Chosen (2001) User Reviews

Ang Lee directs...

[rbverhoef · 7/10 · 24 May 2003]

Under the direction of Ang Lee himself 'Chosen' is a very nice short film. The Driver has to take a boy from the harbor. He has some trouble on his way. It is not really a chase, more like a car-dance, nicely choreographed. Together with a fine and funny ending another nice one.

Ang Lee lends class to a commercial

[Wayne Wayne Wayne Jr · 7/10 · 5 October 2001]

You can actually download this freely from BMW's website. As it is a plug for BMW, it is strongly focused on the automobile scenes. BMW, however, did allow Lee enough license to create a captivating film. It is somewhat enigmatic, yet the necessary information is beautifully presented, leaving the viewer more curious than frustrated. Clive Owen is no great shakes, but he gets the job done. The car scenes are beautifully executed and filmed. The kind of cinema that makes you want to go buy a BMW. Watch in the end as Lee alludes to a future project.

Most underrated of The Hire.

[Kevo232 · 8/10 · 29 January 2005]

I'm sure many others will say this as well, Beat the Devil was my favorite, but this isn't given enough credit. I disagreed with a comment I read about this film, so I felt I needed to give it what it deserves. The comment I am referring to discounted Lee as "making action to poetic". This was a bad thing to him, thats where I disagree. The car chase scene in this is genius, it IS like the cars are dancing. It's choreographed so well and makes you think of action in a whole new light. There is plenty of action directors you can go to if you want to see the same thing over and over. If you want something new and revolutionary in the action genre, watch this short film. I loved it, 8/10.

Exceptional! Everybody here just missed the point!

[boax · 7/10 · 1 May 2005]

This is the first time when not only all user comments but also the IMDb.com's official plot summary misses the point completely.

Well, as it's one fine oriental story, this is nothing to be terribly ashamed of. Let me help you a bit:

Hint #1: Where is Ang Lee born? Yes, right - in Taiwan. So what? Ha, let me explain - can you name a country that Taiwanese people fear the most? Hai, you are right again - this is China. So don't expect too positive approach towards the People's Republic of China here.

Hint #2: (As one comment already correctly mentioned it) the boy (and the monks) are Tibetans. What did Chinese do to Tibet in 1949-1950? They invaded an independent country and Tibet is occupied since then. What happened to unique Tibetan culture under Chinese rule? It was systematically destroyed. Not a good example for Taiwanese people..

**** SPOILERS START *****

The boy is "chosen for a strange ritual" :) I think we can be more precise now. What is the greatest ritual in Tibet? The finding of the next Dalai Lama, The Chosen One.

**** SPOILERS END *****

Only one piece of this fine oriental mystery left unsolved - who are the bad guys, then? No, i can't tell you, i already wrote SPOILERS END above here.. :)

I gave it 7 points out of 10, because it is impossible to join the commercial and oriental art. But Ang Lee's masterpiece gives us fine example how close we can get.

Dancing cars!

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 16 April 2005]

The car chase in the second "The Hire" short, is so choreographed that it's almost like the cars are dancing with each other! Really a must see for the fans of Eastern cinema.

The cinematography and editing work better for the movie than was the case in the first "The Hire" short "Ambush" but it still is Ang Lee's directing that is the highlight of the movie. The story tries to be a bit more than just a car chase which was not really necessary but not really disturbing either. The ending is really fun!

The music by Mychael Danna is a bit simple and kind of irritating at times and the action might not be as good as in other "The Hire" shorts but it still is on par with most of them, thanks to Ang Lee's directing!

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Auterist Short (no kidding)

[Nazar_Vojtovich · 10/10 · 23 December 2005]

This wonderful little short film finds Ang Lee at his best! Full of quiet Ang Lee-esquire moments(when the little Dalai-lama guy in the backseat feels hot, he opens the power window, then rolls it back up; the driver looks at him, understands the little guy's urge for cold air(much like that of his native Tibet), cranks down the temp to 65 on the BMW's climate control system.) Of course, the prominent humorous self-conscious Hulk reference didn't go unnoticed by the viewers, including the ones here on IMDb. This is just one instance of director's amazingly light touch.

Also, the music is absolutely wonderful, which wouldn't be that much out of place in Lee's period piece Sense and Sensibility. The music had me smiling throughout this short film, thinking of the connection to the Sense and Sensibility.

I'm amazed by how Ang Lee transformed the film(whose only aim was to advertise the great German cars) into the first-rate cinema by applying fully his sensibilities and preoccupations.

Actually very good

[groundedGeek · 17 June 2003]

A previous review here called it the worst of them all. It wasn't that bad, though I can agree with some of the comments made. I actually enjoyed the film up until the disappointing rescue of the kid. He really should have had to fight a little more... one karate chop to the neck wasn't enough action for my taste.

