Writer: Loong Wai Ting

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Watch this if you liked: “Cellular", "New Police Story"

What would you do when out of the blue you receive a strange phone call from someone who says she has been kidnapped and demands that you keep talking on the phone? It may sound absurd but the majority of us would definitely hang up. Call it an entertainment or creative thinking; director Benny Chan would be someone who would want you to continue talking. As mentioned right at the end credits, "Connected" is a Hong Kong remake of Hollywood's 2004 thriller "Cellular."

For a Hong Kong production, I would say "Connected" does well above average. With endless action scenes right from the opening to the ending, audiences would never fall asleep in the cinema. No time for yawning either. More fists fly this time, with endless car chase scenes, leading to a massive halt when Louis Koo's small car crashes into a massive sixteen-wheeler carrying cartons of Pepsi - not bad for product placement, eh?

Anyone might think "Connected" is yet another big-budgeted Hong Kong movie with A-list actors which eventually fails to impress. Well, expect the unexpected then. Throughout the entire running time, with a soundtrack that races against your own heartbeat, I would say the performance is quite awesome. Both Barbie Hsu and Louis Koo's acting were convincing (well, at least to me), especially Barbie Hsu's. Her shaking hands really do the trick in fleshing out a scene involving an escape from a constricted place.

At any point when you think that it has become less intense, you might want to go "Oh, well okay. This is the end." Wrong! Just when you least expect it, the action starts hitting hard again. Like I said, expect the unexpected. Perhaps, this movie deserves more action than talking. One of the things that may bug some audiences might be the shooting scene. Do good guys never get hurt? Call it an art, if you may.

The next time when a stranger calls, you might be tempted into thinking that you have only two options. One: Hang Up. Two: Continue talking. Who knows, you might find yourself in active pursuit of the country's deadliest kidnappers.

Cinema Online, 23 September 2008