By Dennis Chua
THE 'Impak Maksima' movie series continues, 18 years after director Dr Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nadzri introduced it to moviegoers as Malaysia's answer to the 'Fast And Furious' action film.
This homegrown story of the adrenaline-pumping lives of professional as well as illegal drifters is back with a bang, continuing retired drifter Joe's and thuggish "king of the road" Ray's bitter rivalry on Malaysia's major streets.
The second chapter of Malaysia's original drift movie adventure, which contains lots of explosive motor racing as well as dramatic fight sequences, was filmed over two months beginning in December last year.
Unlike the first 'Impak Maksima' in 2007, where all the action was centred in the Klang Valley, this time Ahmad Idham has also filmed in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Baru and Melaka.
In all the locations, there was a fair share of high-speed action, and none of the cities featured was a mere window-dresser.
'Impak Maksima 2' has nearly 1,000 cars of various types, and that makes it a story with both style and substance.
This time, the racing scenes are a lot better, with the use of state-of-the-art photography which enables lots of aerial shots.
And while there is less drama compared with its predecessor, the fight scenes appear to be more realistic, right down to the bruises and wounds suffered by the brawling young men.
Like 'Impak Maksima', this movie is once again a cautionary tale of youngsters learning that illegal racing does not pay, without sounding too preachy.
And while our hero Joe occasionally has to bend the rules in order to save the life of his latest young protege, he still undoes the vicious traps set by his nemesis in good old "daddy" fashion without being reckless.
Two decades after the events of the first movie, Joe (Datuk Seri Eizlan Yusof) now owns a motorsport centre called APDCREW Circuit in Selangor.
One day, he is visited by Rudy (Arfie Shah), who is the nephew of his old acquaintance in Johor Baru, ASP Maria (Dynas Mokhtar).
Rudy often gets involved in illegal racing and was eventually arrested by the police.
Maria understands that Rudy is rebelling against his mother, who disagrees with him continuing his studies in the automotive field.
Maria agrees to support Rudy's passion for motorsports on the condition that he works with Joe's company to receive professional guidance.
At APDCREW, Rudy proves to be a disciplined employee, and gradually begins to excel in motorsports.
Rudy, who helps manage the arena, becomes best friends with Naim (Fad Bocey), a spare parts specialist, and Puteri (Riena Amirah), Joe's sister and assistant.
Here, he gets to know alpha male Rio (Muhsin Nadzli), who takes drift classes and hangs out with his wealthy friends, as well as his girlfriend Gia (Nelissa Nizam).
While Rudy keeps his distance from Rio, Gia soon breaks up with her boyfriend and is drawn to him.
As a result, the agitated Rio challenges Rudy to a race, and he is encouraged by his mentor Ray (Zul Huzaimy) who is also Gia's elder brother.
Eizlan is once again commendable and believable as typical father figure Joe.
While he had to babysit his younger brother Ayie in the first movie, and successfully made a man out of him, this time his young charge appears to be made of stronger stuff.
Rudy appears to be a more skilled racer than Ayie, and knows what he wants out of life.
However, first-timer Arfie seems to be rather stiff as an actor compared with Awal Ashaari, who played Ayie.
As for Zul Huzaimy's Ray, the villain is still a menace, though a little more subdued this time. Nevertheless, his determination to seek revenge against his old enemy Joe at all costs burns brighter than ever.
Perhaps, the presence of his little sister Gia has mellowed him, and that means he has left most of the brutal stuff to his protege Rio.
As for Nelissa's Gia, she looks very compatible with Arfie's Rudy, both in a positive and negative manner.
They are equally tall and well-built to play drifters, but on the minus side, their stiff acting means that they have a long way to go.
The same can be said about bad boy Rio, who to his credit actually looks meaner than Ray.
Fad's Naim provides comic relief, though at times he comes across as bumbling and annoying. But to his credit, he helps Rudy a great deal and is a trusted best friend.
'Impak Maksima 2' does leave some loose ends untied, and this is a clear sign that there will be an 'Impak Maksima 3'.
And while we have to wait for it, viewers can just sit back and enjoy what Joe, Rudy and friends have served us on the fast lanes.
NOW SHOWING
IMPAK MAKSIMA 2
DIRECTOR Dr Ahmad Idham Ahmad Nadzri
STARRING Datuk Seri Eizlan Yusof, Zul Huzaimy Marzuki, Dynas Mokhtar, Arfie Shah, Nelissa Nizam, Muhsin Nadzli, Fad Bocey, Riena Amirah, Man Raja Lawak, Riezman Khuzaimi and Opie Zami
DURATION 2 hours
RATING 16
Source : showbiz-ahmad-idhams-fast-and-furious-series-back-bang