Infernal Affairs

Wai Keung Lau & Siu Fai Mak, Hong Kong, 2002, 97 minutes

The casual viewer could be forgiven for thinking that Hong Kong cinema ended in 1997. Little of note has emerged from the territory post-handover, the torch having seemingly been passed to other Asian cinemas. It’s a great pleasure, then, when a film like Infernal Affairs emerges to both popular and critical acclaim, spawning a sequel, prequel, and the inevitable Hollywood remake.

The story begins in police college where Lau Kin Ming (Andy Lau) and Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung) are cadets. Expelled on a trumped-up charge, Chan is recruited for deep undercover work. After a few successful operations, he is assigned by his superior Wong (Anthony Wong) to infiltrate Sam’s (Eric Tsang’s) gang. Lau, meanwhile, has been going at things from the opposite end and has become Sam’s spy on the inside of the police, where he now serves as Wong’s trusted right-hand man. Everything explodes when a drugs bust goes wrong and both factions realise the presence of a traitor in their midst - an Infernal Affair from which none of the protagonists will emerge unscathed...

The film explores themes of loyalty, duplicity and brotherhood familiar from "Heroic Bloodshed" entries like Ringo Lam’s City on Fire and John Woo’s Hard Boiled, and those expecting bloody, balletic gunplay with .45 automatics in either hand need to realise that this is a dramatic, character-driven piece. But thanks to the nuanced performances from all the leads and effective, stylish and above all taut direction from Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak, it’s a fair trade.

Hollywood will have a hard time topping this.

Review by Miichel Gentil
Written for EUFS Programme Autumn 2004