Young Cops is one of those Tony Leung Chiu-wai
films that I sort of like in spite of itself.
I know it’s not really a good film, but it’s still kind of fun and has a
rather low-rent ‘80s charm.
Leung Siu
Po and his buddy are, as the title says, young cops learning the ropes. They spend most days trying to deal with
their strict captain and seething at “Prince Charming,” a cheesy officer who
continually schmoozes his way into favor.
Meanwhile, both guys fall for a beautiful dancer who lives across the
way from the apartment where they both rent rooms.
In a way,
it’s a bit like Come Fly the Dragon,
with two young recruits pulling pranks at work and trying to smooth-talk their
way out of trouble. However, this film
works much better for me than Come Fly
the Dragon. A lot of the humor is
funnier, there’s more of an actual story, and the characters are more enjoyable
to watch. Oh, and some of the action
scenes are straight-up ridiculous,
which are sometimes too corny for words and at other times just cheesy enough
to be weirdly amusing.
Not that
any of that makes it a great movie, or even a good one. It’s definitely hokey, and the overall thrust
of the story is imminently predictable, even if some of the particular beats it
takes in getting there are more off-the-wall.
Still, I dunno. It’s not good,
but it’s not bad.
Leung
plays Leung Siu Po, one of our titular young cops. Like many a Tony Leung Chiu-wai character,
he’s a little fish who thinks he can talk his way into being a big fish. Sometimes that works for him, sometimes it
doesn’t, but he never stops trying.
As you
can tell from the picture, this was a pretty early role for Leung, the earliest
I’ve reviewed so far. While his talent
has obviously developed immensely over time, it’s clear why he’s played so many
of this type. Even in his younger days
when his acting chops were still being honed, he had just the right charm and
energy for playing a wiseass who always has a plan. In this movie, I like how he walks in and tries
to own the police station on his first day, despite plainly not knowing much of
anything.
Recommend?
In
General
– A cautious possibly. With the
appropriate expectations, it might be enjoyable enough.
Tony
Leung Chiu-wai
– Eh, maybe but not essential. While
Leung is still pretty entertaining here, he’s gotten quite a bit better over
time at playing this kind of character.
Warnings
Sexual
content, violence, language, smoking/drinking, homophobic jokes, and thematic
elements.
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