Initial D - Drift Racer film review

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INITIAL D - DRIFT RACER

Drifting, or powerdrifting, is a popular motorsport in which cars are specially modified to allow their drivers to perform slides or spins that would normally defy the mechanics of the event. If you ever saw the Top Gear report on the phenomenon, you'll know just what a spectacle it can be and how the drivers pull off some incredible feats.

This sounds like good material for a youth-based driving film, and while it has done well in Asia, this Hong Kong-made Japanese-based thriller is only likely to pique some mild curiosity in the UK. Although it is quite fast, it is not at all furious, and discriminating viewers may well wonder how this new effort can be by the same team who delivered the sublime Infernal Affairs trilogy (currently being remade by none other than Martin Scorsese).

The film tells the tale of a number of young Japanese drivers who all wish to be the best at their sport of choice. The ostensible lead, Takumi (Jay Chou) learns his trade as a tofu delivery man for his drunken father, making the journey through the notoriously bendy Mount Akina in increasingly quick times. His ability soon brings him to the attention of the Night Kids, a group of hardened racers, who regard him as a threat that must be quashed.

Despite having both a comedic sidekick as well as a crush on his high school sweetheart, Takumi rises to the challenge, and is soon taking out his competitors on the night track. As the stakes rise, the pounding soundtrack increases and the editing becomes even more frenetic, but the uneven tone makes it hard to really care about.

Not sure whether it is a comedy or an action movie, Initial D treads an uneasy line, and at times calls to mind the comedy vehicles of Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer, Kung Fu Hustle). But whereas Chow is able to give some depth to his characters and their situations, director Andrew Lau concentrates on the surface material only, and as a result the final package fails to get out of first gear.

Paul Hurley