Lee Rock I DVD Region All

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 one 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. 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 a 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.

Lee Rock 2

"I never believe in fate," says Lee Rock (Andy Lau). "I only believe what belongs to me will be mine." And for the most part, what Lee Rock wants, Lee Rock gets during the span of the second chapter in this award-winning saga, as the title character ascends from the rank of lowly police officer to the most powerful man in the Hong Kong police department, if not all of Hong Kong itself. Through pure force of will, a keen mind, and an uncanny ability to forge connections with others, Lee amasses untold power, but as it turns out, there's just one thing he's missing dearly - his one true love.

After a brief recap of the first film, Lee Rock 2 picks up where its predecessor left off, dealing with the cliffhanger revelation that Lee Rock's long-lost first love Rose (Chingmy Yau) is not only still alive, but has a young son named Yin, who is unequivocally Lee's child as well. Of course, this wonderful surprise proves somewhat problematic, considering that Lee is already happily married to a woman named Grace (Cheung Man). However, just when viewers might expect a bitter love triangle to ensue, a surprising thing occurs - Grace graciously accepts the situation and gives her blessing for Lee to take Rose as his second wife. However, just as Lee Rock is about to reunite with Rose and form one big happy family, a ruling comes down from on high that outlaws polygamy in Hong Kong. In reaction to this new law, Rose disappears from Lee's life once again, taking her young son along with her.

Despite this sad turn of events, Lee Rock focuses on his gradual ascension to power within the ranks of the police force. It seems that brutality, bribery, and deep-rooted corruption are just part and parcel of a policeman's everyday life, a fact which is most clearly on display in regard to Lee's bitter, long-running feud with Ngan Tung (Paul Chun Pui), as they scrape it out for a coveted promotion. With the backing of some Hong Kong drug dealers, Ngan Tung is able to bribe himself into the position, a feat which seemingly leaves Lee Rock out in the cold. However, the ever-crafty Lee successfully maneuvers to have a brand new position created especially for him, one that will give him even more power than the position Ngan stole out from under him. In this new role, Lee implements a revised payoff system for the police, one that streamlines the previous schemes, minimizes criminal behavior, and succeeds in fattening not only Lee Rock's wallet, but those of his colleagues as well. Years pass, as Lee Rock and his allies start living the high life, seemingly untouchable in regard to their criminal behavior.

However, Lee Rock's fortunes take a turn for the worse when a new police commissioner arrives from London and discovers that the police department's spotless reputation and knack for crime prevention is all due to its deep seated corruption. Recognizing Lee as a threat, the new commissioner "promotes" Lee to the rank of inspector, although the position itself is a demeaning one that is meant to take him completely out of the loop. Even more threatening is the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), a no-nonsense bureau that Lee can't bribe or cajole into laying off. Smartly, Lee decides it's time to retire from the force and flee to Canada if he wants to avoid prosecution. But the thing is, Lee's professional difficulties are only the tip of the iceberg. Earlier, he discovered that his son, Bill Lee Yung-Yin (now played by Aaron Kwok) has not only signed up for the ICAC, but is also dead set on prosecuting his own father, sparing no quarter despite their blood relations. But if Yin is in Hong Kong, then that means Lee's beloved Rose can't be far behind. Once again, Lee seeks her out, hoping to make his family whole. But considering Yin's hatred for Lee, and Rose's failing health, can things ever be reconciled? And to make matters worse, it seems Ngan Tung has directed some assassins toward Lee. Is there a chance in hell that this family will ever be united again?

When all is said and done, Lee Rock 2 makes for an entertaining, if somewhat muddled, cinematic experience. The heart and soul of the film is Andy Lau, who turns in a magnetic performance as the film's complicated title character. When the plot shifts ahead in time, Lau must don old age makeup to accurately portray the age of Lee Rock. Surprisingly, Lau is able to convincingly portray an elderly man, as the scenes between Lau and Kwok, who are only four years apart in age, surprisingly credible. The few scenes Lau shares with Chingmy Yau are surprisingly touching, especially considering the smarmy, ruthless demeanor Lau must maintain for the majority of the film as the "all-business" Lee Rock. It's a shame that more tender moments didn't exist between Lee Rock and his two love interests since the romantic angle plays well to Andy Lau's strengths as an actor. While smarmy is something Lau can do quite well, it's not exactly an endearing character trait.

The film's supporting cast do a fine job, although some get shortchanged during the proceedings. Cheung Man, so alluring and integral to the first part of Lee Rock, takes a backseat in this film; her few scenes seem to be limited to "looking concerned" about her husband rather than giving her something substantial to do as a character. Similarly, Chingmy Yau doesn't fare much better. Even with her dramatic reintroduction to the plot at the beginning of the film, she just as quickly bows out of the narrative until she's needed in Lee Rock 2's final act. The men, however, are given more to do. Ng Man-Tat makes for an entertaining comedic presence as Lee Rock's old pal. As Lardo, Ng successfully takes on the type of role he would go on to play alongside Stephen Chow in many films, proving here to be welcome comic relief in an overridingly serious narrative. On the flip side of this fun-loving character, there's Paul Chun Pui as Ngan Tung, who creates a villain that audiences will surely love to hate, one that they hope will surely get his comeuppance by story's end.

And while he does sport a dopey haircut for most of the film, Aaron Kwok does a fine job in a role reminiscent of Leslie Cheung's in that seminal John Woo classic, A Better Tomorrow, that is - the "righteous" family member who will stop at nothing to put his corrupt relative (in Cheung's case, it was his own brother) behind bars. However, as with Cheung's character, Yin begins to learn that clear-cut notions of right and wrong are not quite as simple as he first assumed. In fact, this seems to be the underlying point of the film. Admittedly, the filmmakers might have overdone it a bit, since late in the film, there's a scene in which Lardo reprimands Yin for his lack of filial piety, but for his black-and-white way of looking things. Although it's a compelling moment, it perhaps draws too fine a point on the issue.

As such, Lee Rock 2 is essentially a film about people who do very, very bad things for, in some cases, very good reasons. Lee Rock himself represents the type of person who believes that since crime and criminals will always exist, it's pointless to try to eradicate them from society. Instead, it would be more practical, in Lee's view anyhow, to limit and regulate crime, and while they're at it, maybe make a few bucks off of it as well. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the film is how closely Lee Rock and Ngan Tung resemble Mafia dons looking to muscle in on each other's territories. The irony, of course, is that these two are some of the most genuinely respected cops in the department. These moral incongruities give Lee Rock 2 an extra layer of substance in what easily could have been just another cops 'n' robbers movie.

Considering the fact that there's enough story in the film to fill up a season's worth of episodes of a television drama, it's no surprise that Lee Rock 2 is all over the place tonally. While predominantly a serious cop drama, the film also veers into low comedy and even melodrama at times, eventually settling into the kind of ballistic action movie that Hong Kong cinema has become famous for providing. And certainly, Lee Rock 2's climactic guns blazing, glass shattering, blood spurting wheelchair shootout of death must be seen to be truly appreciated. The over-the-top audacity of this sequence is worth the price of admission alone. Although from a construction standpoint, that sort of action scene might seem completely out-of-place in the movie, it pretty much follows the message of the film. Like its main character, Lee Rock 2 is a film full of contradictions and incongruities, but even so, it's an entertaining, surprisingly thought-provoking film all the same.

By Calvin McMillin