Infernal Affairs is a tale of cops and criminals set in Hong Kong. I found it hard to imagine a film set there without thinking of Jackie Chan and martial arts. Frantic fight scenes with the man himself tumbling through the streets being chased by a huge gang of over acting lunatics. What I found here was nothing of the sort.
It tells the tale of two very different men. Firstly we have Lau Kin-Ming (Andy Lau) who is a triad gang member who is sent by his boss, along with several other members, to enrol in the police academy as moles. Similarly Chan Wing-Yan played by Tony Leung is a top candidate at the same academy. We see him get expelled but in reality he has been selected because of his great potential. He is sent to work undercover with the triad gangs. Sound familiar yet? The Departed with Matt Damon and Leonardo Di Caprio is a remake of this.
What develops is a tense story of the police department and a gang trying frantically to uncover the moles they suspect are operating among their ranks. Everything hinges on the performances of the two leads. Tony Leung in particular is brilliant as a man weighed down by the burden of duty. However Hon Sam (Eric Tsang) steals a lot of scenes as the manic triad boss who seems to love the cat and mouse games he plays with the police.
The introduction was a little hard to follow as it takes off at a fast pace. It is filmed in Mandarin with English subtitles. However any difficulty felt at following the intricate storyline is more than made up for with the quality of the story. If you struggle with the subtitles then I have some advice. Get some glasses or maybe go back to school and learn to read again! It will be worth the effort! Infact you will be doing yourself a favour as there is a huge amount of brilliant films out there not made in English.
I did expect a bit more Eastern mysticism or philosophy from this. Especially as the film starts with a quote relating to unending hell, which is the lowest level of hell in Buddhism. The Chinese title actually translates to "the non-stop path". The theme is reflected more with the lead characters struggles with maintaining their cover as well as their identities than any heavy use of religious imagery. The story really benefits from always remaining contemporary in its setting. It feels like a very slick production that Hollywood would be proud of. There is one scene shot in the 10,000 Buddha’s temple that plays to the theme. Other than that we see the action through crowded streets, police stations and seedy gang hangouts, showing Hong Kong as a great modern metropolis. Several scenes take place on the roof of a skyscraper with a stunning backdrop of Victoria Harbour with Hong Kong Island in view behind.
The story really grips from start to finish, with many surprises along the way. As I have mentioned the two leads really hold things together to such an extent that you might not be sure who to root for as the film rushes towards its climax.
8/10
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