Drive

Toby Wong has fled from China to America. There is a device implanted in his chest, a military enhancement that makes his body extremely fast and strong. The company that made it wants it back and sends teams after him. Toby is trying to reach Los Angeles. On the way he takes a random man hostage, the unemployed and shambolic Malik, and the two run together. Steve Wang directs. Mark Dacascos plays Toby and Kadeem Hardison plays Malik. The real matter is the fighting. The choreography is built by the method of Hong Kong cinema and was unusual in American productions at the time; the scenes are shot in long unbroken takes and the actors do the moves themselves. Mark Dacascos came from martial arts and this counts as the most remembered work of his career. The narrative is a simple chase and the humour comes from the mismatch between the two men. It was made cheaply and had no wide cinema release; it circulated on video and became a cult film among viewers of martial arts cinema. Two versions are in circulation; the director's own cut is longer and its fights are unbroken. Who it is for: viewers who like nineties martial arts films and choreography driven action. Who it is not for: the script is weak, the humour is coarse, and there is no narrative outside the fighting.