Mou gaan dou II (2003)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Directors:

Wai-keung Lau
Alan Mak

Writers:

Alan Mak (written by) and
Felix Chong (written by)

Release Date:

1 October 2003 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. We all climb towards heaven. We all fall towards hell.

Plot:

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. Both the triads and the police find an enemy in a rival crime boss.

Plot Keywords:

Prequel | Police Academy | Shot In The Forehead | Drug Traffic | Police Internal Affairs

Awards:

4 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Anthony Wong Chau-Sang	...	Inspector Wong Chi Shing (as Anthony Wong)
Eric Tsang	...	Hon Sam
Carina Lau	...	Mary Hon
Francis Ng	...	Ngai Wing Hau
Edison Chen	...	Officer Lau Kin Ming
Shawn Yue	...	Chan Wing Yan
Jun Hu	...	SP Luk (as Hu Jun)
Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung	...	Kwun (as Joe Cheung)
Henry Fong	...	Gandhi (as Fong Ping)
Peter Ngor	...	Negro
Arthur Wong	...	Wah
Teddy Chan	...	Ching
Chung-yue Chiu	...	Mary (as Yu Chiu)
Phorjeat Keanpetch	...	Sunny
Shipin Ye	...	Socialites (as Ye Shi Pin)

Also Known As:

Infernal Affairs II (Hong Kong: English title) (International: English title) (Singapore: English title)
Infernal Affairs 2 (Australia)
Wu jian dao 2 (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

Runtime:

119 min | Germany:110 min (TV version)

Country:

Hong Kong | China | Singapore

Language:

Cantonese | English | Mandarin | Thai

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:R-12 | Australia:MA | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15A (original rating) | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Italy:T | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | UK:15

Company:

Media Asia Films

Trivia:

The line that SP Wong says, "Evil prevails. Only the good die young," is a simplified translation of what he actually says in Cantonese which is an old Chinese saying.

Quotes:

Ngai Wing-Hau: My father always says "what goes around comes around."

Movie Connections:

References The Godfather (1972)

Soundtrack:

BLACK HAWK

Unusually good prequel

Sequels are often a bad idea. If a second story is integral to our understanding of the first, it would have been included within it. Often, sequels seem like a cheap way to extract more life out of popular characters, by forcing the through fresh adventures which they either do not fit without contrivance, or which merely copy their previous escapades. 'Internal Affairs 2', however, is an exception. The first movie in this series was a complex thriller that was presented as the end game in a long battle between the Hong Kong police and criminal gangs; but the back story was only hinted at. This movie, actually a prequel, tells tells that story in such a way that it stands completely alone, and remains interesting although the audience already knows the ultimate ending; indeed, is arguably even more interesting because we know where the tale must end. One reason it works is because the film has different ambitions to its predecessor: that was a straightforward thriller of the highest order, whereas this film (no less good) is more character driven, and takes a wider perspective on Hong Kong society in general. Although the first movie was compared by some to Michael Mann's 'Heat', in fact it is this film that better bears the comparison as a tale of adversaries on opposite sides of the law, and it stands up to that comparison well: the subtle behaviours of the heroes and villains alike more interesting than the macho posturings of the gangsters and cops depicted in American movies. The only disappointment is the absence of Tony Leung from the original cast; but it's rare that two movies in a series are as complementary, and as good, as these two.