Rating: 
Summary: Tension Rises Very High: Magnificinet Hong Kong Noir
Review: 'Infernal Affairs' is the biggest box-office hit in Hong Kong in 2002, and if you see it, you won't be surprised with that fact. The film's premises are very simple; it's about a cop who is actually a gangster, and a gangster who is really a cop. With this clever version of 'undercover' theme (that was previously seen in the films like 'Donnie Brasco'), 'Infernal Affairs' presents as much tension and humanity as was seen in that Johnny Depp/Al Pacino film.
Ming (Andy Lau, 'House of Flying Daggers') is a young mole in the Honk Kong police, whose real boss is Sam, head of the Triads. He has been in police force for nearly ten years, and starts to doubt his life while faithfully swears his loyality to Sam.
At the same time, Yan (Tony Leung, 'In the Mood for Love') is an undercover cop, who has been in Sam's Triad for ten years. His superior officer Wong (Anthony Wong) is the only one who knows his real identity in the police, and Yan is also getting fed up with the life based on lies.
As the poilce force confronts the Triads, both Ming and Yan attempt to help their side anticipate the moves of the other. Finally, both sides realize that there are moles among them, and investigations and revenges make these characters lives more complex and unbearable.
DO NOT EXPECT the martial arts or so-called actions. This is a noir, and that means that it is the characters that matter, or their lives. I know, though the story is simple, it needs leap of faith. But the portraits of the people, and the pains of keeping on pretending what they are not, are vividly presented that the audiences will be sucked into the turmoil of their emotions. And the results are often nerve-shattering.
ANd the acting is all top-notch. I hear the talk of Hollywood remakes, which, I am afraid, is a tough work to do. Lau and Leung are both perfect, but more fantastic are Anthony Wong as police inspector and Eric Tsang as Triad boss. Their performances are so magnificient, even sublime at times, that you will stop caring which side would ultimately win.
Helped greatly by the moody camera (Andrew Lau and Lai Yiu Fai & 'visual consultant' Christopher Doyle, 'Rabbit Proof Fence'), 'Infernal Affairs' tells you that without John Woo Hong Kong movie industry can still produce excellent films with a touch of reality.
'Infernal Affairs' is part of trilogy, and you will see 'IA II' and 'IA III' sooner or later. 'Infernal Affairs' is the one you are watching now; 'Infernal Affairs II' is a prequel to it; and 'Infernal Affairs III' is a sequel to the original. But remember, the series is not the usual Hollywood commercial tactics to cash in on the hit movie, for some say '2' is better than the original. That's the only reason I don't give 5 stars, which 'Infernal Affairs' certainly deserves.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Hong Kong crime thriller
Review: Barely two years after it first came out of Hong Kong, Infernal Affairs has been earmarked for a Hollywood remake, reputedly with Martin Scorcese at the helm. On the off chance that the American version sucks, you'd be well advised to track this one down: quite simply, you haven't seen a cop film this good since Michael Mann's "Heat".
An undercover cop working in the Triads (Tony Leung) goes head to head with a Triad mole working in the police force (Andy Lau), embarking on a game of cat and mouse in which it's never clear who the predator is. It's a brilliant conceit, and one that's milked for all it's worth here... cue plot twists galore, building towards a denouement that's both unexpected and refreshingly unorthodox.
The acting is top-notch: Leung is particularly good, though even he is almost overshadowed by the tag-team support act of
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang's police superintendent and Eric Tsang's bug-eyed Triad boss. With female characters sidelined, presumably in the interests of plot streamlining or something, Infernal Affairs makes for a lean, ruthlessly efficient thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Worth taking a look
Review: Certainly one of the best movies to come out of Hong Kong in the past few years. While some may be put off by the lack of action (which is what usually recommends a Hong Kong film), the acting and overall direction of the movie makes it one of the best thrillers around. Both Andy Lau Tak Wah and Tony Leung Chiu Wai are on top of their game in this one, plus the supporting cast of Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang really add a lot of depth to the movie in terms of acting. Overall a great movie that has you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
Rating: 
Summary: nice cover
Review: first of all, i have to say something about the cover of the DVD. the girl is not in the movie. so we are having "fake cover" now. that's just fantastic.
