Godspeed (Mong-Hong Chung, 2017) | Taiwan

Reviewed by Gio Traina and viewed at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Godspeed has to be one of the most unique and enjoyable films I have ever watched. Marketed as a comedy between a drug dealer and an old cab driver, the viewer expects an adventure riddled with silly antics. Instead we get a gruesome, violent story of young heroine dealer Na Dow (Na-Dou Lin) and his veteran taxi driver Old Xu (famed comedian Michael Hui) acting as a drug mule. Old Xu heavily pressures Na Dow to get in his cheap old Ford instead of the newer, nicer taxis. Na Dow accepts and away they go on their journey through Taiwan. After going through various unexplainable situations and witnessing the death of the main supplier, the duo find themselves in the back of a pitch black car trunk awaiting their fate with their only light being a color changing duck light. It seems like the two will never live happily ever after. Nothing goes their way yet the movie still stays to it’s comedy roots and gives the viewer some great laughs.

Chung’s cinematography is astounding from the start. The dull environment and atmosphere was perfect for certain scenes of the movie when situations get dark for the protagonists. There are also many beautiful shots of parts of Taiwan that make the viewers jaw drop. As the film progresses and you learn more about the character’s motives, you start to emphasize with disgusting drug dealers who do despicable, in-human actions. A true moral dilemma movie. I have to say that the best part of the film was the viewing experience. The whole audience reacted differently to all the unexplainable and unexpected outcomes throughout. With the Tarantino-like violence, easy subtitles and witty comedy, this was a highly enjoyable film and I definitely recommend.