previously published on Asian Movie Pulse
Alan
Mak is a Hong Kong helmer whose legacy exceeds the boundaries
of the national cinema. The reason is quite simple and a part of
common knowledge: "Infernal Affairs" trilogy that has
spread the influence of the contemporary Hong Kong genre cinema to
the whole world. Mak was not the only person responsible for it,
since he collaborated with Felix Chong, with whom he also did
another trilogy, "Overheard". On his own, Mak has
envisioned yet another crime thriller trilogy named "Integrity",
which is tonally different from his previous work. After a smart and
out of the box theatrical release last year for the Chinese New Year
(the slot is usually reserved for featherweight comedies and dramas)
that resulted in decent earnings on the box office, "Integrity"
is now available on video.
The
story revolves around the relationship between an ICAC (Independent
Commission Against Corruption) chief investigator King (Lau Ching
Wan) and his star witness Jack Hui (Nick Cheung) in a case
against a tobacco trade company Alpha Leader's CEO and a corrupt
customs agent (Anita Yuen, wasted in a bit role). When both
Hui and the CEO fail to appear at the court, ICAC is given seven days
to bring them. Since Hui is spotted in Australia, King's estranged
wife Shirley Kong (Lam Kar Yan) is sent to persuade him as an
ICAC expert negotiator, while strange things and transactions
(including those in criptocurrencies) come to the light.
It
is clear that fear was not the only motivator for Hui's escape, but
the threat of violence hangs in the air for those involved, while
everyone in ICAC tries to locate the puppet master pulling the
strings in the back. It turns out that King and Hui go way back, and
this type of ethically questionable operating does not sit well with
King's boss (Alex Fong) and King's star status in the
organization is also in danger...
The
tonal difference from other Mak's works is apparent from early on,
since "Integrity" is a talky cop-thriller slash procedural
that is almost devoid of all the action. However, there is one car
chase scene in the second half of the film that is almost too brief
to be taken in consideration and one spectacular murder later on
where Mak shows his directorial skills. The viewers remain engaged
for the time being with a number of plot point revelations (spoken!)
and twists and turns. The role models are clear here: the paranoid
thrillers of the early 70s New Hollywood movement, like Francis
Ford Coppola's "The Conversation" and Alan J.
Pakula's "Klute" and "The Parallax View", but
Mak proves not to be the type of a writer and director who is capable
of pulling it off as a proper cinematic experience. Despite the solid
production values, Jake Pollock's slick cinematography, Curran
Pang's precise editing and even Anthony Chue's old school
orchestral score, "Integrity" looks like a high-end TV
movie or like a piece of a slightly outdated mid-budget theatrical
movie from twenty-something years ago.
The
trouble is with Mak's writing schtick of inflationary twists and
turns that can be corrected only with Mak's signature action
directing, but Mak the director has taken another path here, exposing
all the vulnerabilities of Mak the writer (Ram Ling and Wai
Ho Chuen, also signed as writers, are secondary here). The
flashbacks seem out of the blue and unnecessary, while the
cliffhanger ending is obviously signalling that the sequels will
appear. With them, "Integrity" might get some additional
sense and, well, integrity.
The
good thing with Mak's writing is that at least the trio of main
actors get enough of their characters to work with and that the
dialogue sounds both natural and genre-movie cool, at least with
English subtitles. Veteran actor Lau Ching Wan, also known as Sean
Lau, (of "Black Mask" and "Mad Detective" fame)
chews the script in a self-confident, unflappable way, while his
chemistry with the other two is also considerable. Chinese-Canadian
actress Lam Kar Yan (Karena Lam) elevates her role from the cliché
of a vulnerable female cop, since she might as well be the smarter
part of the couple. The other veteran, Nick Cheung (the lead actor of
Dante Lam's "Unbeateble") has the most enigmatic
character to work with and he seizes the opportunity, mixing the calm
attitude with the mystery around Hui.
In
the end, "Integrity" can serve as the proof that the
trilogies work better if they are not envisioned as trilogies in
first place, but when they spontaneously grow out the frame of a
single film. That means that we, as the viewers, will have to wait
and see before we judge Mak's vision when, or if, the sequel gets out
to the theatres and on videos. When it comes to "Integritiy"
as a stand-alone movie, it is uneven, not bad per se, but there is
something missing...
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