Sheriff: Narko Integriti

"Sheriff: Narko Integriti" is a standout in Malaysian cinema, breaking away from the usual conservative fare. Directed by Syafiq Yusof, the film presents a gripping crime thriller with a complex plot, sharp twists, and layered characters.

Zul Ariffin's portrayal of Sheriff, a man driven by integrity, is powerful, while Aaron Aziz delivers a chilling performance as Tony, the kingpin.

One aspect I particularly appreciated was the accurate portrayal of weapons and tactics. The attention to detail in handling firearms, moving as a fire team in close-quarter combat, and switching from rifles to handguns in confined spaces adds a strong sense of realism. The coordinated team dynamics, especially when falling back under fire, felt authentic and well-executed.

The film's pacing and suspense keep viewers on edge, with scenes that stray far from the conservative tropes common in local cinema. This movie is action packed and has a thought-provoking narrative about justice, betrayal, and loyalty.

Just managed to catch this yesterday on Netflix. 20 minutes into the movie and I noticed something familiar. Serial killer and his sister works for the police force. He kills only bad guys, in this case drug related ones, a police colleague suspects him as the killer and desperately looking for evidence and waiting for him to slip up and......plastic sheets. One of the props Dexter uses for his kills.

But this Malay Dexter is hot tempered and Sheriff is the cool one instead. All in all, this movie has a good production value. Good acting by leads. I would recommend this movie if you like Polis Evo minus the comic relief.

I had 0 expectation going in as - i had no clue about the movie existing & never watched any trailers - i was pleasantly surprised at how far our local films' quality have become. There was pretty "meh" casting (i thought they were casted because of popularity instead of quality) but whatever, just watching sub-par acting is a bit distracting for me. Cinematography-wise overall great, there were some random shots and out of place imo.

-About the actual film- It was great at how its not entirely clichéd. It kept some of the surprising elements up until the very end for me, which IS a big deal because as far as malay films go .. is a rarity. I can tell they put a lot of actual thoughts into the storyline, which i can definitely appreciate. In fact for whatever reason it sorta reminds me of a little bit of Cumberbatch's version of Sherlock + Guy Ritchie-ish.

Sometimes i also feel like they try to fit in everything into 1 darn film, its giving *too many chefs in the kitchen*. So it ended up as "ok whats the point of that, totally unnecessary". Somehow it also makes me feel it was rushed and all over the place.

-About the casting- Ngl there were a lot of "stars" in the film to the point of like they're competing for the lime light. At one point i thought Syafiq was the lead but the title is Sheriff but this other person has more screen time. Buts and buts. I see what theyre doing towards the end you (theyd definitely franchising the heck out of this and i hope theyd get better instead of only chasing the fame and $) BUT ANYWAY - i like the Sheriff character (its a love-hate situation) the way Zul brings it to life, yesss. I feel like he mightve improv-ed the dialogues maybe? He just looks natural and not forcing it too much to the point of blergh shut up. The girls~ uh sorry but it couldve just been anyone. Syafiq was ok but his face is too flawless the entire time i was thinking -mannn thats A LOT of makeup- so i was somewhat distracted hahaha. Aaron is just being aaron oh well. But oh i also appreciate they brought in some veteran actors imo as a gesture of respect idk.

Action packed and filled with plot twists, Sheriff: Narko Integriti will definitely put you on the edge of your seat. It has a unique storytelling, elements of mystery and suspense that keeps you engaged, and actors/actresses that played their characters very well.

The premise of this movie is not really special. We've had plenty movies revolving around cops and guns. But what makes this movie different from others is its plot and execution.

Looking at it internationally, it may seem just normal but for the local cinema it is a big improvement.

-SUMMARY (SKIP IF YOU WANT)-

This film tells the story of Nazri, a narcotics policeman who wants to end the growing syabu syndicate. The problem with bringing these perpetrators to court is that they almost always avoided punishment due to lack of evidence.

This made Nazri lose faith in the law, distorting his sense of justice and felt determined to uphold justice in his own way even if it'd violate his morals.

Then we're introduced to Sheriff from the Integrity Department who's known for fighting against corrupted cops. He was sent to the Narcotics Department to help find the infamous 'Meth Killer' which happens to be revealed as an inside man.

At this point we may have already know who the 'Meth Killer' is (or do we?) but we don't know how he will be caught. What will the 'Meth Killer' do now that Sheriff is getting closer? How will he operate his killings without getting caught? Will this be a game of chess? Who exactly is the 'Meth Killer'?

In this period, narcotics operations have also failed many times. Are there traitors inside narcotics? Are they working with the 'Meth Killer'?

This movie had a way of misguiding you to answers that you may think is right, but it's actually left. Always reminding you that you should trust no one.

-SUMMARY END-

There's a lot of positives for this movie but in my personal opinion, it's not a masterpiece yet. It's close though and it has all the ingredients to reach there.

What I can say for certain is that this is Syafiq Yusof's best work that I have ever watched. Exceeded my original expectations which wasn't really high but also wasn't really low either.

That aside, this movie still has room for improvements. Here's what I can think of quickly:

1. The 'Meth Killer' Mystery

While I do understand that it was the director's intention to use 'howcatchem' and not 'whodunnit', but I still would've preferred if it was not revealed early. I love it when movies make us doubt our answers and I love it when I got it right.

If the movie focuses only on finding the 'Meth Killer' and expands the story from there, I probably wouldn't complain about making it a 'howcatchem' story. That would be good and engaging too.

2. Character Background

There are many culprits in this movie like traitors, "rats" and murderers. But there are some characters whose writing was not developed or explored enough for the audience to build an emotional connection. When plot twists happened, it's hard to feel the impact and shock.

3. Lack Emotions

I'm probably alone in this but there are scenes that I feel it supposedly is emotional, but as I watched it I failed to capture the emotions conveyed. I didn't manage to cry but my tears almost went down though. Scenes like the one where Sheriff reminisced his childhood memory made me emotional too.

4. Sheriff Third Act

At the beginning of the third act, Sheriff's character presence felt missing. At this stage of the movie I was expecting some mad genius move from Sheriff that maybe shows how he outsmart his enemies. But I unfortunately didn't see much. He did get the spotlight back in the end though.

I actually really like this Sheriff dude. But I'm not quite satisfied with his development and depth. I need to know more about this character. I want to know his background in depth. How he forms his sense of justice despite his past. His name is literally the movie.

I have more to say but it's hard to share without spoiling the story. So maybe later.

Anyways, well done to the director, Syafiq Yusof and all the crew. Lots of improvements on the quality of writing and execution. We need more quality local movies like this.

It's time that we stop insulting the intellectuals of our local people by feeding them with poor quality movies.

Sheriff is a fairly promising crime action film. This film raises themes such as power, lies, and corruption. The story in this film is actually good and a bit like films of a similar genre, but for some reason the writing is too over. The action shown in the film is good, starting from the fights to the shootings are quite exciting. The mystery drama in this film actually also adds to the excitement of this film, unfortunately when it enters the final act, it seems like too many things happen in the final minutes of the film. Although there are many plot twists at the end of the film, the killer has been revealed from the beginning, which actually could have been the biggest plot twist in this film. And in this film, the character approach is lacking even though we already know what their background is like. This film does seem to want to be a slow burn film, but there are many scenes that don't need to be included just to extend the duration of the film. In terms of cinematography, it's okay, but many scenes look too exaggerated, especially since there are also many unimportant slow-mo scenes. The special effects in this film look clean and real. The music is okay, standard for most action films. For the acting, many are not stiff, but sometimes the expressions are too over. Overall, this film is not that bad for a Malaysian film.