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Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
How
do you remain honest in a fundamentally dishonest
system? That's the question raised in Lawrence Lau's
Lee Rock, a critically acclaimed 1991 docudrama
that details the meteoric rise of its title character
from humble beat cop to mega-powerful chief of police.
In an HKFA-nominated performance, Andy Lau stars as
Lee Rock, a barely literate street urchin who snags
a job as a policeman for one simple reason: to put
food on the table. At the academy, he learns there's
more to being a police officer than he first realized.
In a private talk with Lee's graduating class, a respected
instructor (Eddy Ko in a cameo) gives his students
a final piece of advice: the point of the game isn't
to protect and serve, but to move your way up the
chain of command. Sadly, this feat requires a lot
of shady behavior, including both the giving and receiving
of bribes. Not to participate in such actions, Ko's
character tells them, is to condemn yourself to a
pauper's grave.
At least initially,
Lee Rock sticks to his ideals and declines every kickback
that comes his way. And while his refusal to take
bribes earns him the contempt of his fellow officers,
it also garners him the respect and loyalty of Lardo
(Ng Man-Tat), a street hawker who soon becomes Lee's
trusted confidante. We also meet Rose (Chingmy Yau),
the pinnacle of wide-eyed, pigtailed innocence, who
loves Lee deeply, but has to keep it a secret from
her authoritarian father (Wong Yat-Fei). When her
dad learns of the relationship with Lee, he's less
than thrilled with the fact that Rose's boyfriend
is a policeman. While Rose's father despises cops
for their corruption, he actually considers Lee to
be even worse since all the honesty in the world won't
put a roof over his daughter's head. Rose's father
forbids a marriage, and soon enough, Rose is sent
packing to a faraway place. A heartbroken Lee uses
his police connections to search for her, but alas,
has no luck in finding his lost love.
Eventually, the kindly—and
only marginally corrupt—Sgt. Chan (Kwan Hoi-San)
takes Lee under his protective wing, telling his young
pupil, "All great men started small." Taking
Chan's advice to heart, Lee vows to rise up the ranks
of the department to become chief of police. The only
obstacle in his way is Sgt. Ngan Tung (Paul Chun Pui),
a morally bankrupt politico who will stop at nothing
to destroy Lee's career.
Just as Lee's job prospects
begin to improve, things heat up in the romance department
when he meets a knockout by the name of Grace (played
with an alluring brashness by a poodle-skirted Cheung
Man). The spoiled daughter of a big-time gangster,
Grace provides a romantic entanglement for Lee that
is virtually the polar opposite of his situation with
Rose. Even so, the issue of money arises with Grace's
father as well, but thankfully, this time Lee passes
the test. Marriage, promotions, political maneuverings,
riots, a hostage situation, and a surprise cliffhanger
ending are just a sample of the events that unfold
in this thoroughly satisfying motion picture.
Proving worthy of his
Best Actor nomination, Andy Lau excels in the role
of Lee Rock, playing him as the idealistic country
bumpkin in the early portions of the film, yet modifying
his portrayal ever so minutely as the character develops
over time. Somehow, Lau is able to control his smarminess
level, letting it slowly leak to the surface in tandem
with Lee Rock's ascension to power. Similarly, the
performances of Lau's fellow cast members are equally
strong with too many fine turns to single out in the
space of a single review.
Like life, Lee Rock
unfolds in a series of random events, and it's this
seeming absence of a hackneyed formula (save for the
cliffhanger) that adds to the illusion of realism.
And though the film's lack of trademark over-the-top
action might disappoint viewers whose interest in
Hong Kong films depends solely on the number of slow-motion
gun battles, I found Lee Rock's relatively
action-free narrative to be a refreshing departure
from the mindless "Let's blow stuff up!"
mentality that typifies many a cops 'n robbers flick.
Underneath the romance and the drama, it's the ethical
quandaries that Lee faces that provide the backbone
of the film. It's a Catch-22: you can't clean up the
streets as simple beat cop, but you can't move up
the ladder unless you get your hands dirty. Unfortunately,
it's only by taking kickbacks that Lee Rock is able
to get ahead in the world. And consequently, the reachable
goal here is not to become a force of good, but instead
to be the lesser of two evils. It's the only way that
Lee Rock can make some effective changes within a
system that runs on corruption. Whether he ultimately
becomes the solution or just another part of the problem
remains to be seen; that answer lies in the sequel.
(Calvin McMillin 2003)
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