Review of Connected (2009) by Chris P — 11 Apr 2009

It's nice to see an Asian remake of a Hollywood film for a change. If you've seen Cellular (and you should, it's fun), you'll know all of the dramatic beats of Connected, but where this film surpasses its predecessor is unsurprisingly in the action department.

The story is more or less the same: woman is kidnapped, phone is smashed, she manages to call out to one random person, who becomes a reluctant hero as he races to save her and her family. There's more to it than that, but that would spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen either film. Louis Koo replaces Chris Evans, and the character has become a 30-something debt collector/ single father as opposed to a 20-something layabout pining over Jessica Biel.

Louis Koo, whose bronze skin would give the sun a tan, is mostly great in this. There's one scene of overacting, but apart from that he plays it convincingly real. I loved the choice to put Nick Cheung in the William H. Macy "good cop" role. Cheung started his career in pretty lame comedies, but lately he has become one of the best actors in HK cinema. Ye Liu replaces Jason Statham, and while I thought the Stath was a tough sell as the villain in the first, Liu is a sadistic and convincing baddie. It also helps that the film is not held back by a PG-13 rating, which means that when people get shot, blood is shed, and the threat to Barbie Hsu and her younger brother and daughter are made all the more real.

Benny Chan always produces a slick-looking actioner, and Connected does not disappoint in that regard. There are breathless car chases, a very cool hillside shootout, some minor fisticuffs, and in true Benny Chan tradition, a very "large" finale (this one taking place in an airport). Connected is definitely one of the most flat-out enjoyable Hong Kong movies I've seen all year.