Sheriff: Narko Integriti (2024) Review: An Engrossing Mix of Mystery and Gritty Crime Thriller
If the award-winning One Two Jaga a.k.a. Crossroads: One Two Jaga previously made its mark for touching the rarely-explored taboo subject of police corruption in a local film, then Syafiq Yusof’s latest crime thriller Sheriff: Narko Integriti deserves credit for embracing the matter wholeheartedly. Movies about police corruption may have been nothing new in many Hollywood and Hong Kong genre films. But the fact that Sheriff: Narko Integriti manages to push the strict local censorship system’s boundaries is both a breakthrough and a notable achievement.
Syafiq Yusof, who also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Nazifdin Nasrudin of TV’s Special Force: Anarchy with a story credit from Yusof Haslam, follows the titular character nicknamed “Sheriff” (Zul Ariffin) whose full name is Sheriffudin Hussein. He’s a DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) sent by the higher-ups to investigate a team of police officers within the department. Among them include Inspector Nazri (Syafiq Kyle), her sister, ASP Syazlin (Azira Shafinaz) and fellow cop Farouk (Amir Nafis).
Together with newly transferred ASP Jennifer Wong (Elizabeth Tan), Sheriff is determined to find out the real identity of the “Meth Killer”. The killer in question has been responsible for executing corrupt police officers and those who work for Tony Ifrit (Aaron Aziz), the leader behind the nation’s biggest shabu (meth) syndicate.
Contrary to what you have seen in the trailer so far, it’s worth noting that Sheriff: Narko Integriti isn’t an action-oriented picture but more of a whodunit film packing with a few surprises along the way. In other words, the less you know about this film the better. An obvious shade of Infernal Affairs is evident here, particularly during the later part of the film. Regardless of whether the homage is intentional or otherwise, what matters most is Yusof maintaining a consistent pace as he successfully keeps me invested with the labyrinthine storytelling throughout the otherwise longer-than-usual 133-minute running time.
But the film thankfully doesn’t drag or overstay its welcome, thanks to Yusof’s overall taut, yet confident direction with the help of Izaq Yuzaini’s airtight editing. The melodramatic aspect of the film, typically seen in (most) big-budget local productions, is even kept to a bare minimum.
As an action film, Yusof favours dynamic camerawork to accentuate the visceral look and feel of the gunfights, a car chase and at one point, a hand-to-hand combat between Zul Ariffin’s Sheriff and Aaron Aziz’s Tony Ifrit. I’m also glad he emphasises the use of realistic blood effects done practically rather than resorting to cheap-looking CGI fakery seen in today’s similar genre films.
Sheriff: Narko Integriti also benefits from engaging performances all around, albeit the pre-opening credits introduction of Zul Ariffin’s smug-looking Sheriff and his weird-looking beard does take me time to get used to. After a while, Ariffin’s mix of no-nonsense and condescending persona helps to bring his character to life. His co-stars including Syafiq Kyle and Azira Shafinaz deserved equal praise for their solid supporting turns but surprisingly, it was Elizabeth Tan excels the most with her subtle performance as ASP Jennifer Wong. The bleached-blonde and heavily tattooed Aaron Aziz, in the meantime, does a good job playing the arrogant main antagonist, Tony Ifrit.
The film isn’t without its shortcomings, notably the attempted comic relief that feels awkwardly misplaced and the same goes with the interrogation scene somewhat borderlines into a near parody. But Sheriff: Narko Integriti manages to offset some of these flaws with enough dramatic tension, a gripping storyline and a mostly well-acted ensemble cast. The film is also a step above Syafiq Yusof’s previous directorial efforts including the misguided Special Force: Anarchy and the overrated Polis Evo 3.
