“The solid movie adaptation from the beloved manga”

Dir: Andrew Lau & Alan Mak
Prod: Andrew Lau
Writ: Jay Chou, Felix Chong, Shuichi Shigeno
Cast: Jay Chou, Anne Suzuki, Edison Chen, Anthony Wong, Shawn Yue

Initial D is a 2005 Hong Kong-Japanese action movie based on the manga of the same name, directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, who were fresh off their success with Infernal Affairs—the film that changed Hong Kong cinema. Now, they are tackling a movie about illegal street races based on the highly popular manga.

The fact that two directors, known for their arthouse crime thrillers, are making an action racing movie is surprising, but somehow it works. Sure, it’s not a masterpiece like Infernal Affairs, but at least it respects the source material. Despite some character changes and how the characters are portrayed, this movie is still a fun and solid manga adaptation to live action. It might not be a great one like Edge of Tomorrow, but at least it’s not as embarrassing as movies like Dragon Ball: Evolution or Saint Seiya (the recent live-action). This movie is on the same level as Ghost in the Shell and Alita: Battle Angel: solid, but with some flaws we’ll discuss later.

As for the casting, this is Jay Chou’s acting debut. He plays Takumi, and for a debut, he does a pretty good job. Edison Chen is also great as Ryosuke, and Anthony Wong, playing Takumi’s father Bunta, is a standout. He’s fantastic in every scene he’s in—chewing up the screen, and every time he appears, we get excited. Overall, the performances are solid, and the racing sequences, especially since they use practical effects, are awesome. Seeing real cars doing stunt work on the Touge Mountain makes your adrenaline pump every time a race scene happens.

Now, for the flaws: the direction. Since this is more of a mainstream movie compared to Infernal Affairs, which had a more arthouse approach, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak bring an oddly artsy style to the race scenes. The choice of music is weird—techno-ish and orchestral—and it just doesn’t fit. While Takumi, Ryosuke, Bunta, and Itsuki all have great character development, the filmmakers seem to forget that Initial D is about more than just the races. It’s about the characters. Some of the characters, like Natsuki (played by Anne Suzuki), Takumi’s love interest, lack chemistry and emotional depth. The race sequences, although good, sometimes feel too artsy and don’t always work, but at least the racing itself is still exciting and easy to follow.

Initial D is a movie I love to rewatch. It’s a fun racing movie, but it’s not perfect. If you’re a fan of Initial D, you’ll likely love it, but if you’re only in it for the racing sequences, you might be disappointed. This is mostly an action drama with racing sequences sprinkled throughout, and the artsy direction may bore general audiences.

My Rating: B-