The “D” stands for drifting – race style where you brake suddenly, by pulling the handbrake, into a hairpin or coroner in a road section. For its exciting race sequences, stylish camerawork, and, well, little else really, Initial D is a film that hugely satisfies at the visceral level. It amazingly shows that Taiwanese singing superstar Jay Chou can act well enough in a role which has him portraying a familiar character like himself, more or less.

Based on a best-selling Japanese comic, Initial D centres on Takumi Fujiwara (Jay Chou) the son of Tofu shop owner, Bunta (Anthony Wong). Unknown to his friends, especially his racing addicted friend, Itsuki (Chapman To), and also unaware himself, Takumi has built up amazing driving skills. Takumi is a savant who can, on his day, defeat top street racers, even when driving a car hopelessly unmatched to the opponents.

In filling the role of Takumi – a young man whose father, once a legendary street racer, is now a drunk – the soft-spoken Chou is suitably shy and introverted. Despite this fact, he has a girlfriend, Natsuki (Anne Suzuki) who he’s crazy about. The love angle doesn’t figure much in the story – Suzuki unfortunately comes off as a wide-eyed bimbo – as is her dark secret she keeps from Takumi.

And, to be Honest, the plot isn’t particularly gripping. It largely revolves around the petty squabbles between ego-fuelled drivers – played by Jordan Chan, Edison Chen and Shawn Yue – who all desire to beat Takumi to claim the “king of the mountain”.

However, what this film lacks in substance, it makes up in style and humour. Chapman To, a person sadly with unimpressive skills, is the principal source for the comic relief, though he comes close to wearing out his welcome with silly antics.

Anthony Wong, always a reliable actor, is a sombre, tragic figure as a father, a man with a dark, black sense of humour. Takumi has to thank him for his driving skills: He’s forced by his father to deliver tofu in the dead of the night, since he was in middle school.

And the real appeal of the film: For the most part, Initial D is a stunning display of stunt driving. The technical crew and the professional racing stuntmen deserve the plaudits for making Chou look incredibly cool as he drives, looking naturally bored, head casually raised by his arm on the side of the window.

If directors, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak had have made the movie more of a love story or simply cut the love scenes entirely, Initial D would have been much better, without those slow moments to haul in its adrenaline-pumping pace.