Infernal Affairs

Year: 2002

Grade: C-

Country: Hong Kong

Director: Lau/Mak

Review

the film that was the departed was based upon. it also stars andy lau and christopher doyle serves as a “visual consultant” so i figured it had to be pretty good. i was wrong. watching this film is actually a great way of highlight a couple things: the difference between american and hong kong styles, and the difference between a well executed film and a poorly executed one. in a lot of ways it’s tough to even imagine that this film was made into the great film that the departed is. at every turn scorsese and company improved upon the original: the acting, the action, the story arc, the music, the gritty feel, the themes, etc. the departed is about 40 minutes longer and it’s amazing how much more life the film has with that time. this version is rushed, the characters aren’t developed and the secondary characters (think of wahlberg, farmiga, sheen, and baldwin) are non-existent, the comic relief is nearly absent and not as effective…watch this film after you’ve seen the departed for two reasons: 1) if you watch it first then (like the guys who were sitting behind me) you won’t want to see the remake and 2) watching the original will give you a greater appreciation of the remake and will serve as a quick study on quality filmmaking.

Watched in theater