Reading the reviews on here where they are bashing the original leads me to think there's some Asian biasness. I've seen both and I can honestly say that the original is better but that's not to say that the other film is "bad and stupid", unlike all the other reviewers' style of commentary.Some reviews critique Chris Evans' character and compare and contrast with that of Louis Koo's character, which is totally fine but they also fail to illustrate the diverging choices made by two different directors in the two movies. They are not identical even if their story for the most part remains unchanged. Since there are far too many differences to list them all here, I have decided to narrow down some particulars.Both Chris Evans and Louis Koo's characters face intense pressure in their respective movies. In the original, there is humour, there is danger and there is fun. Connected, on the other hand, is much more serious and I don't really remember a whole lot of humour in it. Both films do have their moments of adrenaline rushes which is what these movies should do.There are some changes with regards to character. Louis Koo, unlike Chris Evans, is a father, with a son that he rarely gets to see, due to work. This movie also has a supporting character but she is actually blood-related to the main character, unlike the original "Cellular" movie.While both movies have corrupt cops, the main character in "Cellular" does not actually meet the corrupt cop until the very end and even then he had good instincts to know who he was dealing with. Louis Koo's character on the other hand actually makes a near-fatal mistake in the washroom. The "Connected" director at the beginning of the movie questions the "plausibility" of some of the original film's scenes, yet he seems to be okay that the good guy is totally allowed to live after being surrounded by dirty cops in an enclosed washroom. Because that will truly happen in real life too - especially if you are holding evidence against them.To me, it seems like the director of Connected has a bit of a hate-on for the original movie and wanted to one-up it, when in reality, they should be looked as if they are two different films with a similar type of script. If you like a fun flick with a decent story and a "feel good" movie, go with "Cellular". If you like a more serious story with character development, watch "Connected". But to me, I think both movies deserve to be watched at least once.

I do not usually watch HK movies due to it being filled with low quality commercial craps banking on famous celebrities.However, I was interested in this movie after seeing Barbie Hsu getting a nomination as Best Actress in HK film awards and knowing that it is based on Hollywood version "Cellular". I knew, I have to watch it.To my expectation, this movie did not disappoint. The directing and acting is pretty solid and Barbie Hsu does deserve the nomination. This one have more action than Cellular and to those who can relate to the HK culture of this movie will find this better than Cellular. There are movie subplots in this one than in Cellular which adds up a little more plot holes (or rather cheesy parts) but for the better.I also like the fact that the director decided to go with multilingual where some of the actors are allowed to speak their native tongue of Mandarin as to doing voice-over of Cantonese. It made the whole movie much more believable and watchable. The only part I really dislike is the voice-over for Louis Koo which was badly done and clearly is not his voice.Overall, this is one of the better movie I have watched from HongKong for a long long time. I cannot remember watching any action movie as good as this that does not sacrifice good acting and storyline.

I don't like remakes, whether they are American remakes of "Asian" films or the other way around. It's even worse when the original film itself was a dismal piece of cinema to begin with, and this seems to be the case here.Louis Koo plays a man who receives a random phone call on his cellphone from a woman (played by Barbie Hsu) claiming to have been kidnapped. He has to decide whether to try and help her or to ignore her and rush to the airport in time to say goodbye to his son, who is immigrating to another country with a relative. Apparently (and quite predictably), he has broken many promises to his son in the past, and if he does not fulfill this particular promise, the damage to their relationship may be irreparable. Predictably (again), he chooses the most implausible option, and begins a crime spree that involves reckless driving, vandalism, robberies, and more, in order to try and save the woman on the phone.Sounds familiar? That's because this film is a remake of "Cellular", which I have not yet seen. But after seeing this remake, I don't think I want to see "Cellular", because the reason it sounds familiar to -me- is because it is ultimately very formulaic. At every "twist" in the film, the character will not choose the most sensible option because it threatens to endanger the people he is trying to save. In fact, you know in advance that the character will choose the most unlikely and implausible option, which often endangers not only himself but random strangers (for example, driving dangerously in busy traffic and causing multiple collisions), in order to stretch a paper-thin plot into a "film." Even the ending itself was foreseeable almost from the very beginning (guess where the final "showdown" will take place? Hmmm....).Ye Liu's exaggerated performance as the villainous "Senior Inspector Fok" was particularly agitating to watch. Nick Cheung does his best to try and keep a straight face in what should really be a comedy rather than a thriller. Barbie Hsu is given no room to do anything except fulfill the stereotypical role of a hysterical woman who has just been kidnapped, even if she's basically MacGuyver and can build working telephones from smashed parts. Would Richard Dean Anderson just cry hysterically for the rest of the film after building a phone? No, he would have turned wooden planks and metal cans into a nail gun. That would have gave this film a pulse.

I have seen both the original and remake. It is based on Cellular. Cellular is intense and has lots of suspense. After a few years, it is remade by Chinese action director Benny Chan. His recent work, Invisible Target is quite good. Benny Chan cannot fail with fast-paced action mixed with martial arts. Connected is almost like the original, it is intense and has lots of suspense with some twists. Though, the remake is almost like the original, it is not boring. Its suspense is different from the original. I treat the original and remake differently. Both of them are of the same score.Te story: A debt collector receives a call from a woman who is kidnapped by an unknown gang. He thinks it is a joke but soon, he realises that it is not a prank. He hands the phone over to a cop. By then, no one answers and the cop asks him to go to a police station nearby. He rushes off and try to save her and her daughter. The question is whether he can break his promise to his son and save the woman he does not know. From there, there are chaos and intense action exploding into your way. It is another of Benny Chan's good work.Overall: If you are a fan of Benny Chan, this should not be missed. It also should not be missed for action and suspense fans. We can expect there will be more Asian remakes of Hollywood version.DVD: I would like to get hold of the 2-disc special edition (Hong Kong version). Singapore only gets the 1 disc edition. There are English and Chinese subtitles.