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.

I'm not a fan of the "Fast and Furious" style, but this honconguês conquered me, engaging, good chases, but the touch is the relationship between the policeman of the past and the future in opposition, the veteran and novice, one being a mirror of the other, lovely, it sent me deeply to the department in which I work and became personal and special, a good drama, tragic, full of action and good accelerations...

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".

Producer Johnny To and director Soi Cheang have been developing this project since 2009. Through some rewrites, re-shoots and re-edits, Motorway safely released into theaters in June 2012. The script, written by Joey O'Bryan and Kam-Yuen Szeto doesn't offer new things rather than similar plot from The Fast And The Furious, Gone In 60 Second (2000) or Hongkong production itself, Initial D (2005). Well, it won't bother me to watch the movies though.

Jiang is a getaway driver who agreed to help a dangerous criminal escape from jail as his one last assignment. They both plan to rob an expensive diamond within Wui Tai Commercial Building. Veteran cop who's going to retire soon, Lo must train young ambitious traffic cop, Cheung in such short time to catch Jiang especially defeat his mastery driving skills.

Director Cheang have trying to fasten the tempo. Feel bored actually came by some drama that involved Lo's background. Fortunately, these popular names did their job very well despite most of them had limited screen presences. Key characters like Anthony Wong, Shawn Yue and Guo Xiaodong have shone with their own roles. Famous Barbie Hsu gave another memorable minimum time as Cheung's possible love interest.

Don't expect some fancy chasing scenes alongside with exclusive cars being crashed like Hollywood typical. Motorway offers those in smaller scale, judging by the intriguing conflicts between charismatic bad guy and sympathetic good guys into simple yet effective dialog exchanges. Cinematographer Yuen Man Fung and Kenny Tse had done some guerrilla-style, shot without permits inside buildings or across streets and highways in night mode.

Minimum lighting from the natural lights towards the end of the movie quite distracting to see what's going on. Still forgiven though. Overall, Motorway is still impressive to watch despite those familiar ideas and conventional styles. Our hero must get through confidence, deflicted, rise by the great advices before win over his target. Therefore, only smart filmmaking skills make it slightly different this time!

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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