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Infernal Affairs (2004)
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Movie Review by Ash
October 1st, 2006
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A Very Good Chinese Crime Thriller
Infernal Affairs is a clever and original thriller out of China directed by Andrew Lau (Storm Riders, The Duel) and starring Andy Lau (as Lau) and Tony Leung (as Yan).
The Premise:
Years prior, the local Triad (mafia) boss known as Sam selects a group of his younger henchmen and has them join the police force in order that they, still working for him, will provide valuable information and help keep the boss from getting caught by the authorities. One of these henchmen is Lau. Also during this time, Yan has been inserted into the local crime scene as a deep cover agent who is so undercover, his true identity is only known by one man, police superintendent Wong.
Fast forward 10 years. Lau has risen to a respected position in the police, and Yan has infiltrated Sam's gang. When the crime syndicate and the police force both discover that there is mole in other's respective operations, the story takes off, and of course it's up to Lau to find out who the mole is in the Triads while Yan needs to find out who the police mole is.
Thoughts:
Andrew Lau (Director) was the cinematographer of City on Fire which remains one of the quintessential films of the Hong Kong action subgenre that gained prominence in the 1990's. While Hong Kong Action Cinema may no longer truly exist, it's influences are everywhere, and while Infernal Affairs may not truly be an action film, many of the techniques used to make those films synonomous with the gritty crime dramas they were are used here to great effect. Indeed, films like Infernal Affairs may serve to show the evolution of Chinese cinema from highly specialized and stylized subgenres into a more mature, broadbased style of storytelling with a filmmaking quality beginning to rival those of any film industry in the world.
It's much harder to judge acting when a film is in a foreign language and set in a foreign culture, however some traits and skills are universal. In this film, all the performances are quality, but it is Tony Leung who stands out as the lost soul struggling to maintain his true identity while constantly having to hide it for ten years and counting. It doesn't take a single word of dialogue to make us empathise and feel deeply for him and the situation he's in.
The ending is often the most important part of any film. A good ending can make a mediocre film stand out (The Usual Suspects) while a bad ending can make a superior film seem substandard (Magnolia). In Hollywood, studios usually go for the safe ending a.k.a. the Hollywood ending. This is the ending least likely to be found objectionable and is most consumable to mainstream, braindead audiences. I myself am so used to the Hollywood ending that when I saw then end of Infernal Affairs I was almost put off, but as it played out I grew to understand it was the right ending. Infernal Affairs is somewhat of a morality play and about living (or dying) with the choices we make.
Infernal Affairs is not a masterpiece, but there is nothing overtly wrong with the film either. Visually speaking, it's not surprising the director's roots are as a cinematographer. The camera shots and visual storytelling are mostly great with scene direction being the directing weakness. The performances are good but not stellar. The sceenplay is tight with a strong plotline, yet suffers with it's need for more characterization (see Heat for a similar type film that nails the characterization perfectly) .
The Verdict:
Infernal Affairs ends up being a very good as a suspense thriller and pretty good as a crime drama. The story is strong, original, and creative. Like most good foreign films, it avoids the cheap Hollywood cliche, which is a welcome relief to this filmgoer. If you like crime dramas, this film should be high on your list of what to see next.
Extras:
Infernal Affairs spawned both a prequel (Infernal Affairs II) starring the two actors who play the young versions of Yan and Lau, and also a sequel (Infernal Affairs III). Both are directed by Andrew Lau and have received good reviews. Also, Infernal Affairs is being remade in America by none other than Martin Scorsese to be released October 5th.
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