Infernal Affairs - Die achte Hölle

I'm late in discovering the Hong Kong crime thriller genre so I can only compare "Infernal Affairs (Mou gaan dou))" to its Hollywood compatriots. It grippingly is the equal of such intense examinations of the anguish of undercover cops as "Donnie Brascoe" or dirty cops such as "Narc" or "Training Day."

Key is the dynamic opposite pairing of two leonine, charismatic actors, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, the self-sacrificing heart throb from "Hero (Ying xiong)" and the languid lover from "In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa)" here as an antsy, anguished too long undercover cop versus Andy Lau as his crisply efficient, ambitious counterpart.

The plot, propelled as well by the music, unpredictably twists and takes hairpin turns from the beginning so that even with helpful flashbacks it's a thrilling roller coaster ride to try to follow the constantly changing loyalties, manipulations, deals and revelations, not unlike the TV series "The Wire."

Regardless, you get that the real battle is for the characters' souls as much as their lives and you hold your breath to the last surprising minute. The initial motivations for how the men came to be at this crossroads will doubtless be explored in the prequel and sequel that haven't been released in the U.S. yet.

The women are just the girlfriends, but they do have separate lives, jobs and choices that impact the men in their lives.

With noted cinematographer Christopher Doyle is listed as a "visual consultant" in the credits, the great bulk of the film takes place at night, like a comparable chase film "Collateral," so it was unfortunate that the print I saw was not pristine.

It was also annoying that the subtitles were white on white illegible and that ideograms that are shown in the scene are not translated, even when the camera rests on them for a length of time that makes one assume something significant is written there.

A deceptively simple idea lies at the heart of this complex thriller: the Hong Kong police and a triad gang both have an informer in each other's organisation: whoever's man picks the enemies' spy first wins the game for his side. Add to that the customary double-agent-doesn't-know-which-side-he-is-on-anymore subplot (doubled, of course), and you have plenty of ingredients for a plot, although it's to the movie's credit that although a little stylised, it never seems false or contrived. Fast-paced and bold, with a generous score, it never insults the viewer's intelligence either, and features just the right level of moral ambiguity. At one level, it's just another thriller, and there's little in the way of wider political or social subtext; but on the other hand, it's a textbook lesson in the art of making this sort of film.

Martin Scorsese's 'The Departed' was probably one of the most critically-acclaimed films of 2006, and, upon hearing the tumult of praise that accompanied its release, it was a film that I desperately wanted to see. However, I couldn't do so until I had seen the 2002 Hong Kong film upon which it was based, 'Mou gaan dou {Infernal Affairs},' directed by Wai-keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak. Fortunately, not too long ago, my local movie rental store was having a sale on their superfluous VHS tapes, at a price of $2.00 apiece. Among the cheap movies that I snapped up was a copy of 'Infernal Affairs' that looked like it had never been opened. Having now watched it, I must say that, despite my limited experience with Asian cinema, I very much enjoyed the film. 'Infernal Affairs' combines an irresistible story of intrigue, loyalty and betrayal with some extremely slick editing and camera-work; it's no surprise that the film has acquired an impressive following in the West.

Tony Leung plays Chan Wing Yan, an overwrought undercover cop who has spent the last ten years infiltrating numerous dangerous gangs and exposing their criminal dealings. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Andy Lau plays Inspector Lau Kin Ming, a police mole who is secretly working the Triad, the same gang with which Yan is currently affiliated. After an expensive drugs transaction goes wrong for both the gang and the police force, each side suspects that they have a traitor in their midst, and, in a bitterly ironic turn, it falls to each of the two moles to find out who it is. Both main actors do a good job of maintaining the intensity of the story. There are certainly countless parallels to be drawn between the characters, but what struck me most were the contrasts between the two: Ming is a cold, devoted and ruthlessly efficient, whilst Yan has been reduced to a tired and neurotic wreck after a decade of living in fear.

The plot of 'Infernal Affairs' moves forward at a ripper pace, probably owing more to Western action cinema than that from its own region. The cinematography is bright and stylish, and the climactic scene on the rooftop, with the vibrant sunlight beaming overhead, was captured to great effect {Australian-born Christopher Doyle, who has worked on such films as '2046' and 'Rabbit-Proof Fence,' contributed to this film, so you already know that the cinematography will be good}. There are several moments when the storytelling was not handled as well as it might have been: the film made too frequent use of unnecessary flashbacks, and, following the death of Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong), we are treated to a video montage that feels like the final episode of a long-running sitcom. Also, the failed attempts of Ming's wife to finish her novel ("I don't know whether he's good or bad") was a blatantly-obvious attempt to draw parallels with Andy Lau's character. Despite my trivial complaints, 'Infernal Affairs' is an entertaining and thrilling film that I'd certainly recommend to anyone.

As cadets, Lau and Chan both show promise as police officers. However, Chan is removed from the training and send to be a long-term undercover in Sam's gang. However, unbeknownst to the police, Lau is also a long-term mole who is feeding information back to Sam. When Sam and police chief SP Wong both have their operations scuppered, each realises the other has a mole and sets out to uncover each. With each other's lives at risk, Lau and Chan must be the first to uncover the other.

I decided to see this after hearing good things about it but I was conscious that often foreign films can be given more leniency than Western films doing the same thing. After a slightly confusing opening few moments as characters settle down (not helped by using completely different actors for characters at late teens and late 20's - do people change that much?) the film immediately becomes gripping. The plot may well have the occasional hole and have unnecessary personal details (Lau's girlfriend and Chan's ex weren't really needed) but the central story is well written and told with such urgency that it is hard not to be totally engaged.

The film doesn't have many massive shoot outs or action scenes but it has a pretty consistent sense of tension that is enjoyable right up to a typical but impacting ending. The direction is stylish and only occasionally overuses the slow-mo jump cuts. It may owe more to American cinema than that of the Orient but it is still a very good film and I hope the inevitable remake will be as good.

The cast don't need to do that much apart from look intense and portray the tension of the story in a realistic fashion - something that they do well. At times the lead two actors are pushed out of this by the personal asides but they happily keep things on track. Both Lau and Leung play it very well - it never came down to good guy/bad guy and the audience was pretty well split. Wong is a solid officer while Tsang is good as Sam. Chen and Cheng may not have a great deal to do apart from slowing the film but they both look good doing it.

Overall this is a solidly enjoyable cop thriller, regardless of what country it comes from. It will eventually be remade I imagine and when it is I hope that it manages to retain it's consistent sense of tension, double-edged characters and a real tight hold on it's audience just as this did here.

After I enjoyed Martin Scorcese's "The Departed, I decided to watch the film that inspired the celebrated director to re-make it and move the action from Hong Kong to Boston, MA, USA. I must say that I liked the original movie better: 50 minutes shorter than Scorcese's magnificent remake, "Infernal Affairs" is tighter, faster, more compelling and tells the same story better. It does not have a grand acting Jack Nicholson who basically plays Daryl Van Horne with the attitude and "Infernal Affairs" characters don't talk and don't curse as much as they do in "The Departed" but the Hong Kong's movie only benefits from it. As much as I admire Leonardo DiCaprio as Bill Castigan, Tony Leung (Yan) in his role is simply unforgettable.