Mou gaan dou

A deceptively simple idea lies at the heart of this complex thriller: the Hong Kong police and a triad gang both have an informer in each other's organisation: whoever's man picks the enemies' spy first wins the game for his side. Add to that the customary double-agent-doesn't-know-which-side-he-is-on-anymore subplot (doubled, of course), and you have plenty of ingredients for a plot, although it's to the movie's credit that although a little stylised, it never seems false or contrived. Fast-paced and bold, with a generous score, it never insults the viewer's intelligence either, and features just the right level of moral ambiguity. At one level, it's just another thriller, and there's little in the way of wider political or social subtext; but on the other hand, it's a textbook lesson in the art of making this sort of film.

After I enjoyed Martin Scorcese's "The Departed, I decided to watch the film that inspired the celebrated director to re-make it and move the action from Hong Kong to Boston, MA, USA. I must say that I liked the original movie better: 50 minutes shorter than Scorcese's magnificent remake, "Infernal Affairs" is tighter, faster, more compelling and tells the same story better. It does not have a grand acting Jack Nicholson who basically plays Daryl Van Horne with the attitude and "Infernal Affairs" characters don't talk and don't curse as much as they do in "The Departed" but the Hong Kong's movie only benefits from it. As much as I admire Leonardo DiCaprio as Bill Castigan, Tony Leung (Yan) in his role is simply unforgettable.

I'm late in discovering the Hong Kong crime thriller genre so I can only compare "Infernal Affairs (Mou gaan dou))" to its Hollywood compatriots. It grippingly is the equal of such intense examinations of the anguish of undercover cops as "Donnie Brascoe" or dirty cops such as "Narc" or "Training Day."

Key is the dynamic opposite pairing of two leonine, charismatic actors, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, the self-sacrificing heart throb from "Hero (Ying xiong)" and the languid lover from "In the Mood for Love (Fa yeung nin wa)" here as an antsy, anguished too long undercover cop versus Andy Lau as his crisply efficient, ambitious counterpart.

The plot, propelled as well by the music, unpredictably twists and takes hairpin turns from the beginning so that even with helpful flashbacks it's a thrilling roller coaster ride to try to follow the constantly changing loyalties, manipulations, deals and revelations, not unlike the TV series "The Wire."

Regardless, you get that the real battle is for the characters' souls as much as their lives and you hold your breath to the last surprising minute. The initial motivations for how the men came to be at this crossroads will doubtless be explored in the prequel and sequel that haven't been released in the U.S. yet.

The women are just the girlfriends, but they do have separate lives, jobs and choices that impact the men in their lives.

With noted cinematographer Christopher Doyle is listed as a "visual consultant" in the credits, the great bulk of the film takes place at night, like a comparable chase film "Collateral," so it was unfortunate that the print I saw was not pristine.

It was also annoying that the subtitles were white on white illegible and that ideograms that are shown in the scene are not translated, even when the camera rests on them for a length of time that makes one assume something significant is written there.

I looked over a squad of reviews and was sad not to see anyone writing from Hong Kong. So I am putting in my piece.

Hong Kong movies have changed a lot in the last decade and when Infernal Affairs came out it was a real change. I noted 'Golden Chicken' was mentioned earlier, and that sums up many of the lame comedies that have recently been churned out. However the comedy is a large part of Hong Kong cinema, as is the gangster genre.

Infernal Affairs breaks with the comedy, keeps the gangsters (lau being a first class clean cut one - whilst Leung acts a remarkable strained police officer) and adds clever and intelligent tension. The acting is first class, as is the mood that truly captures the zeitgeist.

This movie is about the two characters and their similarities and moral obstacles. It also has something subtle to say.

This film was huge news in Hong Kong and the mainland. It is an important Hong Kong film.

The US remake will be more clichéd than you can imagine. This film will translate, it is not that original, no. But it has substance and mood that is valuable.

See it.

This movie has been regarded as the cream of Hong Kong gangster and cop movie. And has won 22 awards. But we all know awards don't mean a thing sometimes. The God Father of America cinema "Martin Scorsese" himself is making a American version of the movie, titled: Departed. I'm somewhat happy to see that this movie is being recognized and acknowledged by a true master, but distraught to the possibility of disappointment.

A little history of Hong Kong film industry, being in somewhat government free state for over 100 years, Hong Kong movie industry proliferated to the state of hysteria. On one hand, everything goes as long as people get what they want for 2 hours worth. On the other hand, lack of political drama has afforded the gangster and cop drama to truly grow and mature.

Now back to the movie itself. 3 years ago, when I was still a poor student, I was loitering in the local Chinese video store as usual, looking for something exciting. The owner handed me a VHS copy of this movie, he personally recommended it and said it's new and unique. So I went home and watched it immediately. And then I said in my then dark and dingy apartment for 30 minutes, in utter silence.

There was no plot twist, and no surprise ending, no Mr. M Night's heavy handed gimmicks and Hollywood's camera tricks. But from the beginning to the end, for full 2 hours, you can cut the tension with a knife. In the end, you still don't want it to end. The story goes on in your mind, questions, bits and pieces start to put together, characters start to take shape even after the movie ended.

In my entire life, I've never seen a movie that there isn't a single excessive frame, until I saw this movie. It has forever changed my expectation on crime drama.

The story is genius and simple enough. A mole in police department working against an undercover cop in drug trafficking mafia. They don't know each other's identity, so it is like a invisible tug war between the two competing against each other's wits. I won't reveal too much of it even though like I said, there's no plot twist.

It's a fairly popular movie that has generated huge buzz when it came out, and since been talked, compared and still highly regarded as unsurpassed by countless fans worldwide. It has an all star cast in Hong Kong cinema, and of course, the screenplay, the acting, the editing, the camera work and overall directing is flawless judging by all standards.

If you are adventurous enough to try even one Hong Kong movie, try this one.