Customer Reviews
That Good (and then some) - By: Sordel, 10 May 2007 
Yes, I know. "Don't see Vanilla Sky; see Abre Los Ojos instead." "Star Wars? For Shame! A thin remake of Kurosawa's Hidden Fortress!". "The only Solaris I'd watch is the one made by Tarkovsky." These days, the snob appeal of saying that the original, foreign-language version of a film far surpasses its English-language remake is as irritating as it is obvious. You'd certainly think that this was a difficult case to make with "The Departed": a movie that won Best Film Oscar, had a cast to die for & was regarded as a notable return to form for no less a director than Martin Scorsese. But, damn it, it's true. The Infernal Affairs trilogy reallly is that good.
I don't want to beat The Departed with the dismembered leg of Infernal Affairs. They're both excellent movies, & the relationship between them is similar to that between Michael Mann's L.A. Takedown & his later remake Heat. That is to say, The Departed elaborates the basic story of Infernal Affairs & brings to it a powerhouse cast, yet adds surprisingly little. The main set pieces are alll there in the original film, & the production standards for the Hong Kong trilogy are already superb. Nevertheless, there's a slight sense with Infernal Affairs that it is too much the successor to Woo's The Killer: everything is coldly balanced out so that the reflection of hero & villain is perfect. The Departed is very faithful, yet adds something in the way of complexity & depth.
Where Infernal Affairs surpasses the remake is that there are two other chapters: both essential to the developing picture of conflict, betrayal & guilt that is at the heart of the first film. The second film, which fleshes out the story of the characters played by Jack Nicholson & Martin Sheen in the remake, is a deep & thoughtful gangster movie that can certainly bear comparison with the best that Hollywood has offered in the same genre. The third film completes the story of the character later played by Matt Damon & is a clever game with the perceptions of the viewer as well as a satisfying resolution to the trilogy.
Together, the three films have a coherence & consistency to which most Hollywood trilogies struggle to aspire. The absence of the outstanding Andy Lau & Tony Leung from the second film (where their parts are taken by younger actors to reflect the flashback structure) does detract from proceedings slightly, but the superb supporting cast remains in place throughout, & the performances of Anthony Wong Chau-sang & Eric Tsang are especiallly noteworthy in alll three films.
In the publicity for this boxed set a comparison is drawn between the Infernal Affairs trilogy & The Godfather trilogy. This isn't just hype. As with Coppola's masterpiece, there is a sense here that each film has a particular role in telling a wide-ranging story, & while I certainly wouldn't go so far as to say that Infernal Affairs is quite as good, it remains head-and-shoulders above most Hollywood fare in the same genre.
Godfather meets Heat - By: Stephen Amos, 14 Jan 2006 Three films, four main characters & countless others. High concept idea: Cops have a mole in the Traids, Traids have a mole in the cops. They know the other exists but they don't know the identity.
part one: A study in suspense, as the two moles investigate each other & their bosses try & out guess the other side.
Part two: A study in identity. Set in the years leading up to the fist - the good guys are not who they appear to be, & neither are the bad guys.
part three: set before & after the explosive ending for the first. The pararells between the moles are studied as they come closer together.
A vague introduction I know but that is becasue I don't want to give anything away. You've got to see these movies. They twist & turn, making you question any ideas you have about good guys & bad guys. These questions keep coming right to the end for part three.
The real reason to watch these films, however, is the acting. Every one is top notch & carefully studied. These are not action films (although there are plenty of action in them). They are more than that & the fact that such a director as Martin Scorsese is remaking them (renamed The Departed & starring Leonado DiCaprio & Jack Nicholson) only high lights the quality.
Fabulous films, if only Hollywood could make films like this.
