Infernal Affairs ***** (2002, Andy Lau, Tony Leung) – Classic Movie Review 1997

The 2002 Hong Kong cult favourite that inspired Martin Scorsese‘s spectacular 2006 crime thriller epic The Departed is a spectacular thrill ride in its own right and, with its stupendous premise, one of the all-time great cop movies.

It motors on Alan Mak and Felix Chong‘s brilliant and ultra-satisfying story about a mole in the police department and an undercover cop who have the same quest to find out who is the mole and who is the cop.

Tony Leung (aka Tony Chiu Wai Leung) plays Chen Wing Yan, the young cop sent undercover as a mole in the local Triad. Andy Lau plays the young Triad member Lau Kin Ming who infiltrates the police force. Both actors are brilliant.

And Wai-Keung Lau (aka Andrew Lau) and Alan Mak direct with the greatest possible dynamism and style to spare. Where Scorsese’s movie is an epic, this is a taut crime action thriller.

It runs 101 minutes with the director’s cut at 97 minutes. The DVD also has the alternative ending.

Infernal Affairs 2 and Infernal Affairs 3 followed in 2003.

http://derekwinnert.com/the-departed-2006-leonardo-dicaprio-matt-damon-jack-nicholson-mark-wahlberg-classic-movie-review-1996/

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1997

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com/