However, the comments made comparing the ending to crappy Christmas specials... well... you need to take notice of one particular thing that quells any problems you may have with it...

*****SPOILER ALERT!!!!!******

Look at what is on the bandaid... The Hulk... a little in-joke about Lee's involvement directing the Incredible Hulk movie... pretty sweet little tidbit, I thought... made everything else worthwhile.

Ang Lee manages to screw up even something as simple as a car-chase

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 6/10 · 3 December 2004]

I know that many think of Ang Lee as a very good, interesting director... but I don't. He makes action(if you can even call it that, when he's directing) look pretty, poetic... I'm sorry, have I been asleep and awoken in the future, where action isn't supposed to be cool, exciting and intense, like it has been since sometime in the 70's? He can make even the most interesting and exciting scene seem boring and dull. He ruins everything by choreographing his car-chases like cars dancing(like another reviewer points out) and by using classical music during action(again, I don't know if anything in this can be classified as action, since it's so dull). Lee screwed up Hulk by making it drag a hell of a lot and by directing poorly(half of the acting was bad). He ruined what little potential Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had, by having them dancing instead of fighting. He seriously needs to turn his attention to something other than action, or learn how to properly direct action, before the rest of the world wises up and ignores his work. No intensity, no laughs and a cringe-worthy ending make this a waste of time. Skip this one. 6/10

Crouching-Tiger style choreography meets the finest automobile in the world

[bradeeoh · 10/10 · 22 July 2001]

Ang Lee took to the helm for this second movie in the "The Hire" series. If you think his beautiful style of choreography and cinemotography only applies to humans, or if you never thought about it before, take a look at this one, my favorite entry in the series.

The driver is hired to transport a young asian immigrant, who is obviously of some mystical importance, from the docks to a location in the city. Almost immediately after the young passenger straps in to the second-only-to-the-M5 540i 6-speed, the bad guys present themselves and the chase is on.

What follows is truly a ballet on wheels. A whole bunch of clumsy american cars and a "lesser" German car show their deficiencies to the amazing skill and ability of The Driver and his performance machine.

A first for the series occurs in this film when we see The Driver take a role outside of the car, and you'll see that the role that is played adds a depth to the Driver, and the storyline.

On a cool side-note, you'll notice a certain...er... "character"... imprinted on the gift that the young passenger gives to The Driver - this was a subtle reference by Ang Lee that completely put to rest rumors that had been floating around the net, and concretely said to the world - "Yes, I am directing this movie due out in 2003"

take notice.

:)

Overall, though all the other films had great things to offer ("The Star" being absolutely hilarious), this is my favorite. 10/10

Disappointing Followup

[HypnoticEye · 4/10 · 4 June 2003]

While John Frankenheimer's AMBUSH was a hardboiled vignette, Ang Lee's THE CHOSEN is an attempt at doing a lighthearted mixture of action and comedy. Unfortunately Ang Lee's comedy falls flat. While he might showcase the BMW's maneuverability to good effect; The actual chase between Clive Owen's enigmatic driver escorting a small Tibetan boy and the mysterious henchmen seeking to harm his charge, is staged in a light jokey tone that eliminated all tension and replaces it with uninspired slapstick.

Indeed, as the film progresses to its punchline of a conclusion, one suspects that Ang Lee was seeing how to make a film that kids would like along with adults in preparation for his then-upcoming HULK movie (as hinted at near the end). While the final result might be something BMW owners can show to their children, adults will find themselves bored and frustrated.

The Buddha and the Hulk in a short film by Ang Lee

[chulo37 · 9/10 · 6 December 2001]

Second in the BMW series, this film is very different from the first BMW short by John Frankenheimer. Not as tightly structured as that film, but it has moments of poetry--particularly a balletic chase sequence. Final "Hulk" scene wraps the film up tidily.

Only one great scene

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 10 July 2015]

This is a 6-minute short film from 2001 and it is also part of the BMW promo short movie collection. The director here is 2-time Academy Award winner Ang Lee and fittingly there is also an Asian touch to this film. The script comes from David Carter, who wrote several of these shorts. Unfortunately, I was not too impressed by this one here. This may have to do with my general lack of interest in speed or cars. The only scene I liked was the one with the fake monk, the whole car chase thingey before that did not do too much for me and same goes for the Hulk reference at the end. And why wouldn't the child duck down in the car with the permanent shooting going on. Still, I have to say that my negative rating is not because there is a lack of stars in here compared to the one that has Gary Oldman, James Brown, Danny Trejo and Marylin Manson for example. This one is equally forgettable. It's all about the script really and "Chosen" is not a grand achievement in terms of that. So, all in all, not recommended.

