If there's one thing I hate the most, it is when people trash or ignore a movie that I like that no one else does, including the critics. THE CORRUPTOR is a movie like that. It isn't a masterpiece, to be sure, but neither was SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE. It's about two New York City cops who become partners and go after some vicious Chinese gangs who have overrun Chinatown. The movie stars Chow Yun-Fat in his second American film role, and here he proves why he is so popular in Hong Kong: he can act, he has charisma, a sense of humor, and knows how kick butt when he needs to. He comes off more like Mel Gibson here, not like Charles Bronson in THE REPLACEMENT KILLERS. Mark Wahlberg plays his partner, the only white guy in the Chinatown precinct, so naturally the other cops don't like him. the story is more or less standard, but it doesn't matter because of the way the film is made. James Foley, the director, adds a lot of style and pizzazz to the action scenes and shootouts, especially in a car chase. The film is similar in some ways to Michael Cimino's YEAR OF THE DRAGON, about another dedicated cop who wants to get the goods on Chinese gangsters. This may be in part to Oliver Stone, who cowrote DRAGON and serves as executive producer on this film. Despite what many viewers say, Wahlberg gives a good, honest performance in the picture. He is convincing as a young cop out to prove himself, just as Wahlberg is gradually proving himself a solid actor. He has some good, understated scenes with Brian Cox, who plays his debt-ridden father. The only complaint I have with the film is that there are no major female characters. Which is just as well, I suppose, because they would probably get in the way of the action.
Review of The Corruptor
