Initial D: Drift Racer
(Premier Asia Region 2 PAL 2 DVD Set)
(2005)
review by Blackgloves

Takumi Fujiwara (Jay Chou) is a lowly petrol-pump attendant by day, working alongside his best friend, Itsuki (Chapman To), who is the feckless, fat son of the ex-racing driver who owns the gas station. The hapless Itsuki has pretensions of becoming "the racing god of Mount Akina", being part of a youth subculture that indulges in the dangerous racing sport of "drifting": skidding around the hairpin bends -- in souped up old cars -- that snake, downhill, around the famous mountainsides of Japan. When two members of the "NIght Kids" (one of the notorious local gangs who regularly race each other in the area) turn up at the station demanding to know who the local driver was who defeated them the previous night on Mount Akina, Itsuki claims it was he -- and finds himself committed to a hair-raising rematch with the two best members of the "Night Kids" gang!

Neither he nor they know that the driver was actually Takumi -- who is forced to deliver Tofu for his drunkard father's Tofu restaurant in the evenings. Having been doing this since the age of thirteen, Takumi has developed awesome drifting skills and can now speed around the notorious route of Mount Akina in less than half-an-hour! Meanwhile Takumi has also caught the eye of apparently wholesome schoolgirl, Natsuki (Anne Suzuki) and their burgeoning romance is only interrupted by the revelation that Takumi is the real "racing god" and must take Isuki's place in the coming race so as to spare his suicidal friend's life, and pay off his dad's bar bills attained after a drunken night out with Itsuki's dad and a bunch of whores! As Takumi becomes increasingly embroiled in the culture of drifting, a dark secret from his girlfriend's past threatens to disrupt his concentration on the upcoming event -- and end his chance of happiness forever!  

Created by the team responsible for the Infernal Affairs Trilogy -- directors Andrew Lau & Alan Mak, and screenwriter Felix Chong -- this live-action adaptation of the hugely popular Japanese Manga comic series apparently grossed more than "War of the Worlds" and "Batman Begins" combined in its native Hong Kong. The street racing technique known as Drifting -- where drivers accelerate around sharp corners at death-defying speeds, sliding the car in a din of squealing brakes and burnt tyre rubber -- has obvious potential visual impact; and the Lau & Mak team certainly make sure the race sequences are stylish, quickly paced and - often - beautiful, as they utilise every visual trick in the book (from split-screen to high shutter speeds) to give these sequences a cool patina of cinematic slickness.

The UK soundtrack adds to the overall effect, enhancing proceedings with a kick-ass, bass-heavy, techno tinged set of tunes by FUEL which replaces the original Hong Kong soundtrack. Both are included on the disc (the FUEL soundtrack available in both 5.1 and DTS versions), and one can immediately hear how effective the musical revamp has been in bringing greater visual punch and atmosphere to the movie. The Hong Kong version is, frankly, quite feeble: with dated rap stylings and old fashioned romantic incidental music giving the flick an unbelievably cheesy feel. Never has the awesome power of music to transform an apparent turkey into something worthwhile (or vica versa!) been so clearly demonstrated.

That said, the film is clearly aimed at a younger audience, although there are elements that seem out of place given the twelve certificate. For the most part, the story line follows a predictable route with the comedy being of a broad slapstick nature: a staple in most Hong Kong Summer blockbuster cinema. Taiwanese pop star and heart throb, Jay Chou provides the requisite eye candy for the teenage girls; with comedian, Chapman To supplying the light relief.  Slick and stylish though it may be, this is candy floss of the lowest common denominator with only a hint of darkness (in the form of the subplot about Natsuki's secret profession as an escort girl) that occasionally intrudes, rather incongruously, into an otherwise standard mix of teen movie elements that would have seemed perfectly at home in any '80s John Hughes movie.

The UK revamp ends up feeling like a bit of a Hodgepodge then: the FUEL soundtrack definetly improves matters but also plays against the sillier, more childish streak that is often forgrounded by the script. The racing scenes are bathed in cool blue neon, never really igniting in the visceral thrill one would expect from an action orientated blockbuster. Although the film was a big success in Hong Kong, most Western viewers will doubtless find the whole thing far too cheese ball and lacking that extra layer of grit. Anthony Wong is the only player here able to inject a little edginess into his role as the abusive, drunken, yet strangely endearing father of the introverted Takumi -- eventually finding a connection with his son through a mutual appreciation of the sport of drifting -- while everyone else remains locked into stereotypical portrayals of teen movie archetypes.  

Premier Asia's two-disc set is a lavish affair: providing everything fans of the movie could wish for. A "Making of" documentary and numerous interviews with the directors, the writer and all of the cast members, are mildly informative although most of the cast interviews are too slight to be of much value. The haul of interviews and featurettes runs to well over an hour of supplementary material though. The transfer on disc one looks excellent and the soundtrack options are similarly pleasing. The best extra feature here (from the point of view of one who was not all that blown away by the actual movie) is the commentary by Richie Warren and "Dirty Sanchez" member (it's a kind of UK version of "Jackass"), Dan Joyce. Possibly one of the most irreverent commentary tracks I've ever heard! -- the guys spend their time ringing up various people during the recording of the track: a tofu delivery service to see if they can get tofu delivered as quickly as Takumi is able to deliver it in the film; various associates, to get racing questions answered; and, occasionally, they get around to commenting (in a less-than-serious manner) on the on-screen action. Eventually, a bemused employee of the restaurant, from which they ordered the tofu, is also drafted into the commentary when he turns up with their tofu delivery! At one point, the guys even try to use the commentary track to help them get a sponsorship deal ("You're live on the commentary track for Initial D -- everyone's gonna see this film!")! I actually had more fun with this commentary track than the actual movie!

"Initial D: Drift Racer" is lightweight fluff but gets a great presentation on Premier Asia's two-disc special edition. The film is probably destined to be more popular with younger fans of teen movies than hard core racing fans though.