Id also have no problem with recommending seeing it before the departed, as the films are different enough that. Til of the movie infernal affairs, a 2002 hong kong film that martin scorsese watched. Feb 11, 2009 trailer for andrew lau and alan maks film starring tony leung chiu wai, andy lau, anthony wong chausang, eric tsang, kelly chen, sammi cheng, edison chen. Feb 20, 2020 in 2002, hong kong released an amazing crimedrama called infernal affairs about detective going undercover to take down a crime syndicate. Some say that infernal affairs is the better movie despite the all the stars in the departed. An american region version of infernal affairs is out there and cheaply available. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates the triads, and a police officer secretly working for the same gang. Infernal affairs hong kongs most popular gangster film. Infernal affairs, starring andy lau and tony leung, is about a hong kong police officer who goes undercover in a local gang and a local gangster who infiltrates the police. Scorsese made the hollywood version more attuned to american culture. Infernal affairs is quite an excellent film in its own right, with cinematography and music to match the other fine elements i mentioned above. Infernal affairs is a gem in hong kong cinema that has spawned a prequel, a sequel, an academy awardwinning american remake by martin scorsese the departed, and even a successful video game.
Infernal affairs is a series of three crimethriller films directed by andrew lau and alan mak, starring andy lau and tony leung. Media asia released a limited edition of eightdvd set of the infernal affairs trilogy in an ultimate collectible boxset. I hadnt sat through more than 5 minutes of the departed before i realized what a horrible, horrible movie one of our best directors had mangled from a treasure. As if to underline the point, an american remake is already in the pipeline, to be directed by one of our.
Infernal affairs is a 2002 hong kong crime thriller film directed by andrew lau and alan mak and written by mak and felix chong. Oct 10, 2006 infernal affairs, starring andy lau and tony leung, is about a hong kong police officer who goes undercover in a local gang and a local gangster who infiltrates the police. Infernal affairs, for those who do not know, is what the departed is a remake of. It stars tony leung hero as the hard nosed cop sent under cover to infiltrate the triad crime ring. Both the triads and the police find an enemy in a rival crime boss. Infernal affairs trilogy special collectors edition.
In 2002, hong kong released an amazing crimedrama called infernal affairs about detective going undercover to take down a crime syndicate. Sep 24, 2004 infernal affairs this hong kong hit from 2002, starring andy lau and tony leung and just now being released here, is one of the truest american gangster films of all time. Trailer for andrew lau and alan maks film starring tony leung chiu wai, andy lau, anthony wong chausang, eric tsang, kelly chen, sammi cheng, edison chen. As infernal affairs opens, ming andy lau of fulltime killer is being initiated into the criminal underworld by triad boss sam eric tsang of the accidental spy, who ends his speech to his. Infernal affairs 2002 andy lau in infernal affairs 2002 kelly chen and tony chiuwai leung in infernal affairs 2002 infernal. The acting is first class, as is the mood that truly captures the zeitgeist. The movie is a remake of a lucrative hong kong trilogy called infernal affairs, and the american version could follow a similar path according to the flicks hardheaded detective mark wahlberg. Infernal affairs breaks with the comedy, keeps the gangsters lau being a first class clean cut one whilst leung acts a remarkable strained police officer and adds clever and intelligent tension.
In this prequel to mou gaan dou 2002, chan wing yan has just become an undercover cop in the triads while lau kin ming joins the police force. Infernal affairs 2, infernal affairs ii, infernal affairs ii wu jian dao 2, wu jian dao 2, infernal affairs 2. Infernal affairs is a gripping thriller with grandstanding drama, muscleclenching suspense and two great action leads in tony leung and andy lau. Scorsese did cast leonardo dicaprio and matt damon for his version so bringing in korean superstars is only a fitting tribute to the original franchise, deshou. The only thing i can praise wholeheartedly is that the endingclimax of infernal affairs is handled much better than in the departed.
Start with infernal affairs, its the original version of the crime drama the departed, which earned martin scorsese the academy award for best director. There is a constant question of good vs evil in infernal affairs, with the double act by the two characters creating a disconnect between law and morality. Infernal affairs dvd chicago public library bibliocommons. The chinese title means the nonstop way, a reference to avici, the lowest level of hell in buddhism. May 17, 2018 andrew lau and alan mak direct infernal affairs, a 2002 crime thriller that takes place in hong kong. Infernal affairs and the departed to me are thus manifestations of these two styles in terms of narrative.
