Godspeed (Mong Hong Chung, 2016) Taiwan

Reviewed by Pierre Balloum at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

“Na Dow carries out his drug-delivering routine by taking a cab down south and returning in the same cab on the same day. One day he reluctantly gets into a shabby taxi driven by the carefree, innocent Xu, who came to Taiwan more than 20 years ago and somehow decided to stay. Na Dow’s plan to reform himself and Xu’s wish for a peaceful life take a wrong turn when they become the target of a mob attack. The drugs and the money are gone, and both Na Dow and Xu are held hostage in the trunk of a car.”

Godspeed was sold like being a comedy, unfortunately to have my reaction and that of the public, it is not really a comedy. Yeah, some situations are rather funny and make us smile… some times. Is it a bad movie though? Not really, but several elements challenge us. First of all, I will not really dwell on the scenario, simple enough but with effective dialogues. For all the characters are quite empty and can work they are almost superficial which is a shame for a film that relies on a duet of actors. The scenario weaknesses are overtaken by an efficient and dynamic staging. Many shots are turned camera on the shoulder which gives a particularly dynamic rhythm, always in motion, like our characters. A scene is particularly striking, when two bandits find themselves praying as hostages by their former owners, tied to the ground, with a motorcycle helmet on the head. One wonders the interest of putting a motorcycle helmet to a hostage until one of the hostage takers how to slowly saw the helmet, causing a moment of amazement in the room. And this scene does not stop but I would not cut the intensity of the scene by saying too much. One feels the inspiration of the films of Tarentino with a treatment of the staging and a scenario of the particular characters.

eed was sold like being a comedy, unfortunately to have my reaction and that of the room, it is not really a pad. So it really is that some situations are rather funny and make us smile, but Godspeed is not a comedy. Is it a bad movie though? Not really, but several elements challenge us. First of all, I will not really dwell on the scenario, simple enough but with effective dialogues. For all the characters are quite empty and can work they are almost superficial which is a shame for a film that relies on a duet of actors. The scenario weaknesses are overtaken by an efficient and dynamic staging. Many shots are turned camera on the shoulder which gives a particularly dynamic rhythm, always in motion, like our characters. A scene is particularly striking, when two bandits find themselves praying as hostages by their former owners, tied to the ground, with a motorcycle helmet on the head. One wonders the interest of putting a motorcycle helmet to a hostage until one of the hostage takers how to slowly saw the helmet, causing a moment of amazement in the room. And this scene does not stop but I would not cut the intensity of the scene by saying too much. One feels the inspiration of the films of Tarentino with a treatment of the staging and a scenario of the particular characters.