Hong Kong action veteran Chow Yun-Fat's (The Replacement Killers) second English language movie is a violent routine cop drama that has more than its share of credibility gaps. In short, it's pretty much like the thrillingly grim movies he used to make. This time around Chow plays Nick Chen, a New York Chinatown detective who is long on experience and short on ethics. He has to take along a green, idealistic partner (Mark Wahlberg) who may get him into trouble. Unless, of course, the lad succumbs to the same temptations that tainted him.



Writer Robert Pucci and director James Foley give Chow a meatier role than he had last time out. While his English is still tricky to decipher, Chow's sly humor and magnetic personality have thankfully returned. Wahlberg is a solid foil, and Foley stages action scenes that are as impressive as they are ludicrous. It's fun to see cars race through Big Apple streets, endangering legions of pedestrians by knocking over dozens of street lamps and mailboxes. The Corruptor lacks the freshness and energy that made The Killer and Hard Boiled such a treat. Still, it helps explain why Chow is a star in Asia and offers him a chance to make it here, too. (R)

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