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Movies / On DVD / Infernal Affairs
Infernal Affairs

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Infernal Affairs (2003)

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Reviews Counted:59

Fresh:56

Rotten:3

Average Rating:7.6/10

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

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for violence

Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Sep 24, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, INFERNAL AFFAIRS is a tense thriller featuring Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau and Tony Leung. The film follows the parallel lives of Ming (Lau), a cop who... Directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, INFERNAL AFFAIRS is a tense thriller featuring Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau and Tony Leung. The film follows the parallel lives of Ming (Lau), a cop who secretly reports to ruthless Triad crime boss Sam (Eric Tsang); and Yan (Leung), an undercover police officer who poses as a Triad member in Sam's gang. For Yan, the years of living in the criminal underworld have taken their toll, and he longs to return to regular police duty. However, the only person who knows Yan's true identity is his mentor Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong), also the unsuspecting superior of Ming. When Wong's officers come face to face with Sam's gang, both leaders realize there are moles in their midst. Soon Yan and Ming must track each other down, leading to an inevitable confrontation. Unlike many contemporary Hong Kong films, INFERNAL AFFAIRS steers clear of over-the-top action in favor of a more stylized and subdued story that builds on emotional and psychological tension. Leung is riveting as the undercover cop who desperately wants a normal life, while Lau instills his corrupt character with confidence and charm that mask his deep inner conflict. These two stellar turns are ably supported by veteran actors Wong and Tsang, along with Sammi Cheng and Kelly Chen. A huge blockbluster in Asia, INFERNAL AFFAIRS is a landmark of Hong Kong cinema that deserves the same status abroad. [More]

Starring: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang

Starring: Andy Lau, Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Sammi Cheng, Kelly Chen, Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, Elva Hsiao

Director: Wai Keung Lau, Alan Mak

Director: Wai Keung Lau, Alan Mak
Screenwriter: Alan Mak, Felix Chong
Producer: Wai Keung Lau
Studio: Miramax Films

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Release:

Dec 7, 2004

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Infernal Affairs
  • An award-winning crime thriller in the intense tradition of HEAT and RESERVOIR DOGS ... critics everywhere have hailed INFERNAL AFFAIRS for its gritty action and international superstars. Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung -- HERO) is a hard-nosed veteran cop sent undercover to infiltrate the notorious Triad crime ring. An expert at bringing down violent syndicates, Chan thinks it's going to be a routine mission. What he's not prepared for is the discovery that the Triad's boss (Eric Tsang -- THE ACCIDENTAL SPY) has planted a mole (Andy Lau -- THE LEGEND OF DRUNKEN MASTER) in the police department ... and now Chan is being hunted down. In this battle of wills, only one cop can win!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
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    Reviews for Infernal Affairs

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    21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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    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?

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    12/24/04
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    More reasonably plotted than most films of the action genre.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    12/20/04
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    A blistering thriller and an intelligent character study and a comic take-off on the conventions of thrillers.

    Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
    12/09/04
    Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
    Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
    St. Paul Pioneer Press

    This is the type of movie Asian action fans talk about when they say they love the genre.

    Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
    12/07/04
    David Cornelius
    David Cornelius
    eFilmCritic.com

    The twists offered in Infernal Affairs ... take the genre to enthralling new heights, guaranteeing that any future such efforts will have an entirely new bar for which to aim.

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    12/05/04
    Wade Major
    Wade Major
    Boxoffice Magazine

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

    Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
    12/02/04
    Colin Covert
    Colin Covert
    Minneapolis Star Tribune

    Infernal Affairs is the combustible Hong Kong fever dream that would emerge from a night spent watching Heat and Donnie Brasco back to back.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
    12/02/04
    Phil Villarreal
    Phil Villarreal
    Arizona Daily Star

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

    Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
    11/29/04
    Tom Long
    Tom Long
    Detroit News

    A great cop yarn.

    Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
    11/27/04
    Liz Braun
    Liz Braun
    Jam! Movies

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

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    11/27/04
    Susan Walker
    Susan Walker
    Toronto Star

    Asia is seizing another of our taken-for-granted, creatively neglected staples, the cop movie, and again shows us how relevant and entertaining it can be when given proper respect.

    Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
    11/24/04
    Terry Lawson
    Terry Lawson
    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    11/20/04
    Boston Phoenix

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    11/19/04
    Boston Globe

    [Infernal Affairs] isn’t a good guy versus bad guy film but one that shows good and bad, both, in the makeup of the players.

    Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
    10/11/04
    Robin Clifford
    Robin Clifford
    Reeling Reviews

    A high tension police drama set in Hong Kong where the operations of both the police and crime syndicates are hobbled by moles within their organizations.

    Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
    10/10/04
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
    Spirituality and Practice

    One of the truest American gangster films of all time.

    Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
    10/06/04
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Salon.com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It offers a fairly fresh variation on a done-to-death genre.

    Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
    09/30/04
    Mike Clark
    Mike Clark
    USA Today
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's amazing there haven't been a dozen movies like it.

    Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
    09/30/04
    Richard Corliss
    Richard Corliss
    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Smart, snazzy entertainment.

    Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
    09/30/04
    Stephen Whitty
    Stephen Whitty
    Newark Star-Ledger
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [D]iabolically clever... the apotheosis of the Hong Kong police thriller...

    Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
    09/28/04
    MaryAnn Johanson
    MaryAnn Johanson
    Flick Filosopher
     
     
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    Latest News for Infernal Affairs

    August 05, 2008: Sam Jackson's Top 10 New Classic Asian Films Opens in new window
    Wondering if you've seen the latest, greatest Asian movies? Samuel L. Jackson is here to help: he's drawn up a list of his Top 10 New Classic Asian Films for Entertainment Weekly. More...

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    Anyone who's seen all three of the "Infernal Affairs" flicks had to know this was coming: Word is that we'll probably be getting a sequel to "The Departed,"... More...

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