New York's Chinatown is the background for this story about cops assigned to the area who are pursuing the Chinese gangs that operate within the neighborhood. Nick Chen, is a much admired cop who understands the people and the underground. When a white cop arrives to Chen's precinct things get a bit tense. Nick Chen takes Wallace under his wing and shows him the ropes.

The film starts with a big bang, as a Chinese gang has wired a corner restaurant and blows it in a big explosion. Danny Wallace, who is at first cautious, is able to overcome his awkwardness and gains Chen's support. When Danny is almost killed, he tells Chen he owes him his life. What Chen doesn't suspect is that Danny is doing his own undercover investigation about what goes on in Chinatown.

When prostitutes begin appearing dead in empty trash bins, Wallace realizes there is much more going on in the area. All points out of Uncle Benny's doing, but also involved is the powerful Henry Lee, a man that has a lot of interests in Chinatown and has his hands into gambling, prostitution and illegal smuggling. Nick Chen might be involved in some of the corruption. Danny Wallace's father, also a cop, comes to his son for money to keep his habit, and finally is found in his son's apartment, where he has collapsed. Nick and Danny's friendship will be put through a test.

James Foley, an otherwise good director, brings some good ideas, but clearly, this genre demands someone else with more experience. Mr. Foley produced a stylishly looking film with a superb cinematography by Juan Ruiz-Anchia who loves to photograph from the air. His take of the Chinatown location is one of the best things in the movie. Also, the moody music by Carter Burwell seems to go hand in hand with what we are watching. Robert Pucci's screen play is full of twists and complications.

Chow Yun-Fat and Mark Wahlberg show an easy chemistry in their work. These actors compliment one another and make their characters seem real. The terrific Ric Young is perfectly reptile as he develops his Henry Lee, a corrupt man. Brian Cox turns up briefly as Sean Wallace, Danny's father.

Be prepared for a lot of action!

If The Corrupter had been filmed back in the days of the studio system the only thing missing would have been Limehouse Blues on the soundtrack.

Even given the fact that it was filmed on location right in New York City's Chinatown and I recognized a lot of the spots, it has the feel of one of those RKO noir type films with a couple of car chases thrown in. The location though really adds to the film.

In The Corrupter the precinct of location is the fictitious 15th precinct which coincidentally enough is the one where Andy Sipowicz and the rest of those cops labored on NYPD Blue. Chinatown in Manhattan is actually in the NYPD Fifth precinct. A lot of police of Oriental ancestry get assigned there as a matter of course because of language skills.

But Chow Yun Fat who heads the squad there does not need Mark Wahlberg assigned who's wet behind the ears. Additionally Wahlberg's dad was a former detective who got tossed out for a gambling problem that led to his downfall.

The situation they've both got is a turf war going on in Chinatown between the old triads who like to run things with a minimum of headlines and a new crew of immigrants from China's Fukien province who are known as the Fukien Dragons. This is a really violent bunch who apparently just like to shoot things and people for enjoyment at times, make a lot of unnecessary noise.

One thing I did like about The Corrupter was the fact that I've rarely seen films involving police chases where innocent bystanders get killed and injured. Here the collateral damage between the gangs and the police and the gangs is appalling. It couldn't be any other way because those narrow streets you see the police cars and the bad guys careening down are those in Chinatown.

A few twists and turns in the plot give the film some added suspense. We only find out in the end who the real corrupt ones are.

A thriller with a difference, this is a rare film: an action film that gives us complex human characters to care about, as well as plenty of adrenaline-pumping shoot-outs and car chases to enjoy. It's a complex film to watch, with lots of different characters and relationships. It's not simply a film about good vs. evil, the bad guys versus the good guys - here, the lines are blurred, and nobody is painted in just black and white.

Chow Yun-Fat excels as the corrupted cop with a heart of gold, giving us a noble character (no stretch for him) who we really care about by the film's ending. However it's Mark Wahlberg who comes as the real surprise, giving us a man torn between doing what's right (i.e. turning in his partner) and doing what his heart tells him. The two men strike up a realistic relationship, one which is very watchable, and the film keeps you guessing as to the final outcome of things right up until the very end.

There are lots of sleazy criminals also kicking around, and the film is shot in gloomy locations with a lot of shadows. Typically men will be talking in an office with sunlight shining on them through the half-closed blinds. This gives it a dark atmosphere, yet it's still a very crisp, well-photographed film to watch. The action is fine and realistic-looking, with a top car chase (my only complaint is that it could have been longer) through the streets as bullets rip through the two vehicles and a whole slew of innocent people are butchered as the carnage progresses through the city. There are also plenty of shoot-outs as the cops raid illegal brothels and drug dens, the film painting a very seedy picture of the city. The ending is unusually heartfelt. It's not a perfect film, but the relationship between Yun-Fat and Wahlberg is enough to make it work. This isn't just an action film - it's a human drama too, with believable characters mixed in with the expected bone-crunching excitement. A nice surprise.