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Mou gaan dou (Infernal Affairs) (2002)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 60
Fresh: 57 | Rotten: 3

Smart and engrossing, this is one of Hong Kong's better cop thrillers.

100

Average Rating: 8/10
Critic Reviews: 22
Fresh: 22 | Rotten: 0

Smart and engrossing, this is one of Hong Kong's better cop thrillers.

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Average Rating: 4.2/5
User Ratings: 59,379

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Movie Info

As Infernal Affairs opens, Ming (Andy Lau of Full-time Killer) is being initiated into the criminal underworld by triad boss Sam (Eric Tsang of The Accidental Spy), who ends his speech to his young charges by wishing them success in the police department. Ming enters the police academy, where he excels, but sees his classmate, Yan (Tony Leung Chiu-Wai of In the Mood for Love), expelled for "breaking the rules." It turns out that Yan wasn't actually drummed out of the force, but recruited by

R, 1 hr. 41 min.

Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

Directed By: Wai-keung Lau , Alan Mak

Written By: Alan Mak, Felix Chong

In Theaters: Dec 12, 2002 Wide

On DVD: Dec 7, 2004

Miramax

Mou gaan dou (Infernal Affairs) Trailer & Photos

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Cast

Critic Reviews for Mou gaan dou (Infernal Affairs)

All Critics (68) | Top Critics (23) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (3) | DVD (21)

Everything you'd want in a police action thriller: powerhouse performances, Grade A production values, a good script and suspenseful direction.

February 4, 2005 Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle

| Comment

G. Allen Johnson

San Francisco Chronicle

Top Critic

Beauty in its consistent, washed-out blues and silvers, grace in its understated, intense male performances and energy in its unyielding commitment to tone and tension.

December 24, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune

| Comment

Allison Benedikt

Chicago Tribune

Top Critic

What makes it special is the inner turmoil caused by living a lie. If everyone you know and everything you do for 10 years indicates you are one kind of person, and you know you are another, how do you live with that?

December 24, 2004 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times

| Comment

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Top Critic

A beautifully crafted, exciting story that keeps on surprising you to the very end.

December 2, 2004 Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune

| Comment

Colin Covert

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Top Critic

This is what movies are supposed to feel like -- provocative, exciting, chilling, complex and fully engaging.

November 29, 2004 Comment

Tom Long

Detroit News

Top Critic

Skilfully directed by cinematographer Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Infernal Affairs has the feel of a made-for-prime-time U.S. police thriller.

November 27, 2004 Full Review Source: Toronto Star

| Comment

Susan Walker

Toronto Star

Top Critic

Seductively shot and beautifully acted, this is like a summation film, bringing together all the themes, motifs, mood, and style of the gritty policier Hong Kong thriller, one that will make John Woo and Michael Mann proud.

August 18, 2006 Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com Source: EmanuelLevy.Com

This intense, explosive Hong Kong thriller ushers in a new era of hyper-intelligent action.

May 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid

| Comment

Jeffrey M. Anderson

Combustible Celluloid

well-written, well-directed and well-acted genre film

November 26, 2005 Full Review Source: Draxblog Movie Reviews

| Comment

Dragan Antulov

Draxblog Movie Reviews Source: Draxblog Movie Reviews

Ultimately quiet tepid.

May 4, 2005 Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness

| Comments (4)

Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Um inteligente drama policial que se preocupa mais com o desenvolvimento de seus personagens (e com as rela��es entre estes) do que com tiroteios e reviravoltas.

May 3, 2005 Comment

Pablo Villaca

Cinema em Cena

Far too light on action to be very exciting, and far too generic and familiar to be genuinely intriguing, Infernal Affairsis ultimately a forgettable affair.

March 3, 2005 Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com

| Comments (3)

Brian Mckay

eFilmCritic.com

Potboiler Hong Kong cop drama with a fairly interesting plot about moral dilemmas and mixed allegiances.

February 4, 2005 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope

| Comment

Robert Roten

Laramie Movie Scope

Solid character-centric piece that's more interested in psychology than in gritty action sequences.

February 3, 2005 Full Review Source: Window to the Movies

| Comment

Jeffrey Chen

Window to the Movies

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Audience Reviews for Mou gaan dou (Infernal Affairs)

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Apparently, the original movie that inspired the American movie The Departed. I did not know this going in, but now I see the connection. Fantastic stuff here! This version is more of a psychological drama, than an action movie. Just as good, in my book.

January 1, 2011

Cynthia S.

Super Reviewer

Unfortunately I saw The Departed first, so I didn't get to go into Infernal Affairs as a fresh experience. Still, it's a tense, taunt thriller that's well worth watching.

June 13, 2010

Lewis C.

Super Reviewer

Mou gaan dou (Infernal Affairs) Quotes

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1. Keung: Remember this, if you see someone doing something but at the same time watching you... then he is a cop.
– Submitted by Luong N (2 months ago)
1. Supt. Wong: I remember a story. Two fools are waiting for their kidney transplant but only one kidney is available. Thus they play a game. They put a card on each others pockets. Whoever guesses the card in his own pocket wins.
2. Hon Sam: You know I can see your card.
3. Supt. Wong: I think so too
4. Hon Sam: I will beat you.
5. Supt. Wong: Let's see. We should be more careful.
6. Hon Sam: I will.
7. Supt. Wong: By the way, whoever loses the game dies.
8. Hon Sam: Let's see when you're going to die.
9. Supt. Wong: [extends his hand for a handshake]
10. Hon Sam: Ever seen someone shake a corpse's hand?
– Submitted by Dennis L (6 months ago)

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