A Little TLC(w): Young Cops (1985)

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.