Initial D - Drift Racer (2005)
"Tau man ji D" (original title)

After winning his first competition, Takumi focuses his attention on drift racing, a sport he has unknowingly perfected while delivering tofu in his father's Toyota AE86.

Directors:

Wai-keung Lau, Alan Mak,

Writers:

Shuichi Shigeno (comic books), Felix Chong (screenplay)

Stars:

Shawn Yue, Edison Chen, Jay Chou

9 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Shawn Yue	...	Takeshi Nakazato
Edison Chen	...	Ryousuke Takahashi
Jay Chou	...	Takumi Fujiwara
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang	...	Bunta 'Tofuman' Fujiwara (as Anthony Wong)
Chapman To	...	Itsuki Tachibana
Tsuyoshi Abe	...	Kenji
Anne Suzuki	...	Natsuki Mogi
Kenny Bee	...	Yuuichi 'Gasman' Tachibana
Liu Keng Hung	...	Seiji Iwaki
Jordan Chan	...	Kyouichi Sudou
Kiyohiko Ueki	...	Iketani
Kazuo Yashiro	...	SpeedStars Member
Miki Kuroiwa	...	Natsuki Mogi's Classmate
Megumi Seitone	...	Natsuki Mogi's Classmate
Sayaka Takizawa	...	Natsuki Mogi's Classmate

Storyline

Two mountain road racers, Nakazato and Takahashi, challenged each other to find the best racers, and defeat them in "battles". Nakazato was surprisingly defeated by an old Toyota Trueno AE86 (Corolla in the US) one night, and he searched for the person who defeated him, which lead him to the Speedstars, a local team. But the car who beat him was actually driven by a local Tofu shop owner's son, Takumi Fujiwara, who had unknowingly perfected the art of mountain racing through daily deliveries of tofu. Takumi was able to defeat Nakazato again, showing that he is no fluke. However, winning hasn't helped him home life, as his father, Bunta Fujiwara, was a drunkard (and a racing genius). His girlfriend Natsuki Mogi wants his attention even though she's got a dark and shameful secret, and his best friend Itsuki (who has no talent in driving) wants Takumi to teach him road racing... after buying the WRONG car. In a mountain road encounter, they ran into Team Emperor's Mitsubishi Evo, and ...

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Plot Keywords:

tofu | drunkard | car crash | based on comic | 21st century | 

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Taglines:

How fast is 1 second?

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

Media Asia [hk]

Country:

China Hong Kong

Language:

English Cantonese

Release Date:

23 June 2005 (China)

Also Known As:

Initial D

Filming Locations:

Mt. Akina, Gunma, Japan

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$931,946 (Hong Kong) (1 July 2005)

Gross:

$4,818,234 (Hong Kong) (22 July 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Media Asia Films, Sil-Metropole Organisation, Basic Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min 104 min (DVD edition)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Tsui Hark was originally set to direct Initial D, but there were "creative differences." After he left, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak signed on instead.

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Goofs

When Bunta is driving, there is a close-up of the tachometer where we can also see that the speedometer is not functioning at all. Later in the movie, a close-up of the speedometer shows it working again.

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Quotes

Bunta Fujiwara: It's so nice having a woman in the house.
[referring to Natsuki]
Bunta Fujiwara: Oh... and in such a short skirt! If only it were two inches shorter...

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Connections

Remake of Initial D: Second Stage (1999)

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Soundtracks

"THE DISCOVERY"
Performer: Ghost Style & Fiona Fung

User Reviews

Excellent racing scenes with superb audio, the rest of the movie is weaker though

You know I'm a man and I like cars. There's nothing to be ashamed of there. I also liked The Fast and the Furious, it had some fun in there but it also had big, fast, shiny cars, and one like mine too. So when I heard that there was this movie (Initial D) about drift racing popular with Japanese teenagers and it had been adapted from the Manga story, I was interested, and courtesy of Moviesville, I got to see it.

Movie The movie itself is good, it's quite comic in places which could be traced back to its Manga origins, and unfortunately this takes away from the story because it does present itself as having a serious underside.

Something that surprised me about this movie is there isn't that much racing. For a film that is supposed to be about drift racing, there's not that much that goes on. However, the four or so races that do occur are superbly filmed and driven. Mixing unusual camera angles, some CGI, and smooth stunt driving, you end up with every race scene being exciting and visually rich.

The pace of the movie is quite back and forth. It's this feeling that there should be more racing, and yet we're taken through scenes that range from comic to romance. It's understandable considering the group that the movie is aiming towards, but you can't help but feel a little bit of growing up could have been applied to the story.

The romance thread is interesting, and brings a dimension to the character of Takumi. Not only does he awaken his racing spirit, but also other feelings as a teenager. However some of the scenes are a little long and can feel like they jar you out of the story. It's a shame because again, this movie is about racing. Ultimately though it's a good plot device and comes to a satisfying ending, comparable with his Fathers life and choices.

Some characters are not full explained, and although that can sometimes be a good thing, here it makes them feel as though they are only brought in as a distraction. The character of Takumi's friend is straight out of a comic, and nothing much appears to have been done to bring him into the world of the movie. Perhaps this was a deliberate move in order to retain the connection with the story's roots, but he just seems to get in the way of events.

Jay Chou playing the lead of Takumi, don't have that much to say, and although this reflects a troubled teenager, it does quickly get grating and you can understand why his Father wants to kick him into action!

Picture Presented: 2.35:1 The picture is very sharp and clear, this is particularly noticeable during the racing scenes which mainly occur at night. The CGI is seamed in very well and the picture remains strong even when the camera is locked to a crane sticking out from a speeding car! It looks like a lot of work has gone into making this DVD look good.

Audio Presented: DD5.1:EX \ DTS:ES During the racing the sounds are really good, you can hear the engines changing gears and over revving, and when the camera is near the car the LFE kicks in well. Good use is made of the DTS track during these races, and you feel immersed in the action.

Outside of the racing little is made of the DTS, but then the story doesn't really dictate it at these points. Use of the DTS would have felt forced and unnatural.

Extras Presented: Behind the Scenes, Character Bios, Making of Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, TV Spot, Promotion in Shanghai, Promotion in Japan, Photo Gallery, Cast and Credits Unfortunately there were no English subtitle options with any of these extras, but I still watched them all! Mainly to see some behind the scenes of the racing moments, and to see more of the cars in action. They are there, you just have to watch rather than listen...unless of course you can speak Chinese.

Overall It's an okay movie, but where it excels are in the racing scenes, superb drift racing which has been filmed really well using some interesting techniques, camera angles and a little CGI. This makes for very impressive viewing and when combined with the powerful audio track it pulls you right into the race seat. Yet the rest of the story seems a little bit weak and could have done with more character development and less reference to its Manga roots. If you like cars and you like street racing, you'll enjoy this movie.