DIRECTED by Derrick Lui, Oversteer is a significant first for Singapore’s film industry. As the country’s debut race car movie, it promises adrenaline-fueled action and a deep dive into car culture.
However, while it delivers passionately and earnestly, the film falls short of execution. What should have been a high-octane spectacle is more of a drama about family conflicts and personal growth, with only occasional car scenes.
Watch with open mind
Given that Oversteer is a low-budget production, it is important to manage expectations. This is not a slick, high-gloss Hollywood action movie with multi-million-dollar car stunts. Instead, it is a more modest, grounded film that reflects Lui’s love for cars and racing. That said, it is a commendable effort for what it is, considering the financial and technical limitations.
The key to enjoying Oversteer is watching it with an open mind. This is not Fast & Furious, nor does it pretend to be. For Singapore’s first stab at a race car movie, it is a decent start but it also feels like the film plays it a little too safe.
The few race scenes are well-shot and grounded in realism, but they are sparse, leaving viewers wanting more of the high-speed thrills that were promised.
Story that stays in neutral
The film’s premise revolves around Wind (Aden Tan), a young man whose passion for cars causes a fallout with his family. Alongside his friend Fu (Hanrey Low), Wind struggles to make a name for himself as a mechanic, only to stumble into the underground racing scene.
As a coming-of-age story, the film explores themes of perseverance and friendship, but it is bogged down by predictable plot points and a lack of depth.
For a movie that brands itself as Singapore’s first racing film, Oversteer surprisingly veers off course into drama more often than it accelerates into action. The film spends too much time on Wind’s conflicts – his strained relationship with his father and financial struggles – without enough focus on the exhilarating world of racing that it promises.
By the time the film shifts back to racing, it feels like too little, too late.
Missed opportunities
The film’s biggest weakness is its lack of substantial race sequences. For a movie centred on car culture, there is surprisingly little of it. While the race scenes audiences do get are practical and well-executed – featuring real cars and avoiding CGI – they are few and far between. The audience is left waiting for the big adrenaline-pumping moments, but they never quite come.
It is a missed opportunity, given that the film boasts real racers and experts in its cast, including professional Malaysian drifters like Ashley Wong and Fariqe Hairuman. Their involvement should have made the racing scenes the highlight of the movie, but instead, those moments feel sidelined in favour of melodramatic storylines.
The script is bogged down by clichés and a lack of real emotional stakes.
Likeable cast, limited development
Despite the shortcomings in its action sequences, Oversteer benefits from a likeable cast. Tan plays Wind with sincerity and his passion for cars feels genuine. Low as Fu provides comic relief and adds warmth to the friendship at the heart of the film.
However, the supporting characters, including Zhang Yaodong as Tony (Wind’s dad) and Jannassa Neo as Cloud, are underdeveloped, serving more as narrative devices than fully fleshed-out individuals.
The performances are not bad, but they do not elevate the script, which is bogged down by clichés and a lack of real emotional stakes. As a result, the characters feel flat and their journeys predictable.
Not quite in the fast lane
Oversteer is a film that requires the audience to approach it without lofty expectations. It is not a blockbuster, nor does it try to be. Instead, it is a passion project that shines through its authenticity and real-world car scenes but suffers from a weak plot and not enough racing action.
For Singapore’s first race car movie, it is a decent attempt, but one can not help but feel that the film does not push hard enough to deliver on its premise.
Oversteer is not without its merits. For car enthusiasts and fans of indie films, something is charming about the effort Lui puts into the project. But as a racing film, it does not quite cross the finish line.
With more races and tighter storytelling, it could have been a thrilling watch. Instead, it settles into the slow lane, offering only brief glimpses of the excitement it promises. Keep an open mind and you might find Oversteer to be an enjoyable, if flawed, ride.
Oversteer is showing in cinemas.
DIRECTOR: Derrick Lui
CAST: Aden Tan, Hanrey Low, Jannassa Neo, Yaodong Zhang, Grace Teo
E-VALUE: 4/10
PLOT: 3/10
ACTING: 4/10
