Infernal Affairs (2002)
Mou Gaan Dou
Infernal Affairs DVD Movie Review
Hong Kong action movie, Infernal Affairs is a story about Yan, an undercover cop infiltrating a prominent Triad gang and Lau, a mole sent from that gang to work inside the police department. After a series of suspicious close calls leads to a botched drug deal, the gang lord Sam and Officer Wong realize that their respective organizations have been infiltrated by the other. Sam then enlists the help of his mole, Lau to try to figure out which member of his gang is really a cop. At the same time Wong gives Yan the task of finding out the identity of Sam?s mole.
Tony Leung is excellent as Yan, the world-weary undercover cop who has been working the same assignment for so long he feels like he has completely lost his identity. Andy Lau?s portrayal of Lau is equally impressive as his character is fully aware that he has the opportunity to turn his back on his gangland past and walk the straight and narrow as a hotshot police officer. There are a great deal of similarities between the two lead characters. Both men are living double lives, straddling the fence between good and evil and both men want their lives to return to a state of normalcy after dealing with the stresses of keeping their true identities hidden. The main thing that separates these characters from each other is the outstanding performances by Leung and Lau.
The screenplay of this movie is well written. The premise of spy vs. spy is quite simple and fairly common. Writers, Felix Chong and Siu Fai Mak took this familiar premise and pushed it to its full potential. The viewer is fully aware who is the mole and who is the cop. This aspect of the plot gives the viewer a sense that they have been made privy to top secret information. This tactic is immersive and does a great job of holding the viewer?s interest. Also, Lau?s girlfriend is a novelist who is having trouble deciding whether or not her protagonist is good or evil supports the narrative nicely.
In addition to the exceptional acting and superb screenplay, Infernal Affairs is a feast for the eyes. The lush, vibrant cinematography by Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai, and Andrew Lau is some of the best ever seen in a movie of this type. Often, the cinematography of action movies is formulaic with the exception of a couple of over the top, big-budget action sequences. In the case of Infernal Affairs, not a single frame of film is wasted. Each shot is so well composed that even the most mundane of scenes seems exhilarating.
The directing by Andrew Lau and Siu Fai Mak more than achieves the high standard set by the acting, writing, and cinematography. Since Infernal Affairs is a movie about double identities, it is easy to think that the story would have a tendency to be confusing. Lau and Mak made this movie easy to follow without downplaying anything for the sake of the audience. They also let the stars, Andy Lau and Tony Leung, handle the dichotomy of their characters? lives with great subtlety, allowing those aspects to become part of their backgrounds. Because of this, the audience is always aware of where Yan and Lau?s allegiances lie.
Infernal Affairs is a movie that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. This movie was so well received that it spawned two sequels and an American remake by celebrated director, Martin Scorsese. It is almost impossible to find a single flaw with this picture. Infernal Affairs is such an excellent film that it is worth recommending to total strangers. Infernal Affairs is truly one of the high points of cinema.
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