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5.0 out of 5 stars
A fun Blu that no one will see..., July 21, 2009
This review is from: Connected [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
This is a challenging BD, but by the time I managed to get through the entire package I was surprised with the quality and happy with having spent the money.
This is almost a carbon copy of Cellular, and in this case we actually have a Hong Kong film being based on a prior American release (I can think of a couple hundred in my store that go in the opposite direction of HK/Asia to US). I have to say though this film managed to have its own unique feel, competent direction, excellent Blu quality and is wholeheartedly better that that Basinger mess.
Content wise, this managed to get in the obligatory over the top car chase scenes, slightly corny acting, a couple solid supporting performances, nice HK skylines, and some pretty cool cell phones. This one runs in at 110 minutes of some excellent Blu clarity, both indoors and out, coupled with a unique choice of language/sound options. I chose to go with the LPCM 5.1 over the Original Dolby 5.1 or Mandarin 5.1. The sounds can be hit and miss in this option, but I preferred what I was hearing with my setup over the others. The subtitle options are almost endless with multiple Chinese, English, Korean and Bahasa formats. This was one of only two faults I found with the product as the English sub translations were grammatically atrocious at times. I am going to ask one of my Chinese speaking customers to watch this and let me know how the actual translation was.
The special features are great (all on disc 2). They include a solid 38 minute behind the scenes that covers each action scene I had question about; But what made this favorable was there was no narration, no interviews, nothing - just the logistics (Soultanakis-like). The "making-of" supplement covers all of that fluffy stuff with the interviews and clips interlaced with some corny narratives. There is over 38 minutes of deleted scenes and 9 minutes of alternate scenes, which includes the only other fault I found with this set as I could not get the subs to work here, so I could only watch and assume what they were saying. This disc is an All-Region coded DVD.
Comparing this film directly to Cellular, Connected wins in every category. This A/B/C region coded BD with the DVD supplement disc makes for a great product, especially for those HK action fans searching for that under the radar movie with good stunts, nice car chase work and competent Blu clarity.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
GRIPPING REMAKE ON DVD, May 8, 2010
THIS SUSPENSEFUL ASIAN VERSION OF THE KIM BASSINGER MOVIE "CELLULAR" IS BY FAR THE BETTER OF THE TWO. EVEN IF YOU SAW HER VERSION THIS WILL NOT DISAPPOINT. THIS IS A REGULAR DVD VERSION AND PLAYS JUST FINE
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4.0 out of 5 stars
(3.5 STARS) Hong Kong remake of "Cellular": Entertaining Ride with Bigger Actions, March 3, 2010
Hong-Kong action thriller "Connected" ("Bo chi tung wah") is a remake of the 2004 film "Cellular" directed by David R. Ellis. The 2008 Hong-Kong version is directed by Benny Chan, whose CV includes such action films as "Who Am I?" and "New Police Story" both starring Jackie Chan. Director Benny Chan has a tendency to overreach trying to enhance the tension (pointing a gun at a child is not a very good way), but the film is entertaining with some slick action set-pieces.
A timid accountant Bob (Louis Koo) receives a phone call from a stranger named Grace (Barbie Hsu), who claims she is kidnapped by a gang of criminals. Bob thinks it's a prank call - and he must hurry to the airport - when something happens on the other end of the phone and Bob is convinced that he is the only hope left for Grace in distress. The leader of the kidnappers is played by Ye Liu ("Postmen in the Mountains" "Dark Matter")
While the basic premise largely remains the same, some changes are given to the story originally conceived by Larry Cohen and written by Chris Morgan. For example, Bob, an ordinary man turned hero by extraordinary circumstances (equivalent of Chris Evans' character in the original), is also a father of a son who is about to leave the city to study abroad. The abducted mother Grace (counterpart of Kim Basinger's character) is not math teacher, but a robot designer. Still, the basic part remains the same with a comic interlude involving the desperate hero trying to "buy" a battery.
The remake has a longer running time (about 110 minutes) than the original (94 minutes), which means more subplots and action scenes. Compared with the original, actions are bigger and more intense with some impressive stunts. There is a long car chase scene where lots of cars crash, jump, flip and overturn in a spectacular way like a Keystone cop movies. The unique locations (like mountains and airport) are cleverly used as backdrop for action scenes.
""Connected" is slightly overlong, but overall enjoyable. Those who have already seen the Hollywood version can enjoy the ride.
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