Infernal Affairs review

The film that revitalized the Hong Kong film industry presents a brilliant “why didn’t I think of that?” premise, realistic and earnest character development through perfect performances from a star studded cast, stirring visuals and tense execution to thrill the viewer to the very end.

For those unaware, Infernal Affairs tells the story of two moles, Ming (Andy Lau) and Yan (Tony Leung Chiu Wai). Ming, a highly honored officer is truly a mole placed by his triad boss, Sam (Eric Tsang), years ago to infiltrate the police. Yan in turn is a tough and skilled cop chosen to infiltrate Sam’s gang with a trustworthy position after years on the job. Both walk the thin line of good and evil and struggle internally with their identities, while delivering non-stop entertainment in a fast-paced dual cat and mouse game. There’s no one person responsible for the quality of the slick crime thriller, as Andrew Lau’s encompassing direction takes glimpses at the well-written parallelism in the main character’s lives and respective organizations. It could be Leung winning our compassion by putting up with one hazardous situation after another to win back his life. Or Lau with a debatable mix of good and evil, always one step ahead with his cleverness. All these interconnected elements make up the blueprints for a successful film anywhere. Careful attention to every contribution is what helped piece together this blockbuster that can only make you sit back and try to come up with an idea just as ingenious as this.






A