{ "id": "epgyrcq0xd", "slug": "connected", "title": "Connected (保持通话)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2000s", "label": "Action thrillers, 2000s", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2000s" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020: Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "path": [ { "id": "geo.chn", "label": "China", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001", "label": "China · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure", "label": "Action and adventure films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.chn.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Connected (保持通话) is a 2008 Hong Kong action thriller by Benny Chan, the first officially Hollywood-licensed Chinese-language remake, adapting Cellular; Louis Koo and Barbie Hsu star, with Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Award editing wins.", "snippet": "Connected (保持通话) is a 2008 Hong Kong action thriller by Benny Chan, the first officially Hollywood-licensed Chinese-language remake, adapting Cellular; Louis Koo and Barbie Hsu star, with Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Award editing wins.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.action-adventure.action-thrillers-2000s", "markdown": "# Connected (保持通话)\n\n**Connected** (保持通话) is a 2008 Hong Kong action thriller directed by Benny Chan (陈木胜), a licensed remake of the 2004 Hollywood film *Cellular*, in which a debt collector receives a random cell phone call from a kidnapped woman and tries to save her and her daughter.[1](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html) It was the first Chinese-language film to receive official remake authorization from Hollywood, adapting *Cellular* (released in Chinese as 《一线声机》 or 《玩命手机》) with the action relocated to contemporary Hong Kong.[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/62630/) • [3](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/eweekly/EE1955521552/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 保持通话 (Bo chi tung wah), Hong Kong, 2008[1](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html) |\n| Director and writer | Benny Chan Muk-Sing, director, producer, and co-writer with Alan Yuen Kam-Lun; original story by Larry Cohen and Chris Morgan[1](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html) |\n| Source | Officially authorized remake of the 2004 Hollywood thriller *Cellular*, the first such authorization for a Chinese-language film[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/62630/) |\n| Release | 25 September 2008 in mainland China; 110 minutes[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/62630/) |\n| Principal cast | Louis Koo (阿邦/Bob), Barbie Hsu (Grace), Nick Cheung (Officer Fai), Liu Ye (kidnapper Fok)[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected) |\n| Major awards | Best Film Editing and Best Action Design at the 45th Golden Horse Awards (2008); Best Film Editing at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards (2009)[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected) |\n| Reception | Cinafilm aggregate 67% from 86 reviews; audiences averaged 73% while professional critics averaged 0%[5](https://www.cinafilm.com/movies/connected-2008/) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nGrace Wong ([Barbie Hsu](https://www.edgepedia.org/barbie-hsu)), a single mother and engineer, is kidnapped by the gangster Fok (Liu Ye) while driving her daughter to school and locked in a container.[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected) In the shed where she is held there is a smashed but partly usable telephone; using her engineering skills she rewires it, but can only make random connections, and one of those calls reaches Bob ([Louis Koo](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-koo)), a shy debt collector.[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected) • [6](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/connected.htm)\n\nBob is on his way to the airport to see off his son, who is emigrating to Australia, and at first does not believe her story.[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected) • [6](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/connected.htm) He hands the phone to a traffic officer (Nick Cheung), but the signal fails and, when Bob retrieves the phone, a gunshot is heard.[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected) Convinced the danger is real, he sets out to help Grace escape and to stop the kidnappers from taking her daughter, while the police dismiss his story and he becomes wanted for the minor offenses he commits along the way.[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected) • [6](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/connected.htm) The tension builds toward a climax at the airport, where Bob does not know whom to trust.[7](https://asianactioncinema.co.uk/connected-review)\n\n## Production and adaptation\n\nBenny Chan, one of Hong Kong cinema's established action directors whose earlier films include *New Police Story*, *Rob-B-Hood*, *Invisible Target*, and *Gen-X Cops*, adapted *Cellular* for Asian audiences.[1](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html) • [8](https://www.yesasia.com/global/connected-dvd-hong-kong-version/1012259954-0-0-0-en/info.html) He said the human warmth of the original's premise, an ordinary man saving a family, was a major motive for the remake, and he strengthened each character's backstory; the kidnapper played by Liu Ye was changed most, from a man who strikes out himself to one who directs operations from behind the scenes.[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/62630/) Chan described the result as a person wearing Hollywood clothes but carrying a Hong Kong cinema badge.