There is an unusual relationship between Infernal Affairs and Infernal Affairs II, which is the first sequel but is also a prequel and may even be better viewed before the first film. One of my Chinese friends, who suggested the trilogy to me, gave me part II first and said I could watch that before the original film, but I waited until I could buy the entire trilogy and watch them all in order. As it turns out, I may as well have listened to her.
The premise is pretty much the same, a police officer working undercover for a mafia godfather, while the godfather has a trusted lieutenant working as a successful police inspector. Like the first film, it is an interesting play in the space between breaking and protecting the law, as each side is simultaneously living life as a criminal and law enforcement agent, which is clearly a difficult task.
There is an interesting backdrop of the film of the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the 10 year anniversary of which I experienced here in central China last June. And let me tell you, these people are really happy to have Hong Kong. They don't mess around with fireworks. For the Chinese New Year, for example, fireworks are set off almost nonstop for WEEKS. Trust me. I'm literally hearing the last of it outside my window at this very moment. None of this 30 minutes just after midnight nonsense!
It's true that the sequel is slightly lesser than the brilliant first film, but it is an engaging crime drama, especially impressive because of the performances of Police Inspector Wong (Anthony Wong) and the gangster Sam (Eric Tsang), who were in charge of placing the moles on the opposing team, you might say. They are good friends and seem to have an easy relationship, except that each pretty much knows what the other is doing, they just don't know everything. And like in the original, this is a recipe for a pretty absorbing crime film.
The premise is pretty much the same, a police officer working undercover for a mafia godfather, while the godfather has a trusted lieutenant working as a successful police inspector. Like the first film, it is an interesting play in the space between breaking and protecting the law, as each side is simultaneously living life as a criminal and law enforcement agent, which is clearly a difficult task.
There is an interesting backdrop of the film of the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997, the 10 year anniversary of which I experienced here in central China last June. And let me tell you, these people are really happy to have Hong Kong. They don't mess around with fireworks. For the Chinese New Year, for example, fireworks are set off almost nonstop for WEEKS. Trust me. I'm literally hearing the last of it outside my window at this very moment. None of this 30 minutes just after midnight nonsense!
It's true that the sequel is slightly lesser than the brilliant first film, but it is an engaging crime drama, especially impressive because of the performances of Police Inspector Wong (Anthony Wong) and the gangster Sam (Eric Tsang), who were in charge of placing the moles on the opposing team, you might say. They are good friends and seem to have an easy relationship, except that each pretty much knows what the other is doing, they just don't know everything. And like in the original, this is a recipe for a pretty absorbing crime film.