Infernal Affairs II (2003)

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.

Directors:

Andrew Lau, Alan Mak

Writers:

Alan Mak, Felix Chong

Stars:

Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong

6 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Chau-Sang Wong	...	SP 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
Tung Cho 'Joe' Cheung	...	Kwun (as Joe Cheung)
Henry Fong	...	Gandhi (as Ping Fong)
Peter Ngor	...	Negro
Arthur Wong	...	Wah
Teddy Chan	...	Ching
Chung-yue Chiu	...	Mary (as Yu Chiu)
Phorjeat Keanpetch	...	Sunny
Say Ping Yap	...	Socialites (as Shi Pin Ye)

Storyline

In the prequel of Infernal Affairs. Chan Wing Yan has been expelled from police academy in cause of his relatives to the triad. Now SP Wong give him a chance to undercover the triad family controlled by his half brother Hau. Besides of Ming. He has been ordered to killed Hau father and infiltrated the police department. The story get complicated when Wong's related to Hau father's dead. The avenge is begin when Mary. Sam's wife is the hit order. Now everything is complicated and related

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Plot Keywords:

hong kong | 1990s | bloody violence | mobster | neo noir | 

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Taglines:

The Birth Of A Legend (Yi Ge Chuan Qi De Dan Shen)

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

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.

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Goofs

When Mary Hon is at the airport, having got out of the taxi and ignored the phone call, she is standing in front of a large blue sign. The sign indicates the direction to "Departure" and "Immigation". The second word should read "Immigration", with an "r".

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Quotes

Mary Hon: [SP Wong and Luk are watching a videotape Ngai Hau secretly recorded of Mary Hon and Wong] Four years ago, you told me to kill Kwun.
SP Wong: [on tape] So what? Want to blackmail me now?
Mary Hon: [on tape] I'm not blackmailing you. We simply passed the point of no return.
SP Wong: [on tape] I'll send everybody away then.
Ngai Wing-Hau: I hired Alan and Johnson to investigate my father's murder. Who would've know? The police conspired to murder my father. A law-abiding citizen.
Ngai Wing-Hau: Officer Luk.
[points to videoscreen]
Ngai Wing-Hau: Isn't that a police officer in ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks: The Entity (2015)

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Soundtracks

CRY
Composed by Kwong Wing Chan
Performed by Tan Han Jin
OP: Click Music Ltd.

User Reviews

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.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Hong Kong Singapore China

Language:

Cantonese English Mandarin Thai

Release Date:

1 October 2003 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Infernal Affairs II

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,244,410

Company Credits

Production Co:

Media Asia Films, Mediacorp Raintree Pictures, Eastern Dragon Film Co. Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

119 min 110 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1