Cabbies
and drug mules have one thing in common: the mileage. That is particularly true
of Old Xu, an expat cab driver originally hailing from Hong Kong. In contrast,
Taiwanese Na Dow is new to the drug delivery business and he might not last
very long. Their comical road trip periodically takes dark detours in
director-screenwriter Chung Mong-hong’s NYAFF-selected Godspeed (trailer
here), which
screens during this year’s Denver Film Festival.
It
figures Na Dow might be in for some trouble, because his boss Da Bao barely
survives the extended prologue. Someone is clearly looking to move in on his
business, so Da Bao and his lieutenant Wu will discretely follow Na Dow on his
latest run. It turns out to be quite ride when the mule reluctantly agrees to
the persistent Xu’s terms. Their misadventures will really just confuse their
secret shadows, rather than vindicating or condemning Na Dow.
Godspeed veers all over the
road, but it still works nearly every step of the way. HK comedy veteran
Michael Hui still goes for plenty of laughs, but Old Xu is definitely a sad
clown. It is a complex, deeply humane performance that directly compares with
Eric Tsang’s even more serious turn in Mad World. Na Dow (as his namesake) is an adequate straight man and he has some
nicely turned moments down the stretch, but he is definitely the junior partner
of their tandem.
Starting
right from the start, Leon Dai nearly steals the picture several times over as
the deceptively quiet and amusingly sly Da Bao. Ironically, a lot of viewers
will be disappointed when they discover he really isn’t the focus of the film.
As an extra added bonus, professional steely Thai authority figure Vithaya Pansringarm
does his thing as the drug lord who nearly kills Da Bao, mostly just because he
is psychotic.
Chung
seems to be a bit like Tarantino in that he has a knack for casting nostalgically
beloved actors in roles that help redefine them for younger generations. He did
it with Jimmy Wang Yu in the wonderfully subtle and evocative supernatural film
Soul and obviously, he did it again
here with Hui. While Godspeed is bit
plottier and talkier than his previous film, it still very much a work of
mature restraint.
The
guys who have been around the block a couple times really come through in Godspeed. It is a flattering showcase
for Hui’s talents, but Dai, Pansringarm, and even Tou Chung-hua (as Da Bao’s dealer
crony) score plenty of points. Despite some sudden tonal shifts, it still keeps
purring along, because Chung trusts his characters and never overplays his
hand. Recommended for fans of wry caper and road movies, Godspeed screens this Saturday (11/4) and Sunday (11/5) during the
2017 Denver Film Festival.
