without morals of remorse. However the story leads to a point where Wilson tries to kill because of his attempts are constantly undermined and scorned by the platoon, led by Bozz. Wilson is used clearly to show the mental instability of the way of the 'soldier' way of thinking, and the end of the movie, though perhaps slightly predictable, will leave a lot for people to think about.

Very poignant and beautifully filmed, the camera work and visuals of the film give a gritty and war-like feeling we've come to expect, and with great feeling Tigerland states simply and openly its intriguing cinematic look at war.