Well, old Father Geek got another spy report from the test screening of The Corruptor last night. This one is being filed by the "filmphanatic". This is susposedly the "smart" action/crime/thriller we've all been waiting for, folks.
Here's my ’s take, and your first review (I hope) of the new Chow Yun-Fat, Mark Wahlberg film – The Corruptor. I saw it last night at a special test screening held at the General Cinemas in Redondo Beach. I got in by the not so unusual Los Angeles ticket hawker begging people on the street if they are interested in a free movie. Usually I pay these clipboard Hari Krishnas no attention as the movies tend to be C-level dreck. You know the ones starring Michael Pare, etc. But as I passed the odd phrase "it’s a Mark Wahlberg, Chow Yun-Fat film" caught my ears and I retorted, "sign me up!" Now I had heard the buzz on this film for months, and a fan (but I must admit, not a fanatic) of Chow’s or Yun-Fat I should say as Yun is his first name and Chow his last. They’ve got it all backwards there in China, but I shall digress no more, on with the review. I’ve screened the obligatory dubbed copies of HARD BOILED, THE KILLER, BETTER TOMORROW (1-3) and I even went out to see THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS, although THE CORRUPTOR kicks it’s ass. Sorry. I must admit I’m a bit jazzed up after seeing it. Hey I went for a beer with my buddy after and could only stay for one I was so excited to share this movie with someone else. Anyhow, due to my experience with Yun-Fat’s other films, I felt pretty confident and worthy of screening this latest effort by Yun, Mark Wahlberg, and director James Foley (GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS & FEAR.)
It’s been quite hot down here lately, but the people at the Gen. Cinemas in Redondo had the air conditioning turned up so high I almost came down with hypothermia. Some guy came before the audience and announced that the movie we were about to see starred Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg and was called The Corruptor. The audience erupted, I’m not kidding, into cheers. Obviously, they had not been privy to the same tip off as I had by the ticket hawker. This was confirmed by the guy sitting next to me, who said he was approached outside a theater to see "a hot, new action movie." I thought the guy’s head was going to pop off when they said Chow’s name.
Let me say that what is immediately apparent about this film is that it’s the "smart, intelligent action film" that everybody says they want to see (or in this town, everyone wants to make – or so they claim. If everyone really felt this way, we wouldn’t have so many crummy action pics out there now would we?) After the opening scene setting up a violent gang war between the Fukineese Dragons and the established, respectable crime bosses of New York’s China town, we get to meet Yun-Fat who plays Det. Nick Chen. Not to be outdone by Jon Woo and the other directors that made Yun-Fat a household name in Hong Kong, Foley sets our introduction to Chen in a Chinatown lamp factory. As you can imagine the Fukineese thugs show up right on time, and Chen manages to dismantle a gang of like four guys while thrashing the lamp store in the process. And he does it with that undeniable Yun-Fat style. COOL! From here on out the movie only picks up steam. We quickly learn that while he’s basically a super-cop in Chinatown, Nick Chen is a flawed cop. He likes whores, although he’d rather feed them star fruit than take liberties, gambling, and oh I forgot he’s on the take. That’s how he’s a super-cop. The central antagonist in the film, Henry Lee aka THE CORRUPTOR (which, by the way is a tad confusing, only because of the title. I think they should change it, but hey that’s semantics) feeds him a bust every now and then if Chen will just look the other way when encountering Lee’s more lucrative illegal businesses.
Well, things are pretty good for Chen until he gets a new partner, yeah that’s right, entrée Mark Wahlberg as rookie cop Danny Wallace. There’s some funny dialogue that takes place upon his arrival in the Asian Gang Unit (AGU), but I wouldn’t even think of ruining it for you so I’ll just tease ya. Sensing that Wallace could be a threat to their illegal activity, Lee seduces the kid into coming on the payroll. But Chen doesn’t like this and tries with all his might to prevent this from happening, so…..WHALAH! Wallace is on the take too! Just as Chen’s unit is in the middle of an Internal Affairs investigation. The rest of the film is ripe with plot twists and turns that would spoil the movie if I laid them down here, so you know I won’t. But what I will tell you is that there is plenty of kick-ass action in this movie to keep you satisfied, but not numb. M favorite scene was the car chase with so much carnage it may give SAVING PRIVATE RYAN a run for its money. I’m not kidding, it’s probably the best car chase on the big screen since THE FRENCH CONNECTION!
All in all this movie has it all: action, good characters, and the ever elusive good story. Truth be told the test audience seemed to like it even more than I did. My only complaint is that there isn’t any slo-motion shots of Yun-Fat brandishing two guns, sliding down banisters, shooting knee caps, and dropping spent clips simultaneously. I know we’ve seen those shots in about 3 billion Yun-Fat films, but call me crazy I could go for 3 billion and one.
Well that’s it. You have to go see it Harry, cause this movie rules.
