INFERNAL AFFAIRS
It's mole vs. mole in this riveting crime thriller starring four of China's most popular actors: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Anthony Wong, and Eric Tsang. I'm not gonna lie-- none of those names ring a bell with me, but their acting in this movie was impeccable so I may seek them out in other films.
What Happened
Lau plays Ming, a corrupt cop serving as a mole within the department in order to leak information to Triad boss leader Sam (Tsang). The cops have their own mole withing the Triads, Yan (Chiu-Wai), who has been buried in the crime realm for ten years and is ready to get out and back to a straight life. Throughout the film lines of good and evil are blurred, as the two lead characters fight to uncover one another's identities while staying afloar in their own undercover worlds. Lau and Chiu-Wai's perfomances are so compelling that the audience feels torn over which agent we want to win. Will Ming stay loyal to his crime boss or has he become too content with his life on the right side of the law? Will Yan ever be able to ensnare Sam and get back to his real life? Will they ever discover one another's true identities?! You'll have to watch to find out.
What Rocked
It was really refreshing to see a crime thriller that didn't center on crazy gunfights and explosions (sorry fellas). Instead, this movie was pumped by intense suspense. Right up until the final scene, the movie twists and turns so you have no clue what is going to happen or who you should be cheering for. It kept me on the edge of my seat and there was more than one occasion where I literally gasped from surprise (not an easy accomplishment since I am usually the queen of seeing what's coming). The cinematography was also fantastic. The shots were clear and fluid and didn't distract from the action of the film.
What Blew
The female characters may as well been completely cut from the film. The small slips of the love interests of both Ming and Yan were hardly enough to even mention-- though I did enjoy the parallel of Ming's fiance's novel about a man with multiple personalities who can't decide if he wants to be a good guy or a bad guy. Classic irony. Love it.
What Others Thought
Obviously is is a foreign film so dubbing or subtitles are both included on the DVD. I tried to use both and found myself utterly confused. The subtitles are apparently direct translations whereas the dubbing keeps it closer, I believe, to what the actors are trying to capture in the scenes. In other words, what I was reading was NOT what I was hearing. So use the English dubbing and save yourself the headache. Btw, the dubbing was really well done. Very clear, loud, and matched the lip movements as perfectly as possible. Bravo.
So The Departed has some pretty big shoes to fill. Stay tuned to see how the American version holds up to the original.
Round Two. *Ding*
What Happened
Lau plays Ming, a corrupt cop serving as a mole within the department in order to leak information to Triad boss leader Sam (Tsang). The cops have their own mole withing the Triads, Yan (Chiu-Wai), who has been buried in the crime realm for ten years and is ready to get out and back to a straight life. Throughout the film lines of good and evil are blurred, as the two lead characters fight to uncover one another's identities while staying afloar in their own undercover worlds. Lau and Chiu-Wai's perfomances are so compelling that the audience feels torn over which agent we want to win. Will Ming stay loyal to his crime boss or has he become too content with his life on the right side of the law? Will Yan ever be able to ensnare Sam and get back to his real life? Will they ever discover one another's true identities?! You'll have to watch to find out.
What Rocked
It was really refreshing to see a crime thriller that didn't center on crazy gunfights and explosions (sorry fellas). Instead, this movie was pumped by intense suspense. Right up until the final scene, the movie twists and turns so you have no clue what is going to happen or who you should be cheering for. It kept me on the edge of my seat and there was more than one occasion where I literally gasped from surprise (not an easy accomplishment since I am usually the queen of seeing what's coming). The cinematography was also fantastic. The shots were clear and fluid and didn't distract from the action of the film.
What Blew
The female characters may as well been completely cut from the film. The small slips of the love interests of both Ming and Yan were hardly enough to even mention-- though I did enjoy the parallel of Ming's fiance's novel about a man with multiple personalities who can't decide if he wants to be a good guy or a bad guy. Classic irony. Love it.
What Others Thought
- Infernal Affairs has won a horde of awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor at the Hong Kong Film Awards.
- RottenTomatoes gives it a whopping 95% rating, declaring it "Smart and engrossing, this is one of Hong Kong's better cop thrillers." 95% is a difficult rating to get from this usually stingy, but highly reputable site.
- TheMovieBlogs's senior editor John calls it his "favorite cop film of all time." More of his ravings on this film include: "Brilliantly written, fantastic performances, superbly orchestrated conflict... man, there just aren't enough great things I can say about this movie." And don't forget, they have "The Official Home of Correct Movie Opinions."
- A somewhat wish-washy John Ralske from AMC offers this conflicting pearl: "Beautifully shot, well acted and tightly edited, the film is a flawed, but acceptably psychologically taut and genuinely suspenseful portrait of two violent men struggling with their own worth as they work to ingratiate themselves to those they are duty-bound to destroy." Why he calls it flawed in the midst of so much praise...I don't know.
- ILoveHKFilms.com also offers an ambiguous review, ordering us to "Forget fresh, inspired plotlines or startling thematic originality; this is simply a well-made, familiar storyline with all the big stars appearing in the same movie at the same time." I'm honestly not sure if he is mocking the movie or praising it... something to ponder I suppose.
Obviously is is a foreign film so dubbing or subtitles are both included on the DVD. I tried to use both and found myself utterly confused. The subtitles are apparently direct translations whereas the dubbing keeps it closer, I believe, to what the actors are trying to capture in the scenes. In other words, what I was reading was NOT what I was hearing. So use the English dubbing and save yourself the headache. Btw, the dubbing was really well done. Very clear, loud, and matched the lip movements as perfectly as possible. Bravo.
So The Departed has some pretty big shoes to fill. Stay tuned to see how the American version holds up to the original.
Round Two. *Ding*
I had no idea that the original Internal Affairs was a Japanese film; I am more familiar with the Richard Gere version. Japanese culture tends to be a bit more misogynist than ours, so, unfortunately, you're not going to run into too many strong female characters.
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