The Corruptor (1999)

Director:

James Foley

Writer (WGA):

Robert Pucci (written by)

Release Date:

12 March 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

You can't play by the rules when there aren't any.

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:

Car Accident | Burnt Body | Car Crash | Car Chase | Car Set On Fire

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)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #36007) | Germany:18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Iceland:16 | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Philippines:R-18 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | 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:

Illusion Entertainment Group

Trivia:

The close-ups of Yun-Fat Chow shooting a criminal at point blank range with a small revolver (as in the opening, and massage parlor raids) were directly inspired by the famous photograph of a Vietnamese soldier committing an execution.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The NYPD's 13th Precinct does not cover Chinatown, the 5th Precinct does.

Quotes:

Nick Chen: You don't change Chinatown, it changes you.

Movie Connections:

Edited into From the (Under)Ground Up: The Making of 'The Corruptor' (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

Break It Down

Misunderstood - A Great Film

The Corrupter is beset by expectations of Yun-Fat Chow in another John Woo flick. This isn't a John Woo flick (and I mean the old John Woo pre-American Studio), but it does evoke moments that are very John Woo/Yun-Fat Chow esque ala The Killer and the blind girl.

This film is a character study of Nick Chen and Danny Wallace (played very well by Mark Wahlberg) as cops that must make decisions that may compromise their professional and personal integrity, but the lines drawn are not as simple as that. The film really asks people under what circumstances is it okay to bend the rules in order to achieve results that otherwise would not be possible? Would it be okay to let one guilty person go in order to catch ten more in the future? Would it be okay to convict one innocent person in order to catch a thousand guilty in the future?

Danny Wallace joins Nick Chen in the Chinatown task group. Danny is forced to ask himself whether the short term actions, and their moral implications, are worth the long term good of the force, himself, and his family.