Rock and Roll Cop

Hong Kong action director Kirk Wong, who gave Jackie Chan his most serious role in last year's Crime Story, hits the bulls-eye with this politically charged thriller that, for all its jolting ultraviolence, maintains a fierce intelligence and quirky sense of humor that keeps the proceedings from becoming just another bloodbath. The plot follows the delirious exploits of the vicious “Red Scarf Gang” and the two cops, one from Hong Kong and the other from Mainland China, who are forced to work together to nab the criminals. This, of course, causes much tension among both governments due to the ever-approaching 1997 crossover. Wong's world view is far from pretty: Under his direction, Rock and Roll Cop is less of a “Cops vs. Robbers” story than a case of the “Bad Guys vs. the Bad Guys,” offering up a landscape of unexpected violence and compromised morals, all overseen by two governments whose pride far outweighs their concern for the people. Fine performances are given all around, particularly newcomer Ng Hing Kwok as the PRC cop whose interest in the case is anything but professional. While Ng is one of the most talented new actors coming out of Hong Kong, the inspired casting of established genre vets is just another of the many surprises this picture has up its sleeve. Thus, the usually heroic Yu Rong Guang (Iron Monkey) becomes the lead villain and the typically diabolical baddie Anthony Wong (Hard-Boiled) takes over the role of the tough Hong Kong cop. This is Wong's best role in a while, and the sequence in which he pulls out a guitar to accompany the bad guy's girlfriend in a musical audition is the type of lunacy that might seem out of place anywhere except in a Hong Kong movie. Violent, witty, adventurous, and funny, Rock and Roll Cop is a solid action film that carries a fair amount of resonance hand-in-hand with its enthusiasm to thrill and shock the audience.