FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
INFERNAL AFFAIRS
Infernal Affairs could easily have fallen into an all too familiar terrain, but
instead, it is a wondrously unformulaic Hong Kong action thriller. Sure, guns fly
rampantly, but not without scintillating purpose. Co-directors Andrew Lau and
Alan Mak have created a fully-realized, character-driven drama that flourishes in
the face of defying convention.
The film follows two Hong Kong police officers. High-ranking Ming (Andy Lau in
an impressively subtle performance) is actually a member of a triad gang,
and Yan (Tony Leung), an undercover cop, has spent his entire career
infiltrating the triad as one of its key players. Fully imbedded in their
assignments, the two have never crossed paths over their 10 years of duplicity.
But when a drug exchange/bust goes wrong for both sides, each
organization realizes it has a mole in its midst. Both Ming and Yan are now,
sometimes humorously, put in charge of uncovering their respective traitors.
This is a movie alive with conflict. Ming is not your typical dirty cop. He is internally tormented by his allegiance to the gang and his
coworkers’ glowing admiration. Yan, having been undercover for so long, finds
solace only through weekly sessions with his therapist, where he always fall
asleep on the couch rather than divulge his mental torture. At times both men
seem as though they are about to crack under pressure, and at other times as
determined as ever to find the other insider.
Ripe with imagination, Infernal Affairs provides a balance between action
and drama. When Ming's fiancée learns of his secret affiliation with the
triad, it is as nerve-wracking and intense as the final confrontation between the
two warriors. And the moment these two finally do come face to face with the full
knowledge of the other's actions, the altercation is both clever and sickly
gratifying. Hugely successful overseas, this fast-paced film should translate just
as impressively to an American audience. (Director Martin Scorsese has already
chosen to remake the film for release next year.) Michael Belkewitch
|