Details
Movie Description
Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, INFERNAL AFFAIRS is a tense thriller featuring Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau and Tony Leung. The film follows the parallel lives of Ming (Lau), a cop who secretly reports to ruthless Triad crime boss Sam (Eric Tsang); and Yan (Leung), an undercover police officer who poses as a Triad member in Sam's gang. For Yan, the years of living in the criminal underworld have taken their toll, and he longs to return to regular police duty. However, the only person who knows Yan's true identity is his mentor Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong), also the unsuspecting superior of Ming. When Wong's officers come face to face with Sam's gang, both leaders realize there are moles in their midst. Soon Yan and Ming must track each other down, leading to an inevitable confrontation.
Unlike many contemporary Hong Kong films, INFERNAL AFFAIRS steers clear of over-the-top action in favor of a more stylized and subdued story that builds on emotional and psychological tension. Leung is riveting as the undercover cop who desperately wants a normal life, while Lau instills his corrupt character with confidence and charm that mask his deep inner conflict. These two stellar turns are ably supported by veteran actors Wong and Tsang, along with Sammi Cheng and Kelly Chen. A huge blockbluster in Asia, INFERNAL AFFAIRS is a landmark of Hong Kong cinema that deserves the same status abroad.
Film Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Additional Release Material:
Trailers - 1. International Trailer
2. Original Chinese Trailer
Featurette - 1. Making Of INFERNAL AFFAIRS
2. CONFIDENTIAL FILES
Alternate Ending
IN THEATRES: SEPTEMBER 24, 2004
Industry Reviews
"The masterstroke here is to set Tony Leung's unshaven, jittery, leather-jacketed undercover cop up against Andy Lau's sharp-suited male model..."
Sight and Sound - Kim Newman (03/01/2004)
"It looks pretty stylish....[With] a sleek, often hallucinatory look, which is both modish and dramatically appropriate."
Uncut - Allan Jones
"This is a movie that gets it hooks into you early, and no chance is it letting go."
Rolling Stone - Peter Travers (09/30/2004)
"[The film] feels completely fresh as it's unspooling onscreen....This is a real grabber."
Premiere - Glenn Kenny (10/01/2004)
"The filmmakers entrust the hard work to stars Lau and Leung. And the two men prowl and circle each one another with a balletic intensity that makes words superfluous..."
Entertainment Weekly - Lisa Schwarzbaum (10/01/2004)
"[T]he sophistication of the stylized minimalism here in INFERNAL AFFAIRS is dazzling."
New York Times - Elvis Mitchell (09/24/2004)
"The first INFERNAL plays like THE DEPARTED on fast-forward; you get dozens of scenes nearly identical to Scorsese's..." -- Grade: A-
Entertainment Weekly - Chris Willman (02/16/2007)
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