Definitely one of the better cop thrillers from Hong Kong. However, Hollywood took this and made "The Departed" that was so much better. This had some odd parts that didn't make sense, but it still was entertaining. However, I don't plan to see it again. I saw it since it was on the NYT 1000 movies list. SLC DVD.

Original and captivating. Well written, well acted, and well directed, with a fantastic score. No complains.

This slickly produced police thriller is far more stoic than its American counterpart, but just as tightly plotted. The film's subdued emotional pitch ultimately undermines some of its suspense, despite an abundance of clever twists and turns.

Infernal affairs is a thriller of a Hong Kong cop movie some good espionage mixed in with some old-fashioned noir with a incredible ending scene.

One of the best HK crime films ever made.

This is one of my favorite movies ever. The ending is really good. For an action movie there actually isn't a huge amount of action, which I like, because it focuses more on the story. The beginning is a little fast and hard to keep track of but the rest of the movie is so good that I still give it a 5 star rating.

This is one of my top 2 movies (other one is Blade Runner) When it came out it, the plot was totally fresh, not the predictable tripe made by Hollywood. Story was really suspenseful! Don't want to giveaway too much on the story, but it's definitely a MUST SEE! This is the original version, it was later remade in the US as "The Departed" by Scorsese. Definitely watch the original version first!

Just gonna say it up front, there's gonna be a whole bunch of bias front-loaded into this review from jump street. As a westerner who's still trying to negotiate with his western cinematic sensibilities, I couldn't help but compare every aspect of this film to the American remake — one that not only happens to be a film I hold dear, but also the one I saw first. What was most fascinating to me in my watching "Infernal Affairs," was seeing just how much "The Departed" lifted from it. Of course, I was always aware that the premises of these two films were the same, but it really is to the point where scenes, plants/pay-offs, even bits of dialogue are directly adapted over into the English language. Obviously, major props to this film for doing it all first, but I just can't get past how much more I prefer the depiction of events in Scorsese's 2006 Best Picture Winner. Everything just feels more raw and aerodynamic there and it's almost unfair to compare the two. Still, a very interesting watch, for context.

Este thriller policial es otra destacable obra del cine chino con una paradójica historia entre un infiltrado de la policía en las tríadas mientras un infiltrado de las tríadas se oculta en la policía. El resultado es una película bastante enigmática en la que puede provocar algunas vueltas de cabeza, pero se vuelve muy interesante como este conflicto entre la policía y las tríadas da todo un giro de tuercas al tratar de descubrir quienes son los infiltrados de ambos bandos. Estos infiltrados se vuelven un elemento muy relevante en este conflicto y cuando cada vez se acercan a la verdad, genera una gran tensión para saber quién será descubierto primero y como va a terminar. Aunque no hay muchas escenas de acción, se puede decir que la acción se siente bastante en el ambiente. Con buenas actuaciones, muy buena fotografía, edición llamativa y una bella canción en la banda sonora, Infernal Affairs es un estupendo thriller de crimen y corrupción que se merece un lugar junto a otras intrigantes películas policiales. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 9/10.

Better than Departed. One of the best movie of all time. Good direction and acting. One movie that needs to watch more than once.

A cool concept executed very well. The movie has high tension and a strong script. There are a few scenes that are a little overdramatic but it doesn't detract much from the overall quality.

Brilliant film. Much better than Scorceses remake to my mind (The Departed). Everything about the film is good - casting, acting, script, plot. Actually there is one thing - there is a small romance thread going on - this aspect of the film is poor, as it seems to have been written by a 13 yr old. However a small blemish on a great film. The second one is good also - but don't bother with the third one tbh

Edge of your seat film that will have you saying "huh, Judas!" every 20 minutes. Thoroughly enjoyable film in spite of every female presenting character being a plot device. Serious negative 1/2 star for distractingly cheesey flashback/important scene music and very styled messy hair

The original Departed with Tony Leung and Andy Mau! Directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak's Hong Kong crime drama Infernal Affairs (2002) is magnificent. Lau and Mak's direction is very pretty, gripping, and nuanced with a dreamlike quality to editors Danny Pang and Curran Pang's slick cuts with sentimental flashbacks and shocking reveals. Tony Leung is tense and torn as the cautious and intelligent undercover cop alongside Andy Mau's careful mole doing everything for his own survival. Eric Tsang's mob boss Sam is so funny and boisterous. I love Martin Scorsese's remake The Departed, but he really did just adapt Infernal Affairs scene for scene. Writers Alan Mak and Felix Chong's crime narrative is really cool as they weave an undercover cop infiltrating the Hong Kong Triads, while a mob boss sends a mole into the police to spy on them. Cinematographers Lai Yiu-Fai and Andrew Lau smooth fast panning shots and beautiful wide shots of Hong Kong's cityscape and seaside piers are lovely. Composer Comfort Chan Kwong-Wing creates exciting thriller music alongside pretty older style Cantopop tunes for the seedy and somber tone. Sound designers Kinson Tsang King-Cheung, Kwong Wai-Hung, Bernard Chin Wing-Lai, George Lee Yiu-Keung, and Felix Chung Sze-Ming capture wiretaps and morse code messages with quiet recordings. Costume designer Lee Pik-Kwan made cool leather and suit outfits for all these guys in 2000's fashion. In all, Infernal Affairs is awesome for 101 minutes of crime and punishment.

It was quite difficult to get invested into the characters, especially the first 30 min, and not sure if I really followed all the double plays and crisscrosses. But I watched way worse police thrillers before.

Great plot. Great acting. Great pace.

Intriguing, well paced, yet contains plot holes.

The original Departed has a snappier and simpler screenplay but substandard acting. Overall it makes for an entertaining ride, even if it's a bit soppy at the end.

As the two undercover agents negotiate, the camera suddenly switches from a close-up to a panoramic view, accommodating the entire rooftop and containing glimpses of boats, the Lion Rock, the sky, and Hong Kong ...... The characters are swallowed up in their place. This signifies the situation of the two undercover agents and, in hindsight, seems to be the fate of Hong Kong.

Destined to be a classic. Tony Leung and Andy Lau rose to the occasion. Eric Tsang lived and breathed his role as the gangster mob. One of the best HK triad movies of all time.