It is a remake of the 2002 hong kong film infernal affairs. As an american, i was really looking forward to the americanized version of infernal affairs, a movie i absolutely love. Neither andy lau nor tony leung, who played the central roles in the original, appear in this film as they are replaced by their younger versions. Andrew lau and alan mak direct infernal affairs, a 2002 crime thriller that takes place in hong kong. Infernal affairs mou gaan dou 2002 rotten tomatoes. Jan 12, 20 the korean version is gathering three big name stars. A crosscultural comparison of infernal affairs and the.
Jul 25, 2012 an awardwinning crime thriller in the intense tradition of heat and reservoir dogs. It is brilliant, every twist and turn is remarkable and ingeniously written. Feb 14, 2007 infernal affairs trilogy special collectors edition. Anthony wong, eric tsang, edison chen, shawn yue and chapman to reprise their roles from the original film alongside new cast members carina lau, francis ng, hu jun and roy cheung. Infernal affairs was made in 2002, a hong kong crime thriller directed by andrew lau and alan mak. Infernal affairs has a frenetic energy and is a combination of intense melodrama and slick crosscutting. An island off of the mainland and longi temporis possessio of a western hegemony, hong kong is actually, as tu acknowledges it, at least in spirit, part of the chinese diaspora. A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. 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. Infernal affairs do deserve credit where credit is due, and the whole story and writing is its achievement. Infernal affairs was a super hightension adrenaline rush that shredded my nerves nicely from the getgo.
Infernal affairs is a compelling crime drama that led to the american remake, the departed. Til of the movie infernal affairs, a 2002 hong kong film. Infernal affairs stresses the idea of free choice by constructing a major turning point in the storyline around a seemingly arbitrary decision, whereas the american version consistently presents characters as rational beings who make decisions for very realistic reasons. Infernal affairs marks the comeback of profound and thrilling hong kong cinema. The hong kong hit infernal affairs a picture made in 2002 by andrew lau and alan mak thats just now reaching these shores is one of. Infernal affairs 2002 these two entries track the doublelives of two men. The korean version is gathering three big name stars. The chinese title means the nonstop way, a reference to avici, the lowest level of hell. These included flash point 2007, undercover 2007, and on the edge 2006. Popular videos infernal affairs infernal affairs topic. Infernal affairs 2002 directed by andrew lau, alan mak. Although my second pair of films andrew lau and alan maks infernal affairs hong kong, 2002 and martin scorseses the departed usa, 2006 begins my research on the modern foreignamerican crime drama, i saw distinct similarities between the adapted themes of the departed and korean horror remake the uninvited. The departed is a 2006 american crime film directed by martin scorsese and written by william monahan. With andy lau, tony chiuwai leung, anthony chausang wong, eric tsang.
Celebrate asian american and pacific islander heritage month by watching these asian cinema classics. Its true that the american version has better visuals becauseduh, it was produced four years after infernal affairs but the original remains the best. Infernal affairs episode 02 english sub hong kong drama 2018. An awardwinning crime thriller in the intense tradition of heat and reservoir dogs. To the natives of hong kong, this postcolonial turn is actually less a decolonization than a recolonization of. This film became so successful that it spawned sequels, which is where iconic director martin scorsese decided to make his own american version with the departed, starring the biggest names in hollywood. We may do a sequel with a new cast, and a prequel and bring back the rest of the guys, says the former funky buncher. What are the differences between the original version and the chinese version. Well, just like how tony leung chiuwai and andy lau were brought together for infernal affairs. Accordingly, my expectations were rather ambivalent. Infernal affairs is a 2002 hong kong crime thriller film directed by andrew lau and alan mak. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates a triad, and another officer secretly working for the same gang. This is down to, not setpieces, gratuitous sex or violence, or ridiculous overblown budgets, but very well drawn characters that earn our sympathy, even the bad guy characters and also an.
It is the first in the infernal affairs series and is followed by infernal affairs ii and infernal affairs iii. Infernal affairs however, is disjoint, unclear of itself, confusing, badly paced, and incoherent at many points in the film, neither is it thrilling nor that entertaining, which is a shame. As if to underline the point, an american remake is already in. Infernal affairs revitalised the ailing crime thriller in hong kong, and the american remake looks to do the same for the american crime thriller. The infernal affairs codirectors opinion was that the departed stuck so close to the original it looked like they are just making infernal affairs again. When colin was a boy, marlboro cigarettes came in 2 versions. Infernal affairs trilogy special collectors edition ign.
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