Infernal Affairs (2002)

Netflix had recommended the Chinese police-thriller Infernal Affairs to me numerous times before, and even though the plot sounded pretty cool, I had never checked it out – probably due in large part to the video cover that, when combined with the title, makes it look like a late-night, softcore porn movie. I should have recognized this as that peculiar brand of racy Hong Kong film marketing and realized it would have absolutely no bearing on the film itself. I did not realize this, however, and so it was not until I recently heard about Martin Scorsese’s remake of the film (titled The Departed, coming out next month) that I decided to actually sit down and watch it. I was really glad I did.

Contemporary Asian films have been garnering an increasing amount of attention from the West and with good reason. Infernal Affairs is an example of one of the fine films currently being produced in China. From top to bottom, the production is high quality – the acting, the directing, the editing, but most of all with the story. The basic plot is simple: both the mob and the cops have infiltrated the other side with a mole; both sides know it; and both sides are in a race to discover the mole and get rid of him first. The script is well-written and suspenseful throughout. The one area I felt it was a little thin (and I feel pretty certain Scorsese might try to rectify this in his version) was in its characterization of the two moles. While the story looks at the whole question of whether one can pretend to be somebody they’re not and still remain essentially the same, it gives the question only a cursory glance, failing to dig deep into what would be a rather engaging issue. Recognizing this led me to notice a certain trend. While I’m no authority on Asian cinema, from my limited experience, I have found that characterization in its films is often much less introspective than it is in western films. This led me to wonder for a while if this were indeed true and, if so, if it might not be due to cultural differences - i.e., due to Asian societies’ emphasis on conformity and unity over the individual – but I couldn’t come to anything conclusive on this. Anybody have any thoughts?

At any rate, it’s interesting how much American film is currently drawing from Asia. The J-horror and the wuxia/wire-fu films are, of course, the most obvious examples. The influence of such films are infusing American cinema with some much-needed originality and vitality. Movies like The Ring and The Grudge, for example, helped reinvigorate the American horror genre at a time when it seemed struggling to remain relevant. Sometimes taking the original premise of these films and tweaking them for American audiences and putting a huge Hollywood budget behind them can arguably make these films even more enjoyable than the originals (something that doesn’t always happen with remakes). Considering that it’s the skilled hands of Scorsese who’s remaking Infernal Affairs, I am hopeful that such might be the case with this film. One thing’s for sure, if he just sticks to the basic story of the original, then The Departed should certainly be a riveting tale.