Motorway

Nothing relevant, but it's still a pretty good movie.

I expected it to be like Fast and Furious, but that's not exactly that.

It's not about winning a race or being the fastest.

It's about catching road criminals and mastering a special driving technique.

About a car each minute gets blasted and 1000 liters of gasoline are burnt...

They sure did not have ecology in mind.

But anyway, if you like police stories, Hong Kong and fast cars...You will enjoy it.

Motorway being the international title of the movie! But while the money shots (obviously I'm talking about the scenes involving cars, but you did know that already) are really good and exciting, especially if you are really into cars, the story and the acting is not up to par. Anthony Wong is a regular and good actor in not only crime movies, but even he can't save this movie from mediocrity.

You have to ask yourself, if it worth your time watching the whole movie or just enjoying the trailer, that must have at least some, if not all of the best scenes in it. There is no real depth to the whole thing, which might be something you'll be missing, especially if you are fond of Hong Kong action/thriller movies.

I am not particularly interested in cars of any type, and with the over exaggerated things in "The Fast and the Furious" movies, then it was nice to see "Motorway". It is a lot more realistic than many other car movies, and best of all, it has proper actors in it who actually possess an ounce of acting talent.

The story is about Cheung (played by Shawn Yue) and Lo (played by Anthony Wong) who work in a specialized department of the Hong Kong traffic police department. When they learn of a planned heist, all bets are off, and their driving skills are put to extreme limits.

Story-wise then "Motorway" was alright, although the story did lack a more comprehensive depth. But it was easy to follow, straight forward and right to the point.

The movie was full of car chases, and does put "The Fast and the Furious" to shame. It was elegantly filmed and it was as if the audience was right there in midst of the gasoline-injected action.

But the acting in the movie was really outstanding. And what made me buy this movie, aside from my love for Asian cinema, was that Hong Kong heavyweighter actor Anthony Wong was in it. And he performed very well, and together with Shawn Yue, they managed to make an otherwise flaccid movie genre interesting to watch.

If you like Asian cinema, and if you like cars, of course, then you should most definitely sit down to watch "Motorway".

I gave this film this score because its in no way terrible, but compared to other films in the category its fairly poor quality. But the over all action is decent.

There's basically a couple of police or whatever they are called in the poor Asian country that is still rich enough to have cars. And basically as far as I could piece together they have not managed to figure out if they use CCTV they can electronically fine people if they do something wrong. So basically most of the movie is these kinda weird cops chasing down anyone that they see fit which I am guessing are mostly criminals.

There's some dialogue here and there and one scene with them trying to go slow but have high RPM in the car where the guy touches another guys arm kinda gay like, but anyway moving on.

Basically think Fast and Furious - without the awful soundtrack and characters trying extremely hard to remain relevant for more than one movie. In fact go a step further and Imagine 'Fast but not so furious'.

If you want a movie you don't have to pay too much attention to but the payoff for that tiny amount of attention is good this is the one.

The classic tale of a veteran cop teaching a young rookie the ropes of the job gets a stylish and at times exhilarating twist in Soi Cheang's long-delayed 'Motorway', a movie that aims for 'Fast and Furious' thrills delivered in the understated cool of 'Drive'. It is an intriguing combination to say the least, set against the distinctive backdrop of Hong Kong with its skyscrapers, neon lights and winding Peak roads and cast with two of the best actors from the territory- Anthony Wong and Shawn Yue.

Yue plays the twenty-something brash and hot-headed rookie Chan Cheung, part of an unconventional group of police officers known as the 'Invisible Squad'. Lo Fung (Wong) is his partner, laidback, nonchalant and waiting for his retirement. Their mission? To masquerade as ordinary drivers in their police-issued Audis and go after those caught speeding on the roads and highways. An early run-in with a cocky driver who gives them the slip shows their differing attitudes towards their job- and Cheung's disdain towards Fung.

Their dynamic quickly changes when a daring breakout by serial criminal Jiang Xin (Guo Xiaodong)- whom Cheung had taken into custody- of his partner in crime, Huang Zhong (Li Haitao) at the police station leaves the impulsive Cheung biting the dust and almost losing his life. Not only is Fung responsible for saving Cheung's life, but it comes to light that Fung had once pursued Jiang Xin into the same cul-de-sac and managed to manoeuvre his way out of that very tight corner.

Though Cheung is too proud to ask Fung to coach him, the latter eventually relents after he sees in Cheung a younger version of his own self. The trick is a perfect combination of acceleration, control, steering and patience- each one of these elements useful in their own right when both Cheung and Fung are drafted into a task force formed to apprehend the two fugitives before they strike again. The plotting is that straightforward, but then again, Cheang knows that the story is meant as a device to string together the many and varied car chase sequences beautifully designed by Chin Kar Lok.

And indeed, each one of them is gripping to say the least, eschewing the usual theatrics that Hollywood is too fond of for genuine detail, precision and most of all realism. Flawlessly executed is the film's first major setpiece, the cat-and-mouse chase between Jiang and Cheung that gets the latter into the tight spot in the first place- and Kar Lok never lets the baton drop as the action shifts up onto the narrow winding roads leading up and down the Peak and finally to the iconic roads around the Sheung Wan and Central areas.

It's an exhilarating ride once the gears start pumping, with both Kar Lok and Cheang consummate drivers in keeping the tension and excitement impeccably calibrated to keep their audience on the edge of their seats. Their dedication to ensure that every one of the car chases feel authentic is truly admirable, with Cheang and his cinematographers Yuen Man Fung and Kenny Tse shooting most of the action guerrilla style without the proper permits that they probably would not have gotten.

Given the adrenaline rush it delivers, it's easy to overlook the performances of Wong and Yue. Wong's role as the reluctant mentor is archetypal, but he brings class, charisma and coolness to the role that few actors in Hong Kong can. Next to Wong, Yue is at his assured best playing the impetuous newbie who progresses from naivety to maturity. There is a low-key chemistry that Wong and Yue share, and their scenes together ooze machismo like the best Milkyway Image genre productions do.

It should come as no surprise then that 'Motorway' indeed comes from that Hong Kong factory of cool- produced by Johnnie To and featuring a whole list of To regulars from supporting actors Josie Ho and Lam Kar Tung, to composers Xavier Jamaux and Alex Gopher, and last but not least to editor David Richardson. This is easily Soi Cheang's classiest work to date, the director better known for gritty stuff like 'Dog Bite Dog' and 'Shamo' maturing into one of style and finesse under the tutelage of To.

'Motorway' may seem like Hong Kong's answer to Hollywood car-chase thrillers, but its ability to deliver adrenaline-pumping thrills with its own signature of cool is what sets it apart and makes it one of our favourite movies of the year.

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