Initial D: Drift Racer (www.the-usher.com)

"Who is the Drift King of Mt. Akina?"

Takumi (Chou) has been driving for his drunken father since his was thirteen, delivering tofu around Mt. Akina. When Ryousuke (Chen) and Kyouichi (Chan) arrive on the mountain to offer a challenge to any racers in the area, the only one to step up to the challenge is the local petrol station owner's son and wanabe racer Itsuki (To) but he is probably the worst drifter to ever grace the mountain. Thinking no one can challenge them and they might as well give up, Takumi drives onto the mountain making a delivery in his father's AE86 Trueno.

With the West obsessed with the fast and the furious, the Far East prefer to see their racers drift.

With Hollywood taking notice of the shift from street drag racing to drifting in 'The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift', this is nothing new for anyone from Asia. The 'Initial D' manga comics have been a firm favourite for years but when you hear that the big screen adaptation is been overseen by the creative team behind the 'Infernal Affairs', you know that this is not going to be your average interpretation.

Co-directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak move on from their genre defining 'Infernal Affairs' trilogy but bring their sense of character and story to a new genre. Adapting Japanese manga comics to the big screen have been mainly the domain of animated movies but live action versions, as with many Hollywood attempts at Marvel or DC comics, have been very hit and miss. The good news is that even if you haven't any knowledge of the source material, this is a well-structured and fun movie that shows Hollywood once again how to do it.

The directors have gathered together some of the best young talent Asia has to offer. Leading group is Jay Chou as Takumi, the Tofu delivery boy who just happens to be the drift king of the mountain. Chou plays the character with great nonchalance, thinking the skills he has developed since he started driving at thirteen are nothing specials as he drives his father's Toyota AE86 around Mt. Akina. Japanese teen sensation Anne Suzuki plays Takumi's would be girlfriend Natsuki, who has a shady past. Edison Chen, Shawn Yue and Anthony Wong Chau-Sang return to work with the 'Infernal Affairs' directors and are just as good as they where in the police/crime thriller and Chapman To provides most of the comedy as Takumi's best friend Itsuki.

It is the racing that makes the movie standout from anything Hollywood has produced over the years however. By relying on actual stunt drivers and practical effects, the film is a lot more realistic than the CGI enhanced street racing films coming out of Tinsel Town. The drifting around the bends of Mt. Akina's roads, the races are brilliantly shot, capturing the speed and the skill required to become a drift king.

'Initial D: Drift Racer' is far superior to anything fast or furious that Hollywood has produced. With good characters and a storyline that is only let down by the inclusion of the romance story, this is a film that the Max Power generation should be watching.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35: with Dolby Digital 5.1, the presentation is good, giving you choice between the original Cantonese release and a new UK music mix version of the movie.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Audio Commentary
Fuel TV presenter Ritchie Warren and MTV's Dirty Sanchez member Dan Joyce provide an entertaining but not very relevant commentary. The pair talks about driving in the latest Gumball Rally and how they were asked to provide a commentary for the movie. We hear how they got into drifting by buying a drift car for the race. This is a funny commentary from two fans of cars and two people who are enjoying the movie.

Further Attractions
Watch previews of the latest and past releases from Asia Extreme and Hong Kong Legends

Disc 2

Promotional Gallery
Watch UK Theatrical Trailer, UK TV spot and the original theatrical trailer for the movie

Interview Gallery
View interviews with Directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, screenwriter Flex Chang and stars Jay Chou, Anthony Wang, Shawn Yue, Kenny Bee, Anne Suzuki, Edison Chen, Jordan Chan and Chapman To as they talk about the characters, adapting the comic book and the development of the movie.

Under the hood

Making Initial D: Drift Racer (20.02 mins)
Directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, screenwriter Flex Chang and stars Jay Chou, Chapman To, Shawn Yue, Edison Chen and Jordan Chan talk about the development of the movie and the changes from comic book. With behind the scenes footage and a look at the cars in the movie, the featurette shows how the film was put together and how the races were made more authentic.

Press Conference (7.43 mins)
The cast and crew answer questions from the Asian press and fans of the comic about bringing 'Initial D: Drift Racer' to the silver screen.

Fuelled Up

Maximum Bass 2 TV spot
Watch an ad for the mix CD

Drift Kings with Ritchie (Fuel) and Dan (Dirty Sanchez) (7.00 mins)
Watch Dan and Ritchie at a drifting track day and see how they get on with their new car for the Gumball rally.

OVERALL

The DVD package for 'Initial D: Drift Racer' is very good, even though the commentary track would have been better by someone associated with the film. The interviews and featurettes are very good however and fans of the film should be pleased with this DVD.

DVD

The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift

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2006