Infernal Affairs (2002)
"Mou gaan dou" (original title)

A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.

Directors:

Wai-keung Lau, Alan Mak

Writers:

Alan Mak, Felix Chong

Stars:

Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang

Top 250 #211 | 23 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Lau	...	Inspector Lau Kin Ming
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Chen Wing Yan (as Tony Leung)
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang	...	SP Wong Chi Shing (as Anthony Wong)
Eric Tsang	...	Hon Sam
Kelly Chen	...	Dr. Lee Sum Yee
Sammi Cheng	...	Mary
Edison Chen	...	Young Lau Kin Ming
Shawn Yue	...	Young Chan Wing Yan
Elva Hsiao	...	May
Chapman To	...	Tsui Wai-keung
Ka Tung Lam	...	Inspector B (as Lam Ka Tung)
Ting Yip Ng	...	Inspector Cheung (as Ng Ting Yip)
Dion Lam	...	Del Piero
Chi Keung Wan	...	Officer Leung (as Wan Chi Keung)
Hui Kam Fung	...	Cadet School Principal

Storyline

Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst.

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Plot Keywords:

police | mole | triad | undercover | hong kong | 

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Taglines:

Loyalty. Honor. Betrayal.

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Genres:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Official Sites:

TFM Distribution [fr]

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese English Thai

Release Date:

12 December 2002 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Infernal Affairs

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$25,680 (USA) (24 September 2004)

Gross:

$89,594 (USA) (15 October 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Media Asia Films, Basic Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min 97 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When referencing this film as the inspiration for the Best Picture-winning The Departed, the announcer at the 79th Academy Awards mistakenly identified the Hong Kong production as Japanese.

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Goofs

When SP Wong was killed, the top of the taxi had been collapsed, but in the next scene, the top of the taxi remained undamaged.

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Quotes

Cadet School Principal: Who wants to be like ex-cadet Yan?
Young Lau Kin Ming: I do.

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Connections

Remade as The Departed (2006)

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Soundtracks

"THE FORGOTTEN TIME"
Composed by Chen Hong Ming
Lyrics by Chen Hong Ming
Performed by Tsai Chin

User Reviews

At it's heart, a gripping cop thriller

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.