Fridae

The first high-octane thriller involving cellphones is Connected by Hong Kong action director Benny Chan. Adapted from the 2004 Hollywood flick Cellular starring Chris Evans and Kim Basinger, this tightly-wound edge-of-your-seat actioner stars Louis Koo as an ordinary man struggling with personal problems.

Out of the blue, he receives a random phonecall on his cellphone from a woman (Taiwanese vixen Barbie Hsu) who claims she is kidnapped, and that she and her daughter may be killed. Louis contacts a police detective for help but he dismisses it as a prank. It is up to Louis alone to save the woman and her little girl...

Director Benny Chan has crafted an efficient actioner that is fairly watchable though not all that inspired. Connected is a straightforward thrill ride that is no better or worse than the Hollywood original. Louis Koo, with his golden tan and Japanese features, carries the film well while Barbie Hsu make for great eye candy.

And for the record, folks who say that Connected is the first Chinese remake of a Hollywood film are wrong. There have been a few other films to precede it, like Jet Li's The Bodyguard from Beijing which was adapted from Hollywood's The Bodyguard with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner.