Movie Review: Motorway/車手

 Bad Boys III

I had heard good things about Motorway/車手, so naturally I was afraid to watch it. Too many movies lately have rewarded my faith, optimism, and dedication with cinematic Cleveland Steamers.

Thankfully (for so many reasons), that is not the case here.

Motorway/車手 is the story of two cops on the trail of a criminal driver.

I realize that sounds odd, but I’m really trying to give nothing away about the film. 

The movie itself is, to be fair, a rather straightforward genre exercise. There aren’t a whole lot of surprises, and it doesn’t break any new ground.

But in the current environment of local cinema, that makes  Motorway/車手a noteworthy exception.

I always say I much prefer a film that achieves relatively modest goals as opposed to setting their heights too high and failing spectacularly.

Even then, I prefer humble failures; I can’t and won’t tolerate filmmakers’ blaming their films’ catastrophes on everyone but themselves. Yes, Christine To, I’m pointing at you.

And don’t get me wrong; I am not trying to sell Motorway/車手 short at all. It’s a very strong, dependable movie that delivers on its premise. I’m just trying to say that these days, that’s a rare triumph.

But even in a more competitive filed, this film could hold its own.

It stars Shawn Yue and Anthony Wong as the archetypal hot-headed rookie and  older veteran on the verge of retiring.  

“I open the door to the bathroom and Anthony’s going like this…”

I doubt Soi Cheang was making an homage to 1988′s Colors, but myself and others in the Gang of Film were reminded of it.

Shawn Yue has really grown into some very respectable acting chops, and manages to be very convincing in his role. 

Catching Jim Chim doing what he does best. 

Anthony Wong seems to relish his role here as a cross between Bullitt and Yoda.  

“Arrest you I will. When I wake up.”

He comfortably inhabits his character, a jaded, philosophical cop who’s seen it all twice and is just counting down the days to retirement. He is by turns humorous, wise, and very convincing in the role, especially in the scenes he shares with his doting wife.   

Michelle Ye plays Wong’s wife, and I have to say I felt bad for her.

Not for being married (at least in the film) to Anthony Wong.

No, it’s for lending an unfortunate bit of credence or believability to what is otherwise a glaringly disparate age difference.

Anthony Wong is 20 years her senior (and old enough for me to have called him Officer Cradle Robber), but there’s something about Michelle Ye that makes it easy for her to play above her age.

See what I mean?

And let’s face it, that’s not a good thing for women, is it?

But in her defense, she’s not alone. Josie Ho plays a small role as the head of the unit in charge of apprehending the bad guys.

I guess Maggie Shiu was busy.

While Josie acquits herself well, she seemed, at least to me, a bit young for the role. 

That jacket is a crime.

Barbie Hsu plays Shawn Yue’s love interest (because chicks dig the badge).   

“I like the way you handle those…”

She managed to be pretty convincing in the role, and I would credit Soi Cheang with this not-insignificant achievement.

Because in most of her recent roles, Barbie chews up scenery like the bastard child of Eric Kot and a meth-addicted piranha.

I think that may be the thing I most appreciate about Motorway/車手; while it can’t really be called an ensemble piece, even the minor characters hold their own, adding to the overall strength of the film. I didn’t get the impression of any of the actors having been foisted onto the film (or director) strictly for business reasons. 

24 Herbs’ J Brian Siswojo has a small part as what should be an anonymous henchman.

If this was Star Trek he’d be in a red shirt. 

I recognized him, and was pleasantly surprised to see him take a very small role and execute it perfectly.

Brian is a very nice person, a loving father and an intelligent, articulate entrpreneur.

So his very convincing turn as a gun-toting maniacal gangster was impressive to me.

Imagine seeing me play a devoted nursery-school teacher who loves kids and listens to Barry Manilow. Yeah, that’s how good he is.

As  I like to say, I forgot he was him.  

Imagine the shoe is a gun. Sorry, Brian.

 The other ‘character’ I need to mention is the driving and its attendant cinematography. It’s very effective, well-executed, and engaging. When you add into it the requisite consideration of what must have been (by Hollywood standards) a very modest budget, it becomes even more impressive.  

I know that many of you reading this realize what an opinionated person I am. And that many of you probably much prefer reading my negative opinions rather than my positive ones. 

And don’t get me wrong, those are often easier to write. 

I am very glad to know that Motorway/車手 has been doing well in cinemas, and I can honestly say that you need to see it.

As I always say, if we don’t support the movies that deserve it, then we get the movies that we deserve.

In this social-media-saturated world of interconnectivity, it becomes possible (at least virtually) to communicate with people you may never meet in real life, people whose work means a lot to you. 

In the same way that I feel some people need to read my scathing reviews of their work, I can also say that I hope people whose films I enjoy (rarity that it is these days) would read the positive reviews.

It’s a very nice thing to think that you can thank people directly as well as insult them directly.  

You’d also think that I wouldn’t be surprised if someone I’m Facebook friends with replied to one of my inane posts. But I was:  

Great movie, Mr. Cheang. Thank you.