BMW's awesome rendition of the need for speed.

[refugeez · 9/10 · 19 May 2001]

Our protagonist, The Driver, as we know him, starts out by picking up a young Tibetan boy in an abandoned New York dock. Shortly after the pickup, however, he is met by two other cars with hostile intent. The Driver manages to elude the two in an all out chase around the dock that results in the destruction of a chasing Mercedes. This movie features terrific chase sequences but contains a sense of "commercialism" as The Driver's BMW seems to be nearly invincible and overall superior to the cars that the chasers drive. But this "episode" in the The Driver series is fun to watch and fabulously directed by Ang Lee.

Art comes in many guises, for many reasons.

[seltzer · 10/10 · 27 May 2001]

If this is merely a commercial for BMW, it is one of the best commercials ever made. Though a BMW car plays a prominent role in the story and there are a only a few lines of dialogue, it is a complete story that would fit comfortably in any good modern action film. If this is a short film as much as it is a commercial, then it is as good or better than many shorts I've seen. There are also a few funny moments as well, and they help propel the story. Those who follow Ang Lee's film career will also find the last scene very amusing.

Is it a commercial or a film? Either way it is good.

[soldo · 8/10 · 18 May 2001]

A very interesting concept by BMW to finance leading directors to make films featuring BMW cars. Chosen featured the most unique car chase seen I have ever seen. It was more like a ballet than an automobile race. The music (a powerful Baroque and tibetan combination) was beautiful and perfectly fit.

Definitely worth the download.

One of the best in the entire short film series.

[Batkid1 · 8/10 · 3 November 2007]

The Plot: Clive Owen ( before he was in "The Bourne Identity," "King Arthur," "Elisabeth: The Golden Age," and "Sin CIty" ) plays a "hire" who drives people places they desperately need to go.

Often times, they are working for something "top secret" and can only give our protagonist limited information.

Also, this is meant to show off the BMW car and is executive-produced by Tony Scott, Ridley Scott and David Fincher ( Panic Room, Alien 3 ).

In this episode directed by Ang Lee ( of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, Hulk and Brokeback Mountain fame ) , our hero has to transport an Asian "golden child" and has trouble trusting his sources.

The Asian musical score is excellent and I think near the end you can see a couple of bullet- holes in the BMW car!

Not the best of the series...but it made me laugh.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 13 April 2010]

In 2001 and 2002, BMW debuted 8 different short films on the internet by some of the top directors in the world. It's hard to imagine, but they got the great John Frankenheimer, Wong Kar Wai, John Woo as well as top acting talent for these films. Each film had to have two things in common--they had to feature BMWs and each starred Clive Owen! In addition, actors such as Gary Oldman, Madonna, Forrest Whitaker and mickey Rourke made appearances in some of the films. Wow...it's obvious BMW pulled out all the stops when it came to the budgets for these amazingly slick films.

This particular film was made by Ang Lee and while I'll freely admit that it was not among the best of the eight, it was fun to watch and I did laugh at the end--something I don't tend to do when I see films. The problem was not his direction or the acting--they were just great. But the film, aside from the end, was almost all action and little story--the sort of films that just don't appeal to me. HOWEVER, I must also point out that much of the seemingly shallow story did attain some greater depth at the end and overall it is a very nice little film. I won't say anything about the plot--just see it for yourself.

An odd feel at first but well directed and works in a weirdly calm way for a chase movie

[bob the moo · 25 April 2012]

When watching The Hire: Ambush recently I hadn't realised that it was actually a series of films rather than just a specially made one-off. The second film in the series is Chosen, directed, to my surprise, by none other than Ang Lee! The plot here is essentially the same in that we are given sparse details to allow a chase sequence to be set up. This time the driver has a very young monk (clearly earmarked for a great destiny) and he has to evade capture again. Unlike Ambush though, this film has an odd tone to it as it plays out over classical music and is general shot with a still air of calm in contrast to the action.

As a result i didn't find it quite as thrilling as I could have done but it did work pretty well. In particular I liked that it was at night and that the use of selected illumination in certain bits helped add the feeling of speed and danger. I also enjoyed the tight manoeuvring in small areas being the focus rather than speed – so it is still a chase but a rather different one. Of course as an advert this shows us the ability of the car to handle really well compared to the others (how they must have enjoyed outclassing and smashing that Mercedes) but it does still work as a chase sequence. The end of the film is perhaps a little weak, but I suppose it has to produce an "end" to the story, even if it doesn't really have much of a story in the first place. Owen is good again, although the little kid is an odd device that distracts a little bit by virtue of the situation. Ang Lee's direction is odd given the nature of the project but it actually works pretty well.

Enjoyable little short though, it may well be selling me a car but I appreciate it trying to do it by entertaining me.