`The Corrupter' – Good Heart, but Muddled Focus by Homer Yen (c) 1999
Among the several friends that came with me to see this film, I'm definitely in the minority when I say that there were some very good elements about `The Corrupter' that merits the purchase of a ticket. But I have to caveat that by saying that to find these really good elements, you have to be able to sit through a lot of bad elements.
`The Corrupter' stars Chow Yun-Fat, an extremely popular Asian movie star who possesses confidence, sass and style. He transfers his charisma successfully onto the screen as Lt. Nick Chen, a revered officer that leads the Asian Gang Unit in New York City. It's a very tough assignment, and it's made no less difficult with the ongoing power struggle between two rival ethnic Chinese gangs. In one scene, gang members bomb a small store with enough explosives to level a square block. When the half-alive, hapless victim stumbles out onto the street, the gang members walk up to him and fire their weapons until all of their bullets have been used. The gang war is malicious and body counts will continue to rise.
To help Chen, he is assigned green cop Danny Wallace (Mark Wahlberg). Chen looks at him with disgust. He seems too soft. But worst of all, he's white. It's a political decision within the force to bring in Wallace. Chen does his best to get him up to speed, although grudgingly. He saves his life more than once and tries to show him the mentality of the Asian man. In one lesson, Chen says while eating his beef tripe soup, `if you want to be Asian, you've got to eat the nasty stuff.' Chen actually has some terrific scenes and his character is complex yet well developed. In fact, the Chen character is what drives this movie. The movie itself plays out like the typical story of two dissimilar cops who constantly bicker as they make their way to the final showdown. At some point, their relationship does take an intriguing turn. But the plot becomes mired in twists and revelations that make the story too difficult to follow. Heavy accents also make some of the dialogue incomprehensible.
The real joy of the film is Chen's character. He is a minority police officer that has overcome many glass walls in trying to establish himself but has trapped himself within the politics of the Asian Gang Unit along the way. We learn about his thought process, his secret involvement with the rival gangs and even his poignant relationship with a prostitute who is a victim of the gang's prostitution trade. Wahlberg's presence makes a nice counter story as he is also new to an unfamiliar territory and needs to find ways to prove his worth. But his acclamation process onto the team is a series of coarse statements by fellow Asian officers. Among other things, they compare their manhood, and I can only guess that these officers never saw `Boogie Nights.' Alas, I'm torn. There was so much to like about the characters, but so little to praise about the story. Still, I'm giving this a marginal recommendation, because I think that Chow Yun-Fat deserves a nod and there seemed to be something definitely good in there, but never had the right focus to get out. Too bad.
Grade: B-
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