[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/62630/)\n\nThe remake keeps the key premise and several scenes of the original, some filmed almost one to one, while adding its own twists and using all of Hong Kong, from the highlands to the airport, as its setting.[6](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/connected.htm) • [9](https://screenanarchy.com/2008/10/review-of-connected.html) It adds a romance subplot between the leads and casts the younger Barbie Hsu in the role originated by [Kim Basinger](https://www.edgepedia.org/kim-basinger), with Louis Koo taking the Chris Evans part.[1](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html) • [8](https://www.yesasia.com/global/connected-dvd-hong-kong-version/1012259954-0-0-0-en/info.html) The action was directed by Li Chung-Chi.[1](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html)\n\n**Scale of the stunts.** The car-chase sequences alone cost about HK$5 million to film, and the production company insured the actors for HK$40 million; Louis Koo performed many of the driving stunts himself, causing staged traffic accidents across Hong Kong and its outskirts.[2](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/62630/) Reviewers singled out the chase in which Bob, in his small car, wrecks a trail of vehicles across the city while failing to actually stop the villains.[1](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html)\n\n## Product placement\n\nThe film carries prominent brand placement: Motorola phones and ringtones appear throughout, Barbie Hsu was a Tissot spokesperson and Louis Koo promoted both Pepsi and Tag Heuer, and the script works in close-ups of watches and repeated shots of crushed Pepsi cans.[1](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html) • [8](https://www.yesasia.com/global/connected-dvd-hong-kong-version/1012259954-0-0-0-en/info.html) The YesAsia editorial noted that the licensing and placement made *Cellular* a commercially self-funding choice for the remake.[8](https://www.yesasia.com/global/connected-dvd-hong-kong-version/1012259954-0-0-0-en/info.html)\n\n## Reception and awards\n\nAt the 45th Golden Horse Awards in 2008 the film won Best Film Editing (Chiu Chi Wai) and Best Action Design (Li Chung-Chi).[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected) At the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2009 it won Best Film Editing and received nominations for Best Director, Best Actress (Barbie Hsu), Best Action Design, and Best Sound Effects.[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected) It also took the Black Dragon Audience Award (second runner-up) at the 11th Udine Far East Film Festival, was selected at the 47th Vienna International Film Festival, and won the TSR Audience Award in the Asian competition at the 9th Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland.[4](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected)\n\nCritical reception was divided between audiences and professional reviewers. Cinafilm recorded an aggregate of 67% from 86 reviews, above the 56% average for 2008 films on the site, with cinema-goers averaging 73% and professional critics 0%.[5](https://www.cinafilm.com/movies/connected-2008/) The lovehkfilm review called it one of the most stupid and entertaining Hong Kong movies of the year, praising the action and stunt work while criticizing the overacted performances and implausible script.[1](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html) Other reviewers judged it an equal or superior film to *Cellular*, citing stronger characters, a more complex plot, and the Hong Kong stunt work.[7](https://asianactioncinema.co.uk/connected-review) • [10](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/connected-film-review-by-james-gracey)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Connected (保持通話) (2008), lovehkfilm.com, review by Kozo](https://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/connected.html)\n2. [保持通话 Connected (2008), 1905电影网](https://www.1905.com/mdb/film/62630/)\n3. [救命！請你《保持通話》, @movies 開眼電影網](https://app2.atmovies.com.tw/eweekly/EE1955521552/)\n4. [保持通話, 英皇電影 Emperor Motion Pictures](https://www.emp.hk/ct/production/all/connected)\n5. [Connected (2008), Cinafilm](https://www.cinafilm.com/movies/connected-2008/)\n6. [Connected (Hong Kong, 2008), AsianMovieWeb, review by Manfred Selzer](https://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/connected.htm)\n7. [Connected – Review, Asian Action Cinema, by David Rees](https://asianactioncinema.co.uk/connected-review)\n8. [Connected (DVD) (Hong Kong Version), YesAsia, Editor's Pick](https://www.yesasia.com/global/connected-dvd-hong-kong-version/1012259954-0-0-0-en/info.html)\n9. [Review of CONNECTED, Screen Anarchy, October 2008](https://screenanarchy.com/2008/10/review-of-connected.html)\n10. [Connected (2008) Movie Review, Eye for Film, by James Gracey](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/connected-film-review-by-james-gracey)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Action and adventure films (individual works) › Action thrillers, 2000s*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/connected", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/connected.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Connected (保持通话)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/connected. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Connected (保持通话)](https://www.edgepedia.org/connected)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/connected](https://www.edgepedia.org/connected). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Connected (保持通话)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/connected. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Connected is a 2008 Hong Kong action thriller by Benny Chan, the first officially Hollywood-licensed Chinese-language remake, adapting Cellular; Louis Koo and Barbie Hsu star, with Golden Horse and Hong Kong Film Award editing wins." }