for the movie itself, it is about being undercovers, in the police and in the gangster world. they call it "the eternal hell" -- what the title "infernal affairs" mean. well... yeah, big deal. we all choose our life and live with it. don't like it? you don't have to live like that. you have choices. no need to be an undercover and then complain that you are in an "eternal hell"
Rating:
Summary: Cop this DVD
Review: Hong Kong's Triad movies long ago muscled their way to the top of the Asian gangster genre. One of the best seen here since the glory days of John Woo is "Infernal Affairs," a sleek and supersonic vehicle for Andy Lau ("House of Flying Daggers") and Tony Leung Chiu Wai ("Hero").
"Affairs" resists viewers' attempts to make sense of it all in a single viewing. The basic plot is simple, though: the cops plant a young mole in a gang and the gang plants a young mole on the police force. (Martin Scorsese bought rights to the film and its follow-ups; his "The Departed" is due in 2006.)
The rapid-fire editing and prowling cameras of "Infernal Affairs" keep viewers on edge throughout. Communications technology has a co-starring role: cell phones are like oxygen; computers run the characters' lives. All is not slick, however. As with Woo's Hong Kong crime films, there are soap-opera moments and some sappy music -- they just come with the territory.
Miramax rolls out "Infernal Affairs" on a single disc with a handful of extras made for Asian audiences. There are no commentaries. The film seems drenched in primary colors, especially in night scenes. Image quality ranges from good to great, despite too much speckling. The film is in Cantonese with strong yellow subtitles; the dubbed English track is better than most. The 5.1 audio stays mostly front and center, with sometimes-startling force and clarity. An alternate ending completes the DVD experience, but dumbs down the film if you buy into it.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Entire Triology
Review: I bought this movie several years ago when it first came out and now I have the trilogy. Leung Chiu Wai and Lau Tak Wah are great in the movie. Although this doesn't involve the movie itself, I had to add that the cover of the American released dvd is horrible, the original Hong Kong dvd was by far better. I cringe at the fact that there will be an American remake. Perhaps I'm too big a Leung Chiu Wai fan to see anybody, even with Scorsese directing Leonardo DiCaprio, doing a better job than he did in the role. Also I can't picture Matt Damon playing Lau Tak Wah's role. Plus it is Leung Chiu Wai's trademark sad and sullen eyes that just personifies his doomed character. Even though it's the same cast in the trilogy(which is available on dvd and vcd), the 1st is still arguably the best. Those interested in other works by Leung and Lau should check out movies and TVB series like Return of the Condor Heroes, The Duke of Mt. Deer, Police Cadet '84, Needing You, Fat Choi Spirit, Love on a Diet, Yesterday Once More, God of Gamblers 1&2,My Lucky Star, Chinese Odyssey,Fighting for Love, Tokyo Raiders, and House of Flying Daggers (though this movie was released in theaters only weeks ago in America, the dvd and vcd have been available in stores and online for months. check out fivestarlaser or yesasia). Most of these are comedies and humor doesn't always translate well, but you get the gist of it(just a note for anyone who doesn't understand cantonese and needs English sub-t).
Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies I saw in 2004
Review: I picked this up, just looking for a rental- and it totally blew me away. The story basically is, a gang boss had one of his grunts enroll in police academy (To protect his future). That guy (Andy Lau) rises to the top and becomes one of the main crime stoppers. At the same time, the police and "Chinese feds" have one of there young guys live life on the bad side. So that they have a guy in the crime world. Well, to make this believable, the good guy has to do bad stuff so that the gangsters trust him, and then the bad guy has to arrest and make busts on his former friends. And it gets crazy cool, as each side tries to determine the mole, while they are faced with moral dillemas. The suspense is unbearable as they come face to face with each other multiple times- and they don't even know it. And the ending is great. Totally unpredictable- but not in a bad way. Fans of suspense, Chinese cinema, cat and mouse movies- you will not be disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: Great Thriller/Drama from Hong Kong
Review: Infernal Affair is a near perfect thriller movie. It tells a story of two insiders - a police agent infiltrating the mob, and a mob agent inside police force. For me the main strength of the movie are not in the action department, but in the internal dillema of both agents, and their attempts to smoke each other out, without blowing their own covers.
