Infernal Affairs, the classic Hong Kong trilogy that inspired Scorsese’s The Departed, makes its Blu-ray debut.
Here’s Joseph’s review…
Infernal Affairsis a member of the elitist Havent you seen the original?
This 2002 Hong Kong cop thriller was remade by Martin Scorsese and his A-list chums asThe Departedfour years later.
The best film is: a matter of opinion.
The difference between them is marginal and too close to call objectively.
Whichever you prefer will come down to cinematic preferences or, most likely, which one you saw first.
And that, is that.
Its a really fantastic premise that forces two men bound by deceit to spiral inexorably towards each other.
The film asks profound questions about morality.
Leungs performance is so doe-eyed that you cant help but sympathise with his predicament.
Lau, on the other hand, is more of a schemer.
A cold calculated professional who is conflicted, but values self-preservation over all else.
That is the crux of their endearment.
Many films cant even manage one interesting character, so it seems almost unfair thatInfernal Affairsgets two.
The supporting cast are noticeably poorer by comparison.
Many of these actors get their chance to shine or flop in the two sequels.
Well, youll have to wait for number III, becauseInfernal Affairs IIis a prequel.
Lau and Leung are conspicuous by their absence, replaced by Edison Chen and Shawn Yue, respectively.
Last and least isInfernal Affairs III, which marks the semi-triumphant return of Andy Lau and Tony Leung.
To squeeze in enough screentime for both characters, the film flashes wildly between time periods.
Daoming Chen arrives as new antagonist, Inspector Shen Chen, who Lau suspects is another informant.
The transfers are perfectly fine, but dont have enough sharpness to warrant an HD upgrade.
The extras are limited to short making of docs and a few other behind-the-scenes snippets.
The first film features a commentary with both directors.
Films:
Infernal Affairs: The Complete Trilogyis out now on Blu-ray andavailable from the Den Of Geek Store.
Rating:
4 out of 5
