Who wants to bell the cat?

Line of Duty Seasons 5 and 6. (2019-2021)

Since writing about the TV series in 2017, two other series had been released. Continuing from the previous series, Anti Corruption No.12 (AC#12), continue in their endeavour to wipe out corruption in the police department. On the one hand, the police department wants to be seen as carrying out their duties above the board, without fear or favour and one-minded in seeking the truth to mete justice. At the same time, the department does not want to appear overtly corrupt but gives an image of having integrity. It is an interplay between maintaining the appearance and preserving integrity.

The funny thing about this whole exercise is that both arms of the regulators are from the same parent body. For any enforcement to function, it had to garner the trust of the general public. So how can it shoot itself in its foot and be able to run? But who would want an outsider to sieve through their household laundry and embarrass them of their soiled linen? No police officer worth his salt wants an independent body to go through his activities or shortcomings with a fine-tooth comb to point out their errors. 

With this balance in mind, the screenwriters of 'Line of Duty' managed to spin another two seasons with equal edge-of-the-street suspense at its predecessors. The AC#12 team races against the clock to pin down the mastermind behind the web of chicanery that goes on within the system.

All these hours of police procedural drama would naturally stir our curiosity to check our own backyard. With the constant bombardment of news of police corruption and death in police custody, it seems imperative that such an exercise is more important now than ever. The recent admission of the outgoing Inspector-General of Police of the unholy union between cops and underground elements is sufficient grounds to establish an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Committee (IPCMC).

There is no shame in admitting rots. The first step in correcting a broken system is the admission of failure. Many police precincts in the United States have turned themselves around after a series of misconduct. The New York Police Department has had undergone a series of scandals over the years but still functions with a check and balance system in place.

When everyone somewhat has his hand soiled with slime, how will he be the first to switch on the light? Nobody wants to leave their mark on the switchboard!

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Same rules apply*

Filth (2013)

They say there is goodness in every one of us. Even the most condemned person on Earth has an ounce of kindness in him. Youtube videos and social experiments are plenty to highlight, and we probably feel good that humankind will survive despite what the doomsday philosophers and naysayers say or do not say. But then, why is so much violence, hatred and animosity in this world?

Well, the same people who profess goodness in us are the same ones who utter that goodness is subjective! What appears as good to one may seem evil to another. Feeding stray dogs may be a noble deed, but it may draw so many strays to one particular area that it may be uncomfortable for some. The fear of fights between well-fed dogs over territory or the spread of illness may be a concern.

Back to the homo sapiens instance, the evil thoughts that disturb the community's equilibrium are conveniently blamed on the dark forces, the black dog, the crows, black magic or Satan. In modern science, this inability to conform to societal demands is blamed on the imbalances of neurotransmitters. Of course, deviously planning to rock the system for personal gains is also abnormal, e.g. psychopaths.

This Scottish dark comedy set in Edinburgh is an entertaining story with a twist at the end. What starts appearing as a comedy slowly evolves into a devious tale of corrupt cops, police brutality and backbiting among colleagues to grab the coveted post of Detective Inspector.

The seemingly happily married protagonist, Det Bruce Robertson, is anything but monogamous. He is also seen drinking too much. And cops snorting cocaine too? And why is the Mrs only appearing as a narrator? Then, it dawns upon us. He actually has a severe mental disorder. His wife and child have left him, and he is left alone to deal with his non-compliance with medication, refractory illness, hallucination, unresolved guilt of a sibling's death in childhood and the race for promotion.
Bruce slowly spirals down the ladder of helplessness to decay into a mess leading to a disastrous outcome.

An underrated movie which nobody talks about—an intense but entertaining film with an excellent performance from James McAvoy.

*'Same rules apply' - a line at the movie's end that left everyone guessing its meaning in that context. This probably refers to the mantra of a self-centred person only interested in ensuring his goal is attained. No matter how much it hurts the bystanders, he does not give a damn!

