Director: Wai-jeung Lau, Alan Mak
Screenplay: Alan Mak, Felix Chong
Starring: Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang
Year: 2002
Language: Cantonese
UK rental release: June 2004
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When Martin Scorsese won the Director's gong at the 2007 Academy Awards there was a unified sigh of relief from fans of western cinema. Up until that moment, one of the most revered and creative movie makers of our age had never won an Oscar, despite numerous nominations. Strangely, the film that finally granted him his new bathroom decoration was not one of his original design. Said movie, The Departed, was in fact a remake - one of the only decent ones in existence might I add (see my Top 10 on decent remakes here) - of a successful Hong Kong cinema production known the world over as Infernal Affairs.
Ming is a young boy enlisted into a triad gang run by Sam (Eric Tsang, Cop On A Mission, Colour Of The Loyalty). A pep talk from his new boss encourages him on his journey ahead - to train in the police academy, while remaining secretly loyal to the triads as a mole in the police force.
Simultaneously, another young man in the police academy, Yan, is about to be expelled for breaking the rules. This is a ruse however, as he is to be given a confidential mission by Principal Yip and Superintendent Wong Chi Shing (Anthony Wong, Hard Boiled, Exiled) - he is their new undercover agent, who will join the triads and act as their contact in the criminal underworld.
Time has passed, and Ming (Andy Lau, House Of Flying Daggers, Running Out Of Time) is now a fully established officer of the law, with a good relationship with his girlfriend and a fond appreciation for good quality sound equipment. In a hi-fi shop early on, he chances upon Yan (Tony Leung, Hard Boiled, Hero, Chungking Express), who by now is a fully respected member of a local criminal organisation. However, neither of them are aware of each other's occupation, and even further than that their true position and motive.
Yan now has only one contact through S.I. Wong after Principal Yip's life was taken. With Wong being the only person who knows his true identity as a police officer, his grip on a normal life is loosening. Yet he understands the importance of his role, and succeeds on tipping Wong off on a cocaine deal that triad boss Sam is about to undertake. Sam is wise to this threat however, flushing the drugs, and a stalemate is formed at the local police station.
From this encounter between Wong and Sam, they discover that they both have a mole in their midst, specially planted to feed necessary intelligence back to their original bosses. They agree on a wager - a race to discover the traitor within their organisation. This added pressure puts incredible strain on both covert operatives: Yan is beginning to lose faith in his duty as a cop due to his consistent criminal activity to convince the triads that he is genuine; Ming, after over ten years in the force is more accustomed to the ways of the law and wants to eradicate his criminal history.
As both of our protagonists battle with their double identities, can they hold it together and do what's right?
You don't have to be an expert in world cinema to have experienced some Hong Kong movies, as films exported from this region have been some of the most successful movies globally outside of western outputs. Yet, I find it unusual that many people have not seen Infernal Affairs.
Let me clear this up immediately...if you haven't seen this film then you are doing yourself a major injustice. Rent it or buy it as soon as you can and watch this masterpiece. It's a proper Saturday night action thriller, with great performances, cool set pieces but with a spine of intelligence throughout. This "vertebrae of smart" exists thanks to the clever plot...
There have been many tales over the years that delve into the intricacy and blunder imbued within the themes of double agents. Sometimes, a film does a grand job at spinning a web of deceit so that much of this is eluded by the audience. But, in Infernal Affairs we are painted this picture in the first few minutes. This is incredibly brave, as in other hands this concept could have been completely miscalculated. What Alan Mak and Felix Chong have so ingeniously orchestrated in their script is to make the perspective of the double agent our own - as young boys they are thrown in to their opposite realms strewn with fear, doubt and intrigue and we go on this ride with them. Yes, the story skips many years but we know everything from the off, allowing us to enjoy the the delicate portrayal of the rest of the story.
And what a yarn! This is how thriller's should be produced. As you learn more and more of each of our lead's circumstances you feel your allegiances switch over and over, urging Ming to turn to the "light side", and holding hope in Yan to find his way back to normality. Through its purposeful confusion, the narrative is perfectly balanced as it inches piece by piece to its dramatic climax.
This journey holds together so well thanks to a phenomenal cast. Lau, Leung, Wong and Tsang are all veterans of Hong Kong cinema and are household names across Asia. All of them, including other supporting members, are genuine and charismatic - our leads still maintaining a vein of calm and seriousness, while the pair playing their bosses allow their more colourful personas to fly (the scene in the station when they work out they each have a mole is great, with a pinch of banter thrown in). You know what you're getting with actors of this calibre... such royalty of the eastern screen is a stamp of approval.
With expressive camera work, intense scenes and a nail-biting finish, it's no surprise that Infernal Affairs grew into a a whole trilogy, spawning a great prequel and even more superb sequel. And, it even caught the attention of a well known director hailing from Little Italy, New York, still awaiting his now, well-earned Oscar.
This film is now a pedigree of eastern action thrillers, and you owe it yourself to see it!
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