The Corruptor (1999)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

James Foley

Writer (WGA):

Robert Pucci (written by)

Release Date:

12 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

If you have a secret, he knows it. If you have a weakness, he exploits it. If you have anything good in you, he destroys it...

Plot:

With the aid from a NYC policeman, a top immigrant cop tries to stop drug-trafficking and corruption by immigrant Chinese Triads, but things complicate when the Triads try to bribe the policeman.

Plot Keywords:

Triad | Police | New York | Chinatown | Corruption

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Yun-Fat Chow	...	Nick Chen (as Chow Yun-Fat)
Mark Wahlberg	...	Danny Wallace
Ric Young	...	Henry Lee
Paul Ben-Victor	...	Schabacker
Jon Kit Lee	...	Jack
Andrew Pang	...	Willy Ung
Elizabeth Lindsey	...	Louise Deng
Brian Cox	...	Sean Wallace
Byron Mann	...	Bobby Vu
Kim Chan	...	Benny Wong
Bill MacDonald	...	Vince Kirkpatrick
Susie Trinh	...	Amy San
Ho Chow	...	Black Eyes
Olivia Yap	...	Tai
Lynda Chiu	...	Kim

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Cantonese

Color:

Color (DeLuxe) (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #36007) | Iceland:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Germany:18 | Philippines:R-18 | Germany:16 (cut) | Netherlands:12 (cut TV version) | Australia:MA | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:18 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud) | UK:18

Filming Locations:

Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

Kim Chan plays a crime-lord named Benny Wong nicknamed Uncle Benny. Chan also played a crime-lord nicknamed Uncle Benny in Lethal Weapon 4 (1998).

Goofs:

Factual errors: The NYPD does not issue Beretta 9 series pistols in any capacity to NYPD officers (detectives, plainclothes). The NYPD also does not issue shotguns to non-tactical units, such as detective squads or patrol.

Quotes:

Nick Chen: Beef intestine noodles, want some?
Danny Wallace: Uh, no.
Nick Chen: You wanna be a Chinese, you gotta eat the nasty stuff.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Malevolent (2002)

Soundtrack:

The Best Is Yet to Come

good action, good acting and a deep plot

Wahlberg and Chow both perform very believably and work well on screen together. This partnership reminded me of Training Day (with Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke). That is, the green cop being "educated" by the seasoned cop and we're not sure if the seasoned one is corrupt or not. I also thought it was shot well with good use of lighting. The action scenes were well directed and quite spectacular in some cases (eg. the car chase and several shoot-outs) without going too over the top. The plot was a little hard to follow at first, but I blame this on myself, not the storyline. It's commendable that so much thought was given to the script and plot so it didn't always seem we were just waiting for an action scene. The drama added intensity and suspense well, too. For example, the tension between Chen and Wallace. The thread with Wallace and his father added good depth to his character and the story, as did the fact that he and Chen retained their partnership in fighting even when the suspected worst was revealed about Chen. It was also notable the role music played in the film. For example you always knew when the Asian punks were about to show up due to the rap music. The subtle music in dramatic dialogue scenes gave the scenes a good atmosphere.