As far as I know, the movie is optioned for an American remake, but I don't know how is it going. Still, you shouldn't wait for it - this is a great movie, in its own right.
And it features one of the most thrilling episodes with a cellphone (I won't tell you more about it, but you'll know it, when you see it)
This movie won several awards in Hong Kong, including Movie of the Year. They are all deserved.
Rating:
Summary: An intense thriller in the style of Heat
Review: Infernal Affairs is an Asian cinema fan's dream with a powerhouse cast the features the likes of Tony Leung (Chungking Express), Andy Lau (House of Flying Daggers), Anthony Wong (Hard-Boiled), and Eric Tsang (The Accidental Spy)-all internationally famous actors together in the same movie. It's the Asian equivalent of Michael Mann's crime epic, Heat, a star-studded thriller about men with their own personal code conflicting with one another.
Infernal Affairs is the kind of urban crime thriller that Michael Mann is known for-specifically the aforementioned Heat, which this movie resembles in some ways. Both films feature dedicated professionals on opposite sides of the law in direct opposition of one another. Infernal Affairs is also beautifully shot with particular attention paid to urban architecture and how it reflects the mood of a given character.
"The Making of Infernal Affairs" features the cast talking about their characters. This was a rare project in that the cast was comprised of several very famous, award-winning Asian actors working together for the first time. The cast talk at length about the differences between good and evil and how these lines blur in the movie.
"Confidential File: Behind-the-Scenes Look at Infernal Affairs" is a brief montage of on-the-set footage showing the filming of certain scenes.
There is also an "Alternate Ending" that makes the film's conclusion a bit more explicit and changes Lau's fate.
Finally, there are two trailers.
Infernal Affairs was a huge hit around the world, spawning two sequels. It has finally arrived in North America (officially, that is) in a limited theatrical release and now on DVD. It is an excellent, often exciting, thriller that will soon be remade here in America with Martin Scorsese behind the camera and Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon playing the leads.
Rating:
Summary: Yes!No?Yes!No?Yes!
Review: Infernal Affairs is one of the best non-arthouse-ish (in which category I will include the most excellent Wong Kar Wai, Hou Hsiao-Hsien, et al) chinese movies I've seen in recent years, and is remarkably clearheaded and economical on both Hollywood and Hong Kong scales (especially compared to some of the other Andrew Lau movies I've seen, which themselves are relatively clearheaded on the hong kong scale). Lau also works as a cinematographer (both in movies he directs and in others' films) which is very obvious in all of his movies, this one being no exception, but where others are rather well stylized but under/over plotted (The Duel, maybe), Infernal Affairs finds a much needed balance between plot, style, and efficiency.PLOT SUMMARY
Something of a mid-key thriller bordering on character-study-done-from-a-distance, the story is told with hardly any extraneous characters or scenes. Its two main characters (moles, respectively, in the HK police and triad) lives' are followed as they and their respective false and true leaders near detection of one-another, but not just the interactions with the traid, police, and their members. Other elements of their lives like chance meetings, love interests, routines are also depicted, which will please those who insist on examining every aspect of a film in order to feel justified in enjoying it, as it works fairly well as a play on the whole "good/evil" thing, the exploration of the ambiguities between the two, while remaining within clear outlines of both good and evil. But the qualities that make this film enjoyable are not really in any ideas that may be found in abstractions and underlying structures (especially since these sorts of fairly simply-structured stories are a "been-there-done-that" for most moviegoers in terms of analysis). What makes this film enjoyable are the performances and presentation... watching the characters interact, near and play off one-another and the others in their worlds, which is testament to the acting (props especially to Andy Lau and Tony Leung) as well as the Andrew Lau's willingness to forgo the temptation to just throw in as many stereotypical crowd-pleasing elements as he could. PS - Other Andrew Lau directed films I would recommend include Young and Dangerous 6 (Born to be King), which is nearly as good as Infernal Affairs, and Storm Riders (maybe also The Duel) which is entertainingly convoluted and confusing, has some cool fighting and sfx, and beats the pants off of lots of the recent Hollywood comic-based movies (as opposed to asian Manga based movies, which tend to rawk maybe more than they don't).
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