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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: 15 [See Full Rating] for violence

Runtime: 1 hr 41 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:27-02-2004

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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Reviews for Infernal Affairs

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41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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

[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

It's all made artful by tense direction, gleaming cinematography and a complex performance by the never-disappointing Leung, who takes a stock character and fills him with brooding life.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
09/25/04
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Even when the film is in danger of getting bogged down in its own complications, the hard-boiled poetry of its images is arresting.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
09/24/04
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

The movie's engine is the relationships and the characters' inner lives, all of it boiling with emotional intensity.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
09/24/04
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News

A consistently engrossing thriller.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
09/24/04
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

It overflows with psychological intrigue, something often missing from such offerings.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
09/24/04
V.A. Musetto
V.A. Musetto
New York Post

Ranks at the top of the list of the best action dramas to emerge from Hong Kong since the glory days of John Woo.

Full Review Source: FilmJerk.com | comment Comment
09/23/04
Edward Havens
Edward Havens
FilmJerk.com

It's hard to resist the charismatic teaming of Tony Leung and Andy Lau as a cop and a criminal wearing like hats for cross purposes.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
09/23/04
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday

What gives Infernal Affairs its heat is the friction of who-am-I psychology and cool Hong Kong-style action.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
09/23/04
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly

This is a real grabber.

Full Review Source: Premiere Magazine | comment Comment
09/21/04
Glenn Kenny
Glenn Kenny
Premiere Magazine

I was certainly happy to be trapped in the film's conceit, and the directors, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, manage to convince us that we have witnessed an action movie, although in fact the quantity of violence is so minimal.

Full Review Source: New Yorker | comment Comment
09/14/04
Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane
New Yorker

Spins in place with aplomb, generating exponentially more vertiginous doublings with each sweaty-palmed set piece.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
09/14/04
Dennis Lim
Dennis Lim
Village Voice

It’s a cop movie that’s constantly trying to convince you it’s not just a cop movie

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/13/04
Chris Barsanti
Chris Barsanti
Filmcritic.com

Cop thrillers don't come much more polished, or enjoyable, than Infernal Affairs.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
09/11/04
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

As cops and robbers dramas go, this is an original.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
09/11/04
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Superbly honed at both script and performance levels, with character taking precedence over action.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
09/10/04
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is a movie that gets its hooks into you early, and no chance is it letting go.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
09/03/04
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

Recalls classics like Serpico and The French Connection, but features a contemporary sophistication and of-the-moment vivacity that sets it apart.

Full Review Source: Mixed Reviews | comment Comment
09/03/04
Gabriel Shanks
Gabriel Shanks
Mixed Reviews
 
 
41 - 60 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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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...

February 08, 2007: Mark Wahlberg Dishes Some Dirt on "Departed 2" and Maybe "3"!
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...

January 22, 2007: Pre- (and Re-) "Departed"?
Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" is nearing the end of its successful box-office run, and already rumors have started that not one, but two films may be appended to... More...

October 09, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: Leo and Matt Face Off at #1 with The Departed
Martin Scorsese scored the best opening of his career, and his first number one film in fifteen years, with the star-studded gangster thriller "The Departed," which... More...

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