Cheap Infernal Affairs (Wu jian dao) (DVD) (Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang) (Wai Keung Lau, Siu Fai Mak) Price

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Customer Reviews of Infernal Affairs (Wu jian dao)

Yes!No?Yes!No?Yes!
Infernal Affairs is one of the best non-arthouse-ish (in which category I will include the most excellent Wong Kar Wai, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, et al) chinese movies I've seen in recent years, and is remarkably clearheaded and economical on both Hollywood and Hong Kong scales (especially compared to some of the other Andrew Lau movies I've seen, which themselves are relatively clearheaded on the hong kong scale). Lau also works as a cinematographer (both in movies he directs and in others' films) which is very obvious in all of his movies, this one being no exception, but where others are rather well stylized but under/over plotted (The Duel, maybe), Infernal Affairs finds a much needed balance between plot, style, and efficiency.

PLOT SUMMARY
Something of a mid-key thriller bordering on character-study-done-from-a-distance, the story is told with hardly any extraneous characters or scenes. Its two main characters (moles, respectively, in the HK police and triad) lives' are followed as they and their respective false and true leaders near detection of one-another, but not just the interactions with the traid, police, and their members. Other elements of their lives like chance meetings, love interests, routines are also depicted, which will please those who insist on examining every aspect of a film in order to feel justified in enjoying it, as it works fairly well as a play on the whole "good/evil" thing, the exploration of the ambiguities between the two, while remaining within clear outlines of both good and evil.

But the qualities that make this film enjoyable are not really in any ideas that may be found in abstractions and underlying structures (especially since these sorts of fairly simply-structured stories are a "been-there-done-that" for most moviegoers in terms of analysis). What makes this film enjoyable are the performances and presentation... watching the characters interact, near and play off one-another and the others in their worlds, which is testament to the acting (props especially to Andy Lau and Tony Leung) as well as the Andrew Lau's willingness to forgo the temptation to just throw in as many stereotypical crowd-pleasing elements as he could.

PS - Other Andrew Lau directed films I would recommend include Young and Dangerous 6 (Born to be King), which is nearly as good as Infernal Affairs, and Storm Riders (maybe also The Duel) which is entertainingly convoluted and confusing, has some cool fighting and sfx, and beats the pants off of lots of the recent Hollywood comic-based movies (as opposed to asian Manga based movies, which tend to rawk maybe more than they don't).

Intense, Intriguing, and Explosive Thriller!
Infernal Affairs, a high-speed thriller delivered on a bed of explosives that is ready to go off, takes place in fast-paced modern Hong Kong where two cultures, the Chinese and the previous Royal British Colony, are fused into a complex mix that attracts and repels each other simultaneously. This dance between the cultures is noticeable in the daily jargon and architecture, yet the clear distinction between the cultures can be heard in the music and social values often based on proverbial lessons taught from ancient stories. In the middle of this culture clash there is another fierce conflict between the Triads and the police force's organized crime unit. These two elements, legal and illegal, represent the new and old as the Triads attempt to stay in power through financial control of Hong Kong by extortion, trafficking, and other criminal activities, which they slowly attempt to decriminalize through organizing their criminal activities.

The police force plants a mole, the sharp Yan (Tony Leung), within the criminal world in order to find a way to stop the organized crime. Yan is dedicated to his calling as he wants to serve the public for a better future, but he often questions his decision as he is forced to live with an alter ego. Nonetheless, Yan continues to fight the crime from within the dragon's nest. Triads use the same methods as the police force as they also have planted a mole within the organized crime unit that can tip them of any possible raids. Ming (Andy Lau), a spirited and driven police officer, is Yan's counterpart as he attempts to snoop out from within what the organized crime unit is planning. The struggle for Hong Kong leads Yan and Ming into a cerebral complex maze of traps and dangers controlled by both the police and the Triads as they both attempt to unveil the true identity of the moles.

Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak direct a visually stunning film that is brought to life by an excellent cast. The editing in Infernal Affairs is brilliant as it creates a highly stressful atmosphere where time becomes distorted and sweat pearls on the audience's forehead. This stress is elevated by minute details in the script and meticulous cinematography that maximizes each situation through camera movement and focusing at the best possible time. Lighting and filters used in the camera while shooting many of the scenes enhances realistic feelings for the scenes, but it also leaves an artistic impression that focuses on the emotional moment. When all aspects of film making are put together in Infernal Affairs it leaves the audience with an exceptional cinematic experience.