Movie Information
Overall Rank: 1299
Average Rating: 3/4
# of Ratings: 69
Theatrical Release Date: 09/24/2004
Language: Cantonese
Genre: Crime, Drama
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Wai-keung Lau
Actors: Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Eric Tsang, Andy Lau, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Edison Chen, Kelly Chen
Plot: A mole is suspected to be the cause of a group of police officers not being able to catch a crime lord.
Quick Movie Reviews
Rating of
2/4
donkeyknight - wrote on 05/01/2011
I don't get the love for Departed. This is better, and was the original idea. Takes no prisoners-you've got to think quick to keep up with this. Unflinchingly written and well acted, though a few weak areas (i.e. soap opera music). And now some hyperbolic fun: Worst. DVD cover. Ever.
Rating of
3.5/4
mitchellyoung - wrote on 04/14/2011
Way better than the Departed (which was based on it.) This film oozes kinetic storytelling and is both visually arresting and emotionally moving. One of the best of Asian cinema of the past decade.
Rating of
3/4
goodfellamike - wrote on 10/30/2008
A skillfully directed and staged gangster film lacking only character development; this was later remade as the much more detailed and masterful The Departed in 2006. Final Grade: B
Full Movie Reviews
Rating of
2.5/4
Hong Kong Crime Thriller
cacb3995 - wrote on 05/17/2018
Andrew Lau and Alan Mak direct “Infernal Affairs”, a 2002 crime thriller that takes place in Hong Kong. A hit at the time of its release, it achieved a certain level of international success, enough to catch the attention of american film legend Martin Scorsese. He then went on to remake the film with Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon and Jack Nicholson in 2006; the title of the remake was “The Departed”, what propelled Scorsese to his first ever Best Picture and Director Oscar in his career, and the rest is history. Being a big fan of “The Departed” I wanted to watch the original version for quite some time now, and now I’ve finally gotten around to do it. While I did find Lau’s and Mak’s film to be pretty good and entertainment, I can’t deny that it pales in comparison …
Rating of
3/4
"Infernal Affairs" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 07/02/2012
Two cops face off against each other in a race against time to discover their respective identities; one honest, working within a drug runner's gang and the other corrupt, working for the criminals. The inspiration for The Departed, this is one of the seminal Asian crime dramas of the last few years. Well, ever, in fact. My main problem with it is that I REALLY wish I'd seen it first. The difference between this and The Departed highlights the difference between HK and US movie-making in general; The Departed was full of colourful language, brutal violence and macho posturing, while this is a far more understated affair. Unfortunately this means it is far more reliant on the twists and turns of the very cleverly written plot, and so anyone who has seen The Departed already will know …
Rating of
4/4
An affair to savour
Bribaba - wrote on 05/04/2011
Asian film have gradually been slipping into mainstream distribution channels, as people begin to realise that reading sub-titles isn't so bad after all, especially if it means being able to see something different instead of the usual mulitiplex franchises. But American studios are not going lose revenue to a bunch of guys who don't speak English, so what do they do, they remake films like Infernal Affairs, thus killing two birds with one stone: helping to nullify the Asian threat on one hand, and get cheap 'new' material of proven worth on the other.
Nothing if not original, it's the Chinese who are first to see the dramatic potential of mobile phones. In this Wai-Keung Lau film, both cops and robbers have a mole in their midst, but has one or both turned like the proverbial worm? …
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