A pair of cops working in New York’s Chinatown navigate corruption, gangs, and one another in James Foley’s violent and engaging The Corruptor. The 1999 film comes to 4k UHD & Blu-ray via Toy Robot this month.
The Film
The Corruptor has a lot more to it than I expected. I came into the 1999 James Foley-directed, Robert Pucci-written cop action-drama thinking it was a serious buddy cop film. With the title, I couldn’t help but think of Training Day, which Antoine Fuqua, Chow Yun-Fat’s Replacement Killer’s director, would follow two years later. It’s not a one-to-one, by any means, as there’s more to dig into. Training Day is pretty clear about the corruption; The Corruptor plays more in the grey areas. Mark Wahlberg is a new cop, the son of a legacy in Brian Cox’s now-scheming gambler, who is moved by boss Beau Starr (again so quickly after Joshua Tree) to Chow Yun-Fat’s Chinatown-based squad. The Asian trio already there, led by Yun-Fat, isn’t happy, but Yun-Fat takes the White man under his wing. As the title suggests, Yun-Fat may be an influence; he’s corrupt, but just enough to ingratiate himself within the crime circles to take down the truly dangerous, even if sometimes he removes the more violent thugs extra-judiciously. But is it okay to be slightly corrupt if it helps? Is he actually more involved? Is Walhberg? What about the unknown FBI agent who is also working those same worlds, specifically the gangs of Uncle Benny and the ambitious lieutenant and sly restaurant owner played by Ric Young (I loved Young’s performance here; excellent character actor work). There’s a fantastic twisting and turning of the vines working their way through each level.
God help me for writing this, but Mark Wahlberg is actually pretty good here. He’s not great, but outside of Boogie Nights this might be his best go. I generally find him a very blank actor, working a little confused face as “Acting” (Say hello to ya muther for me). Maybe it just works here; maybe Chow Yun-Fat can have chemistry with anyone. Because they have it in spades. As his partner, they play off one another well. That complexity of the corruption and grey areas gives both a chance to work on different levels: for one partner, their co-workers, friends & enemies (often the same people), and the audience.
Foley gives it a great look. Interiors are busy, with plenty of noir lighting and set-ups; smoke-filled and blind-heavy. The exteriors add life as well, in both the neon-lit, rainy nights and the day-based action. The Corruptor is filmed on the streets, mostly in Toronto but also in New York itself, which adds a few extra layers. The impressively tight car chases and shootouts get extra life from the city(ies?) around them. A backlot couldn’t do that. And those action beats are big and heavy because of the sheer amount of damage they cause to people. At one point another officer says, “Six people died” from the central car chase. Bull, had to be DOZENS. Bullets fly, cars speed, forklifts go ape. It’s a lot. Foley is clearly inspired by John Woo, which helps when you bring in Chow Yun-Fat, but that doesn’t make The Corruptor a copy. It’s true action-wise; it’s not quite the highs of his Hong Kong action work, but the gunplay and fights work well
The Corruptor is a damned good action-drama of police corruption and gang warfare in Chinatown, NYC. With solid characters, a wonderful grey area of morality, and a well-shot feature (along with a score by Carter Burwell), it’s a good one.
Packaging and Presentation
Toy Robot puts The Corruptor on a two-disc set: one 4k UHD and one Blu-ray. Outside of the format, both discs are the same. Each disc features a different image of the lead pair. They come in a see-through black 4 K case with a single-sided sleeve featuring the original artwork. The O-ring slipcover features the same image and includes Toy Robot’s specialty OBI strip. Inside are a pair of art cards. The disc auto-plays trailers for Toy Robot films before the menu.
Toy Robot gives The Corruptor a new 4k scan from the original negative. It’s a pretty one. I noted the noir-like sensibilities of the shoot; it gives so much detail and depth to explore. It’s crisp and uses darkness and light well, staying clear with no artifacts while keeping the cinematic grit. Audio has three choices: Audio 5.1 surround, 2.0 stereo, LaserDisc 2.0 in English and Cantonese w/English subtitles
The Features
Toy Robot collects a solid slate of features, both new and archival.
Commentary (archival)
James Foley, who passed in 2025, gives the standard commentary track. He keeps it going well, with solid storytelling and detail on the hows of the picture and the characters. A good one.
Turning Toronto into Chinatown (new)
Production Designer David Brisbin, on a Zoom call, shares his background and how he worked with Foley, who had a specific design in mind. He gets into the balance of working with a director while keeping his own thoughts and touches. As the title suggests, much of it is making Toronto in New York; loved that process as it wasn’t just “shoot it and hope no one notices.” (8m)
Music of Chinatown (new)
Carter Burwell, whose career spans from the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple to the just-released Wild Horse Nine, talks about how his career got going and his approach to scoring a film, with a nod to this one, of course. (11m)
Chow’s Right-hand Man (new)
Action director Robert Samuals talks about his career, leaving America for Hong Kong, where he worked with ol’ pal Sammo Hung before the career brought him back to the States. (11m)
From the (Under) Ground Up (archival)
A wide-ranging making-of and retrospective, apparently for the DVD release. It’s a mix of EPK filming during the time, others looking back a few years later, some deleted scenes, and some fascinating marketing talk. It’s basic, but it works if one pushes past the standard “build up the movie for publicity” (42m)
UGK Take It Off Music Video
A silly hip-hop video with a story (which occasionally stops the song dead for a line). (5m)
Trailer
Super serious, you guys (2m)
TV Spots
3 30-second spots
Final Thoughts
The Corruptor, James Foley’s 1999 crime-action-drama, is a pretty damned good flick. With well-done characters, great visuals, and solid action, I liked it, darn tootin’! The transfer is great, and the features make a nice set, too.