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Infernal Affairs

Name: Infernal Affairs
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
Released: September 24, 2004
Duration: 101 min
Rating: 75
Cast: Andy Lau, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Tony Leung Chiu Wai

2004

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critics

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 98 Ratings

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6.6

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6.6	Your Score
6.6	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 98 Ratings

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Movie Details & Credits

Miramax Films | Release Date: September 24, 2004 | R

Starring: Andy Lau, Anthony Wong Chau-Sang, Tony Leung Chiu Wai

Summary: 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]

Director: Alan Mak and Wai-keung Lau

Genre(s): Mystery, Thriller, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 101 min

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Awards & Rankings

62	#62 Best Movie of 2004
81	#81 Most Discussed Movie of 2004
95	#95 Most Shared Movie of 2004

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

G. Allen Johnson

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

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. Read full review

Peter Travers

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

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. Read full review

V.A. Musetto

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

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. Read full review

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. Read full review

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User Reviews

Kilcoe

Aug 29, 2010

Probably the best Hong Kong film ever. A perfect combination of commercial and art.

And, being a Chinese, this film means so much to us. It revived the industry and set up a new set of standards there.

10 /10

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

Xelanak

Aug 22, 2017

It s really a good movie i enjoyed watching it again and again its definitively better then Scorsese 's movie! The music and the actors were far better then these in The Departed

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Terry

Apr 30, 2007

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 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.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful

ERG1008

Aug 19, 2010

Undercover cop works as henchman for gangster, new man is brought in to Internal Affairs to find mole in Police Department, paths cross, deceit & a right hullabaloo.
Riveting thriller with an excellent story, brilliantly acted & played out.
I had seen The Departed (Western remake) beforeUndercover cop works as henchman for gangster, new man is brought in to Internal Affairs to find mole in Police Department, paths cross, deceit & a right hullabaloo.
Riveting thriller with an excellent story, brilliantly acted & played out.
I had seen The Departed (Western remake) before this so expected the twists & turns throughout but both films do stand-up in their own right.
Also really liked the Hong-Kong back drop in this & some really good cinematography.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

avatar16

Sep 16, 2011

Je savais que Les InfiltrÃ©s Ã©tait le remake de cet Infernal Affairs, mais jamais je n'aurais pensÃ© que le film de Martin Scorsese en Ã©tait la copie conforme (la moindre scÃ¨ne a Ã©tÃ© refaite dans le filmJe savais que Les InfiltrÃ©s Ã©tait le remake de cet Infernal Affairs, mais jamais je n'aurais pensÃ© que le film de Martin Scorsese en Ã©tait la copie conforme (la moindre scÃ¨ne a Ã©tÃ© refaite dans le film amÃ©ricain). De ce fait, cela m'a paru bizarre de regarder ce film hongkongais. Mais heureusement, cela ne m'a pas empÃªcher d'admirer ce thriller Ã Ã§a juste valeur! Entrainant, passionnant, haletant, mise en scÃ¨ne avec brio, des personnages interprÃ©tÃ©s avec talent... C'est sÃ»r, je prÃ©fÃ¨re lÃ©gÃ¨rement Les InfiltrÃ©s, de part l'immense talent de Scorsese. Mais Infernal Affairs n'est pas Ã oublier de si tÃ´t non plus!… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

SheldonCooper

Nov 8, 2010

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1 of 2 users found this helpful11

CalibMcBolts

May 30, 2016

I've been looking around Rotten Tomatoes to find some negative reviews of 2002's ''Infernal Affairs'' by either critics or the audience, but i cant seem to find any *really* negative reviews (except the 3 rotten scores by critics) so i guess, i'm yet again, back in a dark corner with myI've been looking around Rotten Tomatoes to find some negative reviews of 2002's ''Infernal Affairs'' by either critics or the audience, but i cant seem to find any *really* negative reviews (except the 3 rotten scores by critics) so i guess, i'm yet again, back in a dark corner with my opinion on this one.

Me, like many of this films' viewers, watched this film after having seen the wildly succesfull (critically acclaimed, and loved by audiences) Martin Scorsese picture: ''The Departed'' which is the remake/retelling of this story, staring a massive A-list cast, slick style, superb screenwriting, confident directing and an additional 40 minutes to sink your teeth into. It's basically an upgrade in every filmmaking aspect, as you would hope with every remake, which is unfortunately not always the case..

As you can tell, i did not like Infernal Affairs at all, maybe a scene here and there, but as a whole, i was vastly disappointed. If i hadnt have seen The Departed before viewing Infernal Affairs i would have had no clue what this film is about, the only reason i understood what it was about after 40 minutes is because i watched The Departed before seeing this, which resulted in me having some sort of a clue what it was all about, but it really is not clear at all. Which is a perfect segway for my first complaint: The script is not confident of itself and has no clue what it wants to be, it goes all over the place and it feels so disconnected with the audience. Like i said, i got a fair idea what the movie was doing and what it wants to be after a whopping 40 minutes of struggling to know what the hell it was about, and to remind you, i allready saw The Departed, and i still had no clue what it wants to be. When watching the first 40 minutes i thought: ''Well, Scorsese and the screenwriters sure changed a whole lot, it seems a completely different film.''

There are always those people that always claim that the original is better than the remake, even though the remake is an incredible masterpiece. But i really cant take people like that siriously, use your brain, and anyone who has one will clearly see that Scorsese's The Departed is a much superior film than Infernal Affairs, even though you might've liked the original, i think then everyone would agree too that The Departed is the superior film. It has one of the best casts of all time and they all deliver incredible A+ performances, but in the original except maybe the 2 leads, every other character and performance is not memorable. Scorsese has crafted memorable characters out of every character that has a slight role in the film, even the smaller ones, which is an incredible feit. The original does no attempt at trying this, except with the 2 leads, which is poor. The Departed is 40 minutes longer, which is additional runtime it clearly needed because The Departed is a well fleshed-out, coherent, and streamlined script which is engaging, entertaining and thrilling from minute one. Infernal Affairs however, is disjoint, unclear of itself, confusing, badly paced, and incoherent at many points in the film, neither is it thrilling nor that entertaining, which is a shame.

The only thing i can praise wholeheartedly is that the ending/climax of Infernal Affairs is handled much better than in The Departed. The ending of The Departed is almost cartoonish and tonely-off. In Internal Affairs the ending is handled which much more precision and matureness. However, the ending to The Departed comes as more of a surprise and is more shocking, despite being a bit cartoonish.

That's all i have to say, watching Infernal Affairs was a chore, i did not have a fun time watching it, it was a difficult watch, and i have no intention in ever watching it again.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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