Speed Angels

极速天使

China, 2011, colour, 2:35:1, 111 mins.

Director: Ma Chucheng 马楚成 [Jingle Ma].

Rating: 6/10.

Female racing driver drama is trashy fun, boosted by Tang Wei’s relaxed performance.

STORY

Japan, a year ago. On the eve of her wedding to Asano (Kitamura Kazuki), racing driver Han Bing (René Liu) discovers him having an affaire with her best friend, fellow racer You Mei (Zhang Bozhi). In the confusion, Han Bing’s younger sister is injured in a car accident, and Han Bing retires and turns to drink. A year later she reluctantly agrees to join the re-launched Speed Angels racing team in China, under her original trainer Gao Feng (Han Jae-seok), as she needs the money to pay for her sister’s prosthetic leg. Gao Feng wants to enter the team in the first edition of the Asian Heroine Race 亚洲巾帼杯赛, in which Japanese racer Sanoka (Tanaka Chie), once with Speed Angels, will be leading the rival Sakura Racing team. In China, Gao Feng invites Hong Xiaoyi (Tang Wei), a taxi driver who helped him chase some thieves, to audition for Speed Angels, and Hong Xiaoyi and her cousin Gigi (Cheng Yi), both racing fans, agree, despite the reluctance of Hong Xiaoyi’s mother (Zheng Peipei). Gigi immediately falls for Gao Feng’s assistant, Zu (Lin Zhiying), but Han Bing, who’s still strugling with her drink problem, isn’t happy about having the untried Xiaoyi as a racing partner. When Hong Xiaoyi fails her test because of a psychological problem from her childhood, Gao Feng pairs Han Bing with You Mei and Han Bing hits the roof.

REVIEW

Though it never has any of the emotional pull of his recent beach rom-com Love You You 夏日乐悠悠 (2011), this latest piece of fluff by Hong Kong writer-director Ma Chucheng 马楚成 [Jingle Ma] énever pretends to be anything it isn’t. Female racing driver drama Speed Angels 极速天使 is painless, trashy entertainment, slickly staged and with a cast who banked their cheques and hit their marks. In its cheerful lack of believability, the movie recalls an earlier era of Hong Kong quickies when action stars like Li Saifeng 李赛凤 [Moon Lee] would have been in the driving seat. The only differences now are that the film is set in China and funded by Mainland companies, has copious visual effects, and a pan-Asian name cast drawn from China (Tang Wei 汤唯), Taiwan (Liu Ruoying 刘若英  [René Liu] and actor-singer-professional racer Lin Zhiying 林志颖), Hong Kong (Zhang Bozhi 张柏芝 [Cecilia Cheung]), South Korea (TV drama star Han Jae-seok 한재석 | 韩材硕) and Japan (Taiwan favourite Tanaka Chie 田中千绘 from Cape No. 7 海角七号, 2008, plus handsome Kitamura Kazuki 北村一辉).

The script, with its computer-generated dialogue and every issue from alcoholism, childhood trauma, female love-feuding, nasty Japanese and a traitorous mole in the Chinese ranks, doesn’t bear thinking about. But Ma wastes no time even trying to convince the audience he’s serving up anything but throwaway entertainment, and Tang, in her least ambitious but most likeable performance to date, drives the movie with a relaxed insouciance and exotic array of headbands. (Future film scholars can ponder whether the latter were inspired by her ethnic look in Wu Xia 武侠, 2011, or by the Chinese name 亚洲巾帼 of the racing tournament.)

Billed as a guest star, Zhang is okay as the love-rival of Liu’s alcoholic racing diva, and with his lack of attitude Han blends much more easily than most South Korean actors into the largely Chinese cast. The most eccentric casting is veteran Zheng Peipei 郑佩佩, onetime martial arts heroine, here in yellow glasses and headband as the kooky mother of Tang’s cabbie. The racing scenes are okay but have no adrenalin – as most of the drama is off the track – and are largely delivered via visual effects, with even CG spectators. In fact, the best action sequence is Tang’s introduction, as she gleefully races her taxi through an unnamed Chinese city and then beats up some bag-snatchers.

CREDITS

Presented by Star Sky (CN), Beijing Cienyuan Culture Media (CN), Enlight Pictures (CN), Hupo Gongchang Culture Communication (Beijing) (CN), Huashen International Investment (CN). Produced by Enlight Pictures (CN).

Script: Ma Chucheng [Jingle Ma], Chen Shu. Photography: Ma Chucheng [Jingle Ma], Zhang Dongliang [Tony Cheung], Chen Zhiying, Chen Guoxiong. Editing: Kwang Zhiliang, Huang Hai. Music: Jin Peida [Peter Kam], Wang Jianwei. Art direction: Mo Shaozong [Alex Mok]. Costume design: Joseph A. Porro. Sound: Nopawat Likitwong, Traithep Wongpaiboon, Watnadech Samanchat. Action: Li Zhongzhi [Nicky Li]. Visual effects: Different Digital Design. Car-racing advice: Lin Zhiying.

Cast: Tang Wei (Hong Xiaoyi), René Liu (Han Bing), Han Jae-seok (Gao Feng, Speed Angels’ trainer), Lin Zhiying (Zu/Joe, assistant trainer), Zhang Bozhi [Cecilia Cheung] (You Mei), Cheng Yi (Zhizhi/Gigi, Hong Xiaoyi’s cousin), Tanaka Chie (Sanoka), Zheng Peipei (Mei Chaofen, Hong Xiaoyi’s mother), Kitamura Kazuki (Asano/Onitsuka, Han Bing’s ex-fiance), Jiang Wu (Hong Xiaoyi’s father), He Jiong (He Qiwei, race commentator), Zhu Yongteng (Sanoka’s new groom), Min Chunxiao (press-conference moderator), Li Xinlu (Ka), Zhou Hongcai (race manager), Li Guangxu (Cheng, Speed Angels’ chief engineer).

Release: China, 28 Dec 2011.

(Review originally published on Film Business Asia, 24 Jan 2012.)