Ngoei WenQing
Main Cast : Chow Yun Fatt (Nicholas Chen), Mark Wahlberg (Danny Wallace)
Length : 120 min approx
Rating : ***
BETTER THAN THE REPLACEMENT
After the appallingly cheesy yawn, THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS, Chow Yun Fatt bounces back with a slightly better flick, with much more dialogue (which my friend says is totally intelligible), another American star as a sidekick (BOOGIE NIGHTS' Wahlberg), more exciting gunfights, and a plot with enough enigmatic twists to seem complicated (it really isn't, only it's hard to follow because they don't give you enough information till really late).
Why should a plot like this seem complicated?
Chow is a New York cop, one of only three Chinese policemen on the force, and assigned specifically to deal with the Tong (Chinese triads) in Chinatown. Wahlberg is the rookie white cop assigned to assist Chow, who has already garnered a reputation for busting crime in Chinatown. Problem is, Chow is suspected of being a corrupt cop (hence the movie title), who is being paid by the Tong to bust only the petty crimes that the Tong wants him to- a healthy symbiotic relationship wherein Chow gets his quota of arrests and the Tong remains largely unaffected.
As Wahlberg learns on the job, the Tong slowly approach him and strike him the same deal as they have with Chow, without Chow's knowledge. Set against this is Chow's personal teaching of Wahlberg the ropes of Chinatown policing, which includes (you guessed it), delving into various corrupt practices. Alongside this is Chow's struggle with
his conscience, wondering if his corrupt ways will destroy Wahlberg as well, and whether they must come to an end, somehow. And with this is Chow's affection for a prostitute, Ah May, who is being exploited and abused by some members of the Tong- likely Chow's vague bid for redemption. And then some more; Wahlberg has a father who is an alcoholic with too many debts, who keeps bugging him for more money. Yes, there's more: there's a special team investigating Chow for corruption. And wait, added to that is the gang rivalry between the Fukienese upstart gangs (it's not pronounced very politely by most characters. I can't understand a thing they say- they speak too fast with strange accents. And one of them I think I recognise from YOUNG AND DANGEROUS) and the institutionalised Tong. And there's one more plot twist that I can't reveal, except that it's something about Wahlberg's character...
So, yes indeed, it seems like a lot to chew on (so chow down... sorry), but it's not really that important, because there are enough novelties in this film to distract you from the increasingly numbing twists and turns.
One of them is listening to Chow speak a lot more English than in any other movie. His accent is alright, and I usually understand enough of his dialogue to know what's about the happen next. If I don't get him, I can guess from what Wahlberg is saying in response. If Wahlberg is being stoic and silent, then the other Chinese cop in the scene with an American accent will supply the necessary information (usually in a very crude and brusque manner). Don't get me wrong, Chow came across as entirely comfortable in his role and with his lines. My friend beside me claimed that he got all the dialogue, so I suppose I just wasn't trying hard enough.
Chow's performance wasn't totally flat and subsidiary to the gunfights as it was in REPLACEMENT KILLERS (what kind of stupid title is that, anyway?). Here's he's something of a man beyond redemption. We can actually feel that despite his sometime wide grins, and confident strides, he's also troubled and unable to break free of the corruption he's embedded in. You get the sense that his exuberant certainty is insecure and clouded with doubt.
Another novelty is the action scenes. The gunfights here are brutal, well-filmed and pretty exciting stuff. There's a lot less of the over-the-top, acrobatic leaping through the air, so THE CORRUPTOR is stylish perhaps because it elects to be more realistic. Lots of gunfights are won by daring and smarts instead of balletic flourishes and slow-motion "flights" with endless streams of bullets. I thought that with the vogue of bang-bang-ballet, this was pretty refreshing. Not to mention that the car chase sequence was quite pulse-pounding as well. Maybe not as drawn out as RONIN, and maybe New York wasn't as pretty (at least in the places they filmed this... likely L.A.!), but still gripping all the same (with lots of shooting, bystanders caught in crossfires, and massive damage to property).
My only reservation is with the climactic (or not so climactic) gunfight scene. It reminded me a lot of an arcade game with two players, in a big warehouse shooting at nameless computer-animated enemies and scoring 50 points for each hit. In THE CORRUPTOR, it's a big ship filled with illegal Chinese immigrants (another twist to the plot, that I won't weigh you down with) where the finale takes place. The scene does conclude, however, with a bit of a shock... watch out for that.
And I'm personally predisposed to enjoying Mark Wahlberg on screen, even when the script gives him little room to act. (yes I liked BOOGIE NIGHTS that much) He does what he can to portray struggles of conscience, and seems to frame an adequately boyish innocence at most turns when the plot requires it (maybe that's what he does best?). But what I did appreciate was the self-referential comment thrown in his direction by another Chinese cop, about why Wahlberg actually wants to join the Chinatown policing unit (Chow calls it "Asian gang" I think). It's said that Wahlberg likes Chinese girls, or (more revealingly) that Wahlberg has or used to have a Chinese girlfriend. Last I checked, Wahlberg is out with China Chow (no relation to Yun Fatt), his co-star in THE BIG HIT... so yes, I thought that was pretty funny... though I'm not certain anyone else did.
All in all, an action movie miles better than the REPLACEMENT. It isn't fantastic, but it is quite enjoyable, as Chinese New Year fare goes. I hope Chow keeps getting better Hollywood roles- ANNA AND THE KING is coming up isn't it?
The Flying Inkpot's Rating System
* Wait for the TV2 broadcast.
** A little creaky, but still better than staying at home with Gotcha!
*** Pretty good, bring a friend.
**** Amazing, potent stuff.
***** Perfection. See it twice.
Read InkVault current film reviews at The Flying Inkpot
Read archived movie reviews at The Flying Inkpot.
Explore
the Flying Inkpot
They're
Alive!
Bit deadish:
Other
Resources at The Flying Inkpot
Home
