Chosen (2001)

Why so much hype?

So much average

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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.

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.

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.

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.