Starring: Jay Chou Jie-lun, Anthony Wong Chau-sang, Chapman To Man-chak, Edison Chen Koon-hei
Directors: Andrew Lau Wai-keung, Alan Mak Siu-fai
Category: IIA (Cantonese)
Fast cars, teen idols, and Japanese youth culture. Fans of any of these are in for a blast. There are legions of such devotees, and the movie will probably rank near the top of the 2005 box office list. But non-aficionados will nod at the wheel of this slick but puerile adaptation of one of Japan's most popular manga (comic book) and anime (animation) series.
Initial D sports the same creative team as the Infernal Affairs trilogy, primarily co-directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, and scriptwriter Felix Chong Man-keung. They once again deliver a glossy, commercial package, but one so emotionally vacuous that despite its motion, the goings-on are strictly pedestrian.
The saga of 18-year-old high-school student Takumi (Jay Chou) is the stuff of teenage fantasies. He's soft-spoken and hardworking, helping his alcoholic single dad (Anthony Wong) run a tofu shop and also holding down a part-time job at a petrol station owned by the father (Kenny Bee) of his buffoonish best friend, Itsuki (Chapman To). But Takumi has a secret he's too modest to reveal: the lad has inherited his father's talent and is the greatest racer plying the treacherous hairpin curves of Mount Akina.