For the car chase

Bullitt (1968)
Now, the scene that everyone remembers of this movie is definitely the legendary street car chase of the undulating streets of San Francisco. This almost 9minutes car chase looked so real as if the viewers are actually seated in the car that is driven. Essentially, it marks the watermark of how car chases should be filmed!
Naturally the Ford Mustang GT must have seen good sales that year. It must have created such an impression that the company decided to remake the model in 2008, all similar in shape and sound of the engine as well.

The problem was that the earlier 1968 model had a carburettor whilst the 2008 one had fuel injection system. The manufacturers wanted the new car to sound old! And the sounds produced in the film was mixed with racing car sounds. Furthermore, the law does not allow cars to emit such loud sounds on the road. So they used sound technology to tweak the columns in the exhaust to attain near perfect replica.

Ford Mustang GT 1968

Macho man Steve McQueen stars as a tough cop trying to protect a star witness. The DA (Robert Vaughn) gets hot on his trail when the witness gets shot at together with a cop who was assigned to keep vigil. Hence starts a cat and mouse chase against time to sort out the crime and to find the truth.

Humanised cop drama

Tengoku to Jigoku (Japanese, High and Low, a.k.a. Heaven and Hell; 1963)

Director: Akira Kurosawa

This suspense-filled police procedural film must be well ahead of its time. Because Kurosawa directed it, the suspense and investigations were painstakingly detailed. On top of all that, the director usually highlights the differences in the social classes.

High and low in the title probably denotes the two halves of the offering -the first half in the relaxed ambience of the quiet high-class home of the protagonist, Kingo Gondo, a self-made shoemaker who had climbed the rank and files to an enviable status in the National Shoe Company; the second half among the decadent life forms of the night, drug addicts and drunken revellers of the night scene of town.

Gondo shoots down the idea by fellow company shareowners to cut costs and compromise the quality of their shoes. He passionately says that shoes have to be respected as they support the whole body's weight. Furious, his detractors storm out, vowing vengeance. Secretly, Gondo had mortgaged his entire life savings to take over the company.

Almost immediately after their exit, Gondo receives a phone call that his only preteen son has been kidnapped. Even though the ransom demanded is exorbitant by any standards, he decides to pay it off with the money that was supposed to be used for business, basically making him a pauper all over again - just like it was when he started working years ago!

Just then, his son walks in. Apparently, the kidnappers had taken Gondo's chauffeur's son by mistake. The caller calls in to insist that the ransom money is still the same and has to be paid. Then, the dilemma comes. Is he still going to pay? If before, Gondo refused to call the police on the kidnapper's insistence, he immediately did that. A soul-searching moment happens. Should he give up all his savings to act as a human or give up all that he worked for all his life? His wife cannot understand as she was born with a silver spoon and had it good all her life.

Gondo relented. He chose the path of humanity.

What follows next is an ingenious cat-and-mouse story of rescuing the child, paying the ransom and the speeding electric train done professionally, belying the fact that it was made in 1963. The boy is saved, but the culprit gets the cash.

The second half of the film, a bit draggy, focuses on police investigative procedures comparable to Frittz Lang's 1931 'M'. From the comforts of the highly perched Gondos' air-conditioned villa, the scene shifts to the low level lifeforms of drug addicts, decadent midnight party revelers, back alleys and drug dens. The kidnapper is finally apprehended. He turned out to be a medical student who did it just because he felt that life was not fair as he gazed at Gondo's aesthetically pleasing bungalow from the slum of a house that he called home.

It is a gripping film that only a maestro like Kurosawa can do. It is not the typical cop-robber-rescue scenario. The story builds up gradually to highlight why certain things can be done the way they are. Gondo, who appears like a rash businessman, has a human side. His deeds go beyond the boardroom. His passion for the art of shoemaking, his concern for his subordinates, and his humility in not forgetting the roots at the time of his apprenticeship are told gradually without being preachy or over-glorifying.

I have a funny feeling that the 'low' that is mentioned in the title could also refer to the foreign culture that is creeping into the city, as evidenced by the inclusion of many multi-ethnic extras in the drunken bar and dance club scenes.

Pssst., our GLCs and DaddyKasi's can learn a thing or two about how to build up a business or a career - through hard work, diligence and hard work, not just on paper and with subsidy!