Infernal Affairs

Infernal Affairs is a high-quality crime drama with standard subject matter, but with an unexpected outcome. The motif of a duel between two men on opposite sides of the law, each empowered by the other, is Woo-esque, albeit without amazing Woo-eque action. The characters are thoroughly well developed, as is the dynamic visual aspect, even in the peaceful scenes. One of the exemplary works of its kind, enhanced with an intellectual dimension that won’t exactly put a smile on your face. (26/04/2005)

The scales we apply when evaluating a film are different for each individual, so we cannot blame anyone for being enthusiastic about something that others do not like. However, if the Hong Kong movie Internal Affairs narrowly surpasses Martin Scorsese's The Departed, it is not evidence of great cinephilic erudition among users of FilmBooster. Internal Affairs is definitely not a bad film. It is a professionally directed gangster flick with very decent performances and if I hadn't seen Scorsese's remake beforehand, I would seriously consider giving it four stars. However, The Departed overwhelmingly surpasses Internal Affairs in every aspect, as it is more elaborately developed with well-drawn characters and logically functions much better in its plot. Internal Affairs is significantly more popcorn-like, with more dynamic editing, and moves towards its goal at a much faster pace. It doesn't burden itself with the psychology of the characters and is only interested in providing a fair amount of entertainment. Especially with its pathetic ending, Internal Affairs perfectly aligns with the expectations of the audience in line with the studio system, where the American version is dirtier and rawer. Where the villain Ming promises redemption to his girl and desires to do good, his American counterpart would reluctantly, but without hesitation, kill his love... Overall impression: 65%. (24/04/2010)

Scorsese's version got to me. After all, it's a powerful film with a great plot and is excellently directed. The original Infernal Affairs is directed with a slightly less sure hand, but that's simply because Scorsese is a genius in this regard. However, the Hong Kong creators were definitely not far behind him; on the contrary, I was incredibly surprised by how self-assured this film is, and I'm a bit surprised that it didn't even earn a nomination for a foreign Oscar. The musical aspect is absolutely excellent, the story is original, and above all, it has a good pace. Some of the shots surprised me. If I gave Scorsese's version 100%, I can't go much lower here. A visually stunning film, but the story is simply good. (02/05/2014)

This really delivered. Ever since I watched The Departed, I kept telling myself I had to add Infernal Affairs to my list of films to watch, and now I finally got around to it. To be honest, this might be the first full-fledged Chinese film I’ve ever seen. I wasn’t entirely sure about the high ratings, as films from this region had eluded me so far, and the actors weren’t particularly familiar to me. But all of that disappeared within the opening minutes, which confirmed that Infernal Affairs is an excellent film. From a storytelling and detective perspective, there’s nothing to criticize. Even though the film only features a single shootout, and not a particularly grand one at that, the atmosphere throughout the entire runtime is gripping and, at times, chillingly intense, leaving the viewer on edge. I found the characters more appealing here and better developed than in The Departed, which I definitely didn’t expect. The only minor issue, which the film can’t really help, is that the characters can sometimes be a bit hard to follow. The ending, accompanied by powerful and emotional music, reaffirmed that this film stands on par with even the most grandiose Western productions. I give it 84%. (08/04/2017)

A little bit The Departed... by which I just mean this much: it's really a shame that I saw that movie before the "original". I guess even the ratings would have turned out differently. Perhaps. I really liked it and I'm glad I finally sat down to watch it. If I had been standing... :-) Definitely for those who like crime and aren't afraid of a familiar story. In short, a complete acting concert by the famous "four" (Andy, Tony, Anthony, Eric). (02/01/2009)