Film Name: 烈火战车 / Full Throttle / Chariots Of Fire / 烈火戰車
What is the meaning of life?
Life itself has no inherent meaning; it is up to us to give it meaning.
The Meaning of Life
“Full Throttle” tells the story of two men searching for the meaning of life.
Ah Cho (played by Andy Lau) lost his mother at a young age and was never cared for by his father. He found solace in his motorcycle, relishing the thrill of racing against the wind. Even after sustaining over a hundred stitches from a racing accident, he never considered giving up. Racing was his life, his purpose. His reckless driving as a youth led a judge to revoke his license for seven years, barring him from competing in Macau. Though he won every race back in Macau through illegal racing, earning him the title of the undisputed King Without a Crown, he yearned to prove himself with an official trophy.
Ah Cho
David Ng shares similar origins and personality traits with Ah Cho. He too lost his mother at a young age. Because he was always tinkering with money-losing machine parts, his father considered him useless. He loved motorcycles and craved the championship.
Wu Dawei
Thus, two men with similar backgrounds found themselves together. They were both rivals and friends, viewing each other as their fiercest competitors on the racetrack. But life couldn’t revolve solely around racing. Azu’s motorcycle shop wasn’t profitable, and he needed to earn money.
One day, Wu Dawei wandered aimlessly through the streets, searching for meaning beyond racing. He bumped into Ah Zu and exclaimed, “So you have to work too!”
“Yeah, I’m swamped. Unlike you rich kids who don’t have to lift a finger—just loafing around?”
“No, I’m busy. Got a meeting later.”
They both claimed to be busy and hurriedly parted ways.
That same day, the two “busy” men bumped into each other at the arcade. Pointing at each other, they burst into laughter—realizing they were both cut from the same cloth.
Azu said to David Wu, “What else is there in life besides racing? Do you know what I fear most? I fear that before I find other interests, I’ll already be tired of racing. Then I won’t know what to do. What about you? What do you fear most?”
“What I fear most is having no memories at all when I grow old.”
“Winning championships will be your future memories? Are you trying to prove yourself to your old man?”
“That’s one kind of memory for me. I don’t prove anything to anyone. I only answer to myself for what I do. Truth is, besides racing, life has family, career, loved ones, friends—all that.”
On the path to finding life’s meaning, some succeed while others fail.
Ah Zu retook his driver’s license exam, preparing to go to Macau to pursue his dream. But his father, his sworn enemy, abused his position to veto his application. When Ah Zu brought gifts to his father’s birthday party, hoping for his help, his father flatly refused. That same day, enraged, he participated in an illegal street race. Due to road conditions, both he and his car crashed into a guardrail, leaving him critically injured. A-Zu found himself on the brink of death. After lingering there for ten days, he awoke to discover he had missed the race. Looking up, he saw Wu Dawei winning the championship on TV. He realized that while some achieve the meaning of life, others fail.
Wu Dawei presented the trophy to Liu Dehua with a note: “Without you on the track, this trophy is meaningless.” But Liu Dehua knew that after narrowly escaping death, he now feared driving fast—meaning his life’s purpose could never be fulfilled.
What happens when you lose your life’s purpose?
After achieving his purpose, David Wu chose to work in a corporation. Perhaps on another track, he could rediscover meaning—just as some Olympic champions become coaches, embarking on new paths of purpose. Some police officers, after fulfilling their duty to protect citizens, find meaning in retirement by watching their grandchildren grow. Life’s purpose can transform.
Unable to race, Ah Zu’s girlfriend Ah Yi began to smile. Finally, she no longer had to live in constant fear for him, worrying he might die in a race one day. Their relationship grew stronger, and Ah Zu seemed to rediscover his purpose in life. But this happiness was short-lived. His friend Ka Lok died tragically in a race against Wu Dawei, fueled by a petty quarrel. Ah Zu blamed Wu Dawei for Ka Lok’s death.
He declared to Ah Yee: “I can stop racing forever. I can skip the Macau Grand Prix. But I must beat Wu Dawei once—just once is enough!”
Ah Zu Challenges Wu Dawei
Ah Yee, heartbroken, retorted: “Go seek your revenge. Don’t ever come back to me.”
“This isn’t about revenge,” he insisted. “I need to conquer my fear of racing. If I can’t win this, I’ll never succeed at anything.”
But Ah Yee insisted on leaving.
During the race, he defeated Wu Dawei, yet felt it had lost all meaning. He said, “Aren’t we foolish, playing these childish games? I actually blamed you for Jiale’s death. I was too obsessed with motorcycles, neglecting the people and things around me. Can’t we just live simpler lives, without constantly challenging ourselves?”
“Yes, sometimes it’s better to relax.”
“Yi is leaving today.”
“Then hurry and chase after her! Growing old without memories isn’t the worst—the real fear is leaving behind a lifetime of regrets.”
And so, the man who defied the wind reclaimed his girlfriend and promised to abandon racing, for he had found another meaning in life.
In the vast universe, humanity is insignificant; in the cosmic river of life spanning billions of years, human existence is fleeting. One might say life has no meaning—just as we observe ants, what purpose do they serve? Yet ants can imbue life with meaning. They might find joy in experiencing their journey on Earth or daily quests for sustenance as their purpose, though we can never know.
What is the meaning of life?
Different people and different stages of life hold different meanings. What matters most is the meaning we choose to give our lives. For some, making their parents happy is their purpose; for others, winning a world championship defines their existence; still others seek wealth and prestige as their life’s meaning.
None of these are wrong. The crucial thing is that we find our own meaning in life—only then does living become truly worthwhile.
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