Ye shou xing jing [Beast Cops] (1998)

(On TV, August 2000) A rarity: a Hong Kong police drama that doesn’t turn into a full-blown action film. (Until the end, that is, but once it happens, it’s more of an intrusion than anything else.) The portrait of corruption presented here is done with great care, reaching an apex in a discussion in a pool that neatly encapsulate most of Hong Kong cinema’s relation with cops and criminals. Not a whole lot of fun as a film (it gets long with time) but a rather good film on its own. Think of it as the Chinese Serpico.