Today’s quick review: Connected. When a ruthless man (Liu Ye) kidnaps Grace Wong (Barbie Hsu) and threatens her family, she manages to get a phone call to Bob (Louis Koo), a debt collector on the way to see his son. Interrupted before he can report the kidnapping to Detective Fai (Nick Cheung), Bob is forced to act on his own, racing across Hong Kong to stop the kidnappers before they can take Grace’s daughter (Chan Sze Wai).
Connected is a Chinese action thriller and a remake of the movie Cellular. A random phone call from a broken telephone gives a kidnapped woman one last chance at survival. Connected spins this premise into a solidly constructed thriller, following Bob as he risks life and limb in pursuit of the kidnappers. The movie features city action on a relatively large scale, a well-developed plot, and a couple of nicely handled twists.
Connected follows the original story closely. Like in Cellular, Bob must commit an escalating series of crimes to keep up with the kidnappers. Unlike Cellular, Connected emphasizes the drama of the situation, with a higher body count, fewer jokes, and expanded action sequences. The result is a movie that works well as an action thriller but trades the charm and fast pacing of the original for more character development and bolder action.
Connected does not break free of the conventions of the action thriller genre, but it does execute them well. The car chases, foot chases, and gunfights give the movie plenty of adrenaline, while the story has just enough going on to be satisfying. Action fans will find Connected well worth the watch, although exactly how much you get out of it will come down to what style of action you like best.
For an American take on the same premise, check out Cellular. For another action thriller about a kidnapping and a man determined to set things right, try Man on Fire or Wanted.
[6.6 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1156506/). I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for strong action and a well-constructed plot.