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Infernal Affairs
Miramax Films


9.3

based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 18 votes
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Rate this movie

FILM:

Initial D

MPAA RATING: R for violence

Starring Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Chapman To, Lam Ka Tung, Ng Ting Yip, and Wan Chi Keung

A tightly wound thriller which centers on two Hong Kong police officers - one a gang mole on the force and the other an undercover cop in the gang - who share the same objectives and who find their destinies intertwined in this high-octane police actioner. (Miramax)

GENRE(S):	Action \| Crime \| Drama \| Foreign \| Suspense/Thriller
WRITTEN BY:	Alan Mak Felix Chong
DIRECTED BY:	Andrew Lau Alan Mak
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: December 7, 2004 Theatrical: September 24, 2004
RUNNING TIME:	101 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	Hong Kong
LANGUAGE(S):	Cantonese (with English subtitles)

Original title "Wu jian dao"

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle G. Allen Johnson

Unfolds as a masterful chess match of wit and ingenuity, a cat-and-mouse chase of the highest order.

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

Dazzling psychological cat-and-mouse drama.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Throbs with action, suspense and a seductive rhythm all its own.

New York Daily News Jami Bernard

The plot is intricate and tight. The preamble is a bit challenging to sort out. But the movie's engine is the relationships and the characters' inner lives, all of it boiling with emotional intensity.

Chicago Tribune Allison Benedikt

It's hard to breathe in Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's Infernal Affairs, a relentlessly taut Hong Kong cop thriller that, unlike many of its cinematic peers, doesn't burn off tension in choreographed action sequences.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

One of the truest American gangster films of all time.

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

A runaway hit in Hong Kong, this 2002 crime thriller reinvigorated the genre with its airtight script, taut editing, and sleek cinematography.

Variety Derek Elley

Pic is superbly honed at both script and performance levels, with character taking precedence over action.

Village Voice Dennis Lim

Spins in place with aplomb, generating exponentially more vertiginous doublings with each sweaty-palmed set piece.

The Hollywood Reporter Andrew Sun

Driven by two great performances surrounded by solid supporting acts, Infernal Affairs is the rare testosterone movie that is also mature and thoughtful.

Premiere Glenn Kenny

This is a real grabber.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

The movie pays off in a kind of emotional complexity rarely seen in crime movies.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Overflows with psychological intrigue, something often missing from such offerings.

USA Today Mike Clark

Viewers who like clean storytelling may not be happy. Those who savor ironic wrap-ups will be.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Here is a psychological twister with an implausible and hard-to-follow plot. All of this is more than compensated for by terrific performances, a seductive colour palette that is greenish and glassy, and a minimalist style reminiscent of Michael Mann.

Newsweek David Ansen

Expect to be confused for 10 minutes. Then sit back and enjoy the ride.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

The sophistication of the stylized minimalism here in Infernal Affairs is dazzling.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

It should come as no surprise that there's an American remake in the works, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon and directed by Martin Scorsese.

The New Yorker Anthony Lane

The directors, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, manage to convince us that we have witnessed an action movie, although in fact the quantity of violence is so minimal that, under Hong Kong law, Infernal Affairs barely qualifies as a motion picture.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.3 (out of 10) based on 18 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Terry gave it a10:
I liked this one better. People don't realize that the Departed is a remake of the Infernal Affairs trilogy. The Departed does take sources from IA 2 and 3. To say that this movie is a rough draft of Departed is downright insulting. WIthout this movie, there goes the Departed as well as Scorsese's career. This movie is much better. The characters are more interesting and this film has more soul than the American counterpart. A much better thriller overall.

Dan B. gave it a6:
It's like a rough draft for The Departed. I think if you've seen The Departed first, this movie won't seem so or as good. If you see this first, maybe it'll play better. They really took all this movie's good elements and sharpened them, played them up, in The Departed. Side note--they use so many English words! And who knew, they play bagpipes in HK. Fascinating.

Burns gave it a10:
Excellent! Pity it got a pathetic carbon copy.

Conga T. gave it a9:
A masterpiece of storyline, cinematography and characterization. A bit of overacting gives it not a perfect ten but nothing real is perfect in this life.

J Davis gave it a10:
The first half of the movie introduces the characters and builds a strong plot, while the second half of the movie is a rollercoaster fulls of twists and suprises.

Chad S. gave it a6:
When Hollywood gets its hands on "Infernal Affairs", one way to avoid slavish imitation, and possibly improve the story, is if they choose the other cop as its switcher of allegiances. "Infernal Affairs" doesn't quite get down-and-dirty enough. We're supposed to like both cops, and that's a problem. Subtitles automatically makes "Infernal Affairs" an art film, but really, it has mainstream intentions which prevents us from getting too acquainted with the interior lives of the conflicted. But as slick entertainment goes, "Infernal Affairs" is mostly winning and should be seen.

[Anonymous] gave it a 10:
One of the best movies i'd ever watched (and im very critical of movies). Its THAT good.

Infernal Affairs Miramax Films

Infernal Affairs
Miramax Films