Summary
The Corruptoris assessed by a real-life former gang member, who reveals that it draws heavily from a real-life figure. Released in 1999,The Corruptoris directed by James Foley, with Chow Yun-Fat andMark Wahlberg starringas cops in New York City attempting to put an end to drug trafficking and violence by the Chinese Triads. The film, which features some standout action scenes and shootouts, features a storyline involving the Triads attempting to bribe Yun-Fat’s officer Nick Chen, a practice that wasn’t uncommon at at the height of gang activity in the city.
In a recent video forInsider, former Triad member Jimmy Tsui breaks down scenes fromThe Corruptor, grading them on their real-world accuracy.
According to Tsui,The Corruptorfeatures some fictional, Hollywood moments, but the storyline involving Yun-Fat’s corrupt police officer is actually pulled from real-life events and people. Check out select comments from Tsui and his score for the film out of 10 below:
“Now because I’m a former Chinatown gangster, I’ve been through this kind of action a lot of times. We never use a bomb to bomb a store. That’s ridiculous. That’s your profit. You bomb it, you destroy it. Second, when you shoot someone, after shooting you’re not going to stand there. You’re not going to stay there and keep talking.
“This is in New York City, Chinatown, because the street used to be my territory. In my time, a Tong association against another Tong association, that’s common. Chinatown, the area is like this and there are so many associations over there. So if you step into people’s territory and we’ll start a war […] Almost every day we will get into a shooting, fighting, almost every day.
“This story is about a detective. A corrupting detective is getting money from the gang group and protecting their business, which is a true story and I personally know the guy. I tell you the story is real […]
“I give this one a rating of seven [out of 10] because the story is good.”
How Was The Corruptor Received?
Chow Yun-Fat & Mark Wahlberg Were A Strong Duo On Paper
The Corruptorwasn’t a big hit with critics upon its release in 1999. The film currently holds a score of 48% onRotten Tomatoes, earning it a “Rotten” designation. The audience score is actually lower at only 43%, suggesting both audience and critics found the film to be lacking. For the most part,The Corruptorwas criticized for feeling relatively bland and generic, especially by the standards of its stars' previous work.
Yun-Fat was, for a long time, a major name in Hong Kong action cinema. He’s well-known for movies likeCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon;Curse of the Golden Flower;The Replacement Killers;Hard Boiled; andThe Killer; among other titles.The Corruptorcame just after the height ofYun-Fat’s careerin the late ’80s and early ’90s, but wasn’t able to recapture the magic of some of his earlier Hong Kong titles.
Every Mark Wahlberg Action Movie, Ranked Worst To Best
Mark Wahlberg has starred in plenty of action movies over the past 30 years, although it must be admitted some were much better than others.
Wahlberg was very much a star on the rise whenThe Corruptorcame out. The biggest movie he had done prior to playing officer Danny Wallace was1997’sBoogie Nights, which really put him on the map in Hollywood. On paper,putting this up-and-coming star hot off the success ofBoogie Nightstogether with one of Hong Kong’s greatest martial arts actor was a recipe for success, but, unfortunately,The Corruptorwasn’t totally able to come together as a strong entry in either actors' career.
The Corruptor
Cast
Set in the heart of New York’s Chinatown, The Corruptor follows a seasoned police officer and his rookie partner who dive deep into the local crime syndicate’s activities. As they work to dismantle the criminal organization from within, they find themselves entangled in a web of lies and deceit that threatens to consume them.
