The Corruptor [Blu-ray]

Director: Ron Scalpello, James Foley Ron Scalpello

Overview

Nick Chen (Chow Yun-Fat) was the first Chinese-born immigrant in the NYPD, and is now one of the force's most decorated officers. As such, he's been named leader of the city's Asian Gang Unit, who are the primary peacekeepers in Chinatown. Trouble has just arrived for the Triads, the long-entrenched Chinese gangsters who are the real power behind Chinatown. After years of posing as honest businessmen, the Triad's powers are threatened by the newly arrived Fukienese Dragons. With a gang war on the horizon, the city sends a new recruit, Danny Wallace (Mark Wahlberg), to join Chen's unit. Danny finds Chen and the AGU in a very comfortable (perhaps too comfortable) relationship with the Triads. When the mobsters attempt to corrupt Danny, Chen must reassess his relationship with the Triads, and Danny must also learn that certain concessions must be made to ensure the peace in this world set apart from the rest of New York.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/07/2015
UPC:	0883929444908
Original Release:	1999
Rating:	R
Source:	New Line Home Video
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:50:00
Sales rank:	20,386

Special Features

Commentary by director James Foley; From the (under)ground up: the making of The Corruptor ; UGK "Take It Off" music video

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Sam Claflin	Liam McDonagh,Sean McDonagh
Timothy Spall	Clifford Cullen
Hugh Bonneville	Anthony Hammond
Noel Clarke	DS Neil Beckett
Charlie Murphy	DS Gemma Connelly
Naomi Ackie	Grace
Aled Arhyel	Archie
David Hayman	DCI Raymond Ellery
George Russo	DI Frank Walsh
Don Gilet	DI Graham Patterson
Cathal Pendred	Gerry Dwyer
Alan Mckenna	Isaac Gale
Decca Heggie	Jonjo Dixon
Sam Otto	Nayan Khaliq
Adam Long	Warren Byford
Lorraine Ashbourne	Pam Cullen
Linal Haft	Albert Grimes
Silas Carson	Mayor Ahmed
Kirsty Hoiles	Probation Officer
Jo Dyson	Mrs. Byford
Lee Shone	Customs Officer
Shaun Dooley	Eamonn McDonagh
Simon Chandler	Dept. Asst. Commissioner Andrew Reid
Mitchell Hunt	Housing Salesman
John Sachs	TV News Presenter
Nya Summer	Jodie Connelly
Andrei Nova	Besmir Rugova
Chow Yun-Fat	Nick Chen
Mark Wahlberg	Danny Wallace
Ric Young	Henry Lee
Paul Ben-Victor	Schabacker
Jon Lee	Jack
Andrew Pang	Willy Ung
Brian Cox	Sean Wallace
Elizabeth Lindsey	Louise Deng
Byron Mann	Bobby Vu
Kim Chan	Benny Wong
Bill MacDonald	Vince Kirkpatrick
Susie Trinh	Amy San
Tovah Feldshuh	Margaret Wheeler
Carter Burwell	Composer

Technical Credits

Robert Pucci

Ron Scalpello	Director
Brian Berg	Executive Producer,Producer
Patrick Fischer	Executive Producer
Grace Hartley	Executive Producer
Phil Hunt	Executive Producer
Richard Kondal	Executive Producer
Meg Leonard	Executive Producer
Nat McCormick	Executive Producer
Nik Bower	Producer
John Sachs	Producer
Laure Vaysse	Producer
Dan Halsted	Producer
Bill Carraro	Executive Producer
Anne McCarthy	Casting
Terence Chang	Executive Producer
James Foley	Director
Oliver Stone	Executive Producer
Brian Witten	Executive Producer
Robert Pucci	Screenwriter
Jay Stern	Executive Producer
Jonathan Krauss	Executive Producer
Mary Vernieu	Casting
Douglas Ganton	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

As a take on the familiar cop-buddy movie, The Corruptor has as many twists and turns as a Raymond Chandler novel, if not nearly as much panache -- or comprehensibility. This was Hong Kong action star Chow Yun-Fat's second American film (1998's The Replacement Killers was the first), and director James Foley gets a lot of mileage out of imitating the trademark style of John Woo -- at least, as far as the action scenes are concerned. The first glimpse of Yun-Fat's cynical, wiseass New York detective Nick Chen is immediately familiar, and when he tumbles behind a table and comes out shooting two-fisted, he's on well-trod ground. With the introduction of Mark Wahlberg as rookie partner Danny Wallace, and an apparently obvious target -- gang violence in Chinatown, complicated by Wahlberg's necessary cultural awkwardness -- the plot seems clear, but as the script adds layer upon layer of complications, soon the only thing that's clear is that nothing is as it seems. Much of the time, this works, largely due to the genuine chemistry between the co-stars and the outstanding supporting cast, particularly Ric Young as slippery crime boss Henry Lee, Brian Cox as Wahlberg's estranged father, and Paul Ben-Victor as an FBI agent who's too clever for his own good -- all stereotypical characters, but well-realized. Unfortunately, Foley can't seem to decide whether he's making a buddy movie, an action flick (complete with obligatory high-speed chase scene and multiple-digit body count -- at least they don't drive through a parade), or a hard-bitten, cynical drama. Sure, all of these are related, but none of them really predominates, so that at the end you're left wondering just what it was you just saw, and disturbed by some of the film's blunter clichés. Still, The Corruptor has some sterling moments. It helped establish Yun-Fat's presence in the United States (remember, this was before Anna and the King or, more importantly, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), and marks a bit of a change of pace for Wahlberg, who manages a serious, sensitive portrayal, although he never looks entirely comfortable in his part.

All Movie Guide - Genevieve Williams