MOVIE REVIEW . Initial D

by Chris   ⋅   November 23, 2005   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

When it comes to manga adaptations, much like American comic book adaptations, you run the full gambit of hits, near-misses, and absolute bombs. For every Ichi the Killer, there’s more than a few Eko-Eko Azaraks. Furthermore, when filmmakers of a country other than that of the source material’s origin decides to adapt the piece, you can usually throw a few more monkey wrenches into the mix. Thankfully, with Initial D, this is not the case.

Based on the Japanese manga, and anime series of the same name, Initial D is the story of 18 year old Takumi (Jay Chou). Son of a Tofu merchant, Takumi has been making late night deliveries for his father, Bunta (Anthony Wong, The Untold Story, Time and Tide, The Young and Dangerous series) in their trusty Toyota Trueno, since the age of 13. During his pre-dawn treks over mountain roads Takumi has perfected the art of drifting, the method of racing where drivers intentionally break friction between tires and road through turns, thus causing the car to move in a direction near perpendicular to its nose. Takumi’s drifts are so smooth, the tofu he delivers sloshes near merrily in its tank, and the water in his tea cup swirls like ever competing yin and yang. Yet as skilled as he is, he is unknown to the racing crowd, as little time is left with school, work, and taking care of his alcoholic father. But when Takumi inadvertently beats a young racer while making an early morning delivery, his secret gets out, and the races are on.

The film, directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, the duo responsible for the critically acclaimed Infernal Affairs trilogy, is surprisingly engaging. Shot mainly with medium to long takes, it employs a sort of speed-up-bump editing that allows it a hip feel without lapsing into the drudgery of jump-cuts. The races themselves, involving cars moving at speeds exceeding 100 km/hr on two lane mountain roads, are shot in a quicker fashion, tight and low, creating a nice dichotomy between the slower character development sequences, and ramping up the excitement to a respectable level (Also worthy of note is the fact that whenever possible real cars were used in the racing sequences; only one or two quick shots involve CG.) Though peppered with a few bits of decidedly Hong Kong humor, this pacing makes it feel quite a bit more like a modern Japanese film (see: Samurai Fiction). If I had any qualms with the story itself, it would be the extremely late addition of a girlfriend as prostitute storyline, which I can only assume would be resolved in a sequel.

Jay Chou, a famous Chinese rapper (I actually have a CD of his. Cool stuff.), brings the right blend of self conscious pining and peaceful aloofness to Takumi’s character. His second acting role, Chou puts aside his rap-idol persona and allows the character to take center stage. Still fans can rest assured some of his music has made it into the film’s soundtrack. Similarly, Anthony Wong, one of my favorite Hong Kong actors, is hilarious in his role as the alcoholic Bunta. Squinting through heavy lidded eyes and reminiscing about the old racing days, Wong brings an obnoxiousness that is wholly endearing. Rounding out the cast are Edison Chen (Infernal Affairs 1 and 2) and Jordan Chan (Young and Dangerous’s “Chicken”) as racers on rival teams.

Free of the hip-hop posturing, MTV-editing, and cg-heavy racing, Initial D is heads and shoulders above any of the American films that have dealt with the subject of illegal street racing. Initial D proves to be an exceptionally chill racing picture that stands on its own as a racing film rather than mere manga adaptation. It should satisfy fans of racing movies, and at the same time win the original series new fans.

About the Author:

Chris Nelson has never really cared about racing, or cars for that matter, but finds sliding a car at strange angles around mountain turns has gained a strange and wonderous appeal. Chris’ favorite racing films include Death Race 2000 and ….that’s pretty much it.