Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15472 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-09-26
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Formats: Anamorphic, Box set, PAL
• Original language: Cantonese Chinese
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 332 minutes

Synopsis
Three features. Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, INFERNAL AFFAIRS is a tense thriller featuring Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau and Tony Leung. The film follows the parallel lives of Ming (Lau), a cop who secretly reports to ruthless Triad crime boss Sam (Eric Tsang); and Yan (Leung), an undercover police officer who poses as a Triad member in Sam's gang. For Yan, the years of living in the criminal underworld have taken their toll, and he longs to return to regular police duty. However, the only person who knows Yan's true identity is his mentor Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong), also the unsuspecting superior of Ming. When Wong's officers come face to face with Sam's gang, both leaders realise there are moles in their midst. Soon Yan and Ming must track each other down, leading to an inevitable confrontation. Unlike many contemporary Hong Kong films, INFERNAL AFFAIRS steers clear of over-the-top action in favour of a more stylised and subdued story that builds on emotional and psychological tension. Leung is riveting as the undercover cop who desperately wants a normal life, while Lau instils his corrupt character with confidence and charm that mask his deep inner conflict. These two stellar turns are ably supported by veteran actors Wong and Tsang, along with Sammi Cheng and Kelly Chen. A huge blockbluster in Asia, INFERNAL AFFAIRS is a landmark of Hong Kong cinema that deserves the same status abroad.Part of the New Directors/New Films 2003 series presented by The Department of Film and Media at the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. Also features: 'Infernal Affairs II' and 'Infernal Affairs III'.

Customer Reviews

That Good (and then some)
Yes, I know. "Don't see Vanilla Sky; see Abre Los Ojos instead." "Star Wars? For Shame! A thin remake of Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress!". "The only Solaris I'd watch is the one made by Tarkovsky." These days, the snob appeal of saying that the original, foreign-language version of a film far surpasses its English-language remake is as irritating as it is obvious. You'd certainly think that this was a difficult case to make with "The Departed": a movie that won Best Film Oscar, had a cast to die for and was regarded as a notable return to form for no less a director than Martin Scorsese. But, damn it, it's true. The Infernal Affairs trilogy really is that good.

I don't want to beat The Departed with the dismembered leg of Infernal Affairs. They're both excellent movies, and the relationship between them is similar to that between Michael Mann's L.A. Takedown and his later remake Heat. That is to say, The Departed elaborates the basic story of Infernal Affairs and brings to it a powerhouse cast, yet adds surprisingly little. The main set pieces are all there in the original film, and the production standards for the Hong Kong trilogy are already superb. Nevertheless, there's a slight sense with Infernal Affairs that it is too much the successor to Woo's The Killer: everything is coldly balanced out so that the reflection of hero and villain is perfect. The Departed is very faithful, yet adds something in the way of complexity and depth.

Where Infernal Affairs surpasses the remake is that there are two other chapters: both essential to the developing picture of conflict, betrayal and guilt that is at the heart of the first film. The second film, which fleshes out the story of the characters played by Jack Nicholson and Martin Sheen in the remake, is a deep and thoughtful gangster movie that can certainly bear comparison with the best that Hollywood has offered in the same genre. The third film completes the story of the character later played by Matt Damon and is a clever game with the perceptions of the viewer as well as a satisfying resolution to the trilogy.

Together, the three films have a coherence and consistency to which most Hollywood trilogies struggle to aspire. The absence of the outstanding Andy Lau and Tony Leung from the second film (where their parts are taken by younger actors to reflect the flashback structure) does detract from proceedings slightly, but the superb supporting cast remains in place throughout, and the performances of Anthony Wong Chau-sang and Eric Tsang are especially noteworthy in all three films.

In the publicity for this boxed set a comparison is drawn between the Infernal Affairs trilogy and The Godfather trilogy. This isn't just hype. As with Coppola's masterpiece, there is a sense here that each film has a particular role in telling a wide-ranging story, and while I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say that Infernal Affairs is quite as good, it remains head-and-shoulders above most Hollywood fare in the same genre.

Godfather meets Heat
Three films, four main characters and countless others. High concept idea: Cops have a mole in the Traids, Traids have a mole in the cops. They know the other exists but they don't know the identity.

part one: A study in suspense, as the two moles investigate each other and their bosses try and out guess the other side.

Part two: A study in identity. Set in the years leading up to the fist - the good guys are not who they appear to be, and neither are the bad guys.

part three: set before and after the explosive ending for the first. The pararells between the moles are studied as they come closer together.

A vague introduction I know but that is becasue I don't want to give anything away. You've got to see these movies. They twist and turn, making you question any ideas you have about good guys and bad guys. These questions keep coming right to the end for part three.

The real reason to watch these films, however, is the acting. Every one is top notch and carefully studied. These are not action films (although there are plenty of action in them). They are more than that and the fact that such a director as Martin Scorsese is remaking them (renamed The Departed and starring Leonado DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson) only high lights the quality.

Fabulous films, if only Hollywood could make films like this.