''Infernal Affairs'' is a series of three
crime
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a State (polity), state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definit ...
-
action film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
s directed by
Andrew Lau
Andrew Lau Wai-keung ( zh, t=劉偉強, born 4 April 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, and cinematographer. Lau began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong ...
and
Alan Mak, starring
Andy Lau
Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...
and
Tony Leung. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates the
triads, and a police officer secretly working for the same gang. The Chinese title means "the non-stop way", a reference to
Avici, the lowest level of
hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
in
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...
. The English title is a word play combining the law enforcement term "
internal affairs" with the adjective 'infernal'.
Films
''Infernal Affairs'' (2002)
''Infernal Affairs'' focuses on a police officer named Chan Wing-yan
(Tony Leung), who goes undercover into a
triad, and a triad member Lau Kin-ming (
Andy Lau
Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...
), who infiltrates the
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Po ...
. Each
mole
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America
* Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
has been planted by the rival organisation to gain an advantage in
intelligence
Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...
over the other side. The more the moles become involved in their undercover lives, the more issues they have to cope with.
The prologue opens with the introduction of triad boss Hon Sam (
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai (; born 14 April 1953) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, and television host, best known for hosting the variety show ''Super Trio series'' on the Hong Kong television network TVB over 18 years. He currently holds ...
) ("Brother Sam"), who sends a number of young gangsters to the police academy as moles, among them a young Lau. Concurrently, a young Chan joins the police force but is seemingly expelled from the academy even though he manages to impress
Superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank
*Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator
*Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
Wong Chi-shing (
Anthony Wong). In reality, Chan has become an undercover agent reporting only to Wong. Over the course of ten years, Chan experiences great stress from his undercover work while Lau quickly rises through the ranks in the police department. The film begins with a meeting between Chan and Lau in a hi-fi store without either of them knowing the other's identity.
Wong and his team interrupt a deal between Brother Sam and a
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
dealer after receiving a tip-off from Chan using
Morse code
Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...
. However, Lau alerts Brother Sam, giving him enough time to order his minions to dispose of the cocaine, eliminating solid evidence of the drug deal. After the incident, Wong and Sam are both aware that they each have a mole within their respective organisations, placing them in a race against time to root out the other mole. Later, Chan sees Sam conversing with Lau at a cinema but does not see Lau's face clearly; he ultimately fails to capture Lau. By this time, both Chan and Lau are struggling with their double identities – Chan starts losing faith in himself as a cop after being a gangster for ten years; Lau becomes more accustomed to the life of a police officer and he wants to erase his criminal background.
At their next meeting, Wong intends to pull Chan out of undercover work for fear of his safety. They are unaware that Lau has his subordinate,
CIB Inspector "Big B", tracking him. Meanwhile, Brother Sam sends "Crazy" Keung and other henchmen to confront them after receiving intel from Lau. Inspector Big B informs Lau and sends an
OCTB squad to save Wong. Chan flees from the building using a crane while Wong sacrifices himself to save him by distracting Sam's men. Wong is beaten and thrown off the roof by the gangsters. As the police close in, a shootout ensues in which several gangsters are killed. Keung drives Chan away from the scene, but later dies from a mortal gunshot wound. It is report on the news that Keung himself was an undercover cop; Sam assumes that he was the mole and that Chan killed him to protect the triad.
Lau retrieves Wong's cell phone and contacts Chan, with both of them agreeing to foil a drug deal by Sam. The plan succeeds and many of Sam's men are arrested, while Lau betrays Sam and kills him. Everything seems to have returned to normal – Chan can revert to his true identity as a cop, while Lau has erased his criminal connections by eliminating Sam's triad. However, back at police headquarters, Chan discovers that Lau was the mole and leaves immediately. Lau, realising what has happened, erases Chan's file from the police database and makes a copy on his personal computer, intending to use the proof of Chan's identity as leverage, so that Chan would not reveal his real identity. Chan spends an evening with his therapist, Dr. Lee Sum-yee, with whom he has fallen in love. He sends to Lau a
compact disc
The compact disc (CD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format that was co-developed by Philips and Sony to store and play digital audio recordings. In August 1982, the first compact disc was manufactured. It was then rele ...
with a recording that Sam kept between himself and Lau; the disc is inadvertently intercepted by Lau's girlfriend, Mary.
Chan and Lau meet on the same rooftop where Wong was killed earlier. Chan disarms Lau and holds his
Glock 17
Glock is a brand of polymer-Receiver (firearms), framed, Recoil operation#Short recoil operation, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and produced by Austrian manufacturer Glock Ges.m.b.H., Glock Ges.m.b.H. The ...
to Lau's head; Lau states calmly that he "wants to be a good person" now, but Chan rejects Lau's plea to help conceal his criminal past. Big B arrives on the scene shortly and orders Chan to release Lau. Chan holds Lau as a hostage at gunpoint and backs into an elevator, but upon moving his head from behind Lau he is suddenly shot in the head by Big B. Big B then calls Lau his "brother", revealing to him that he was also a mole planted by Sam. Big B assures Lau that he has destroyed the tape which contained evidence of Lau's criminal past. As they take the lift down to the lobby, Lau shoots Big B.
The original ending climaxes with Lau identifying himself to the police as one of them. Lee discovers records revealing Chan as the undercover officer; Big B is blamed of being the mole within the force and the case is closed. Lau salutes Chan at his funeral, with Cheung and Lee present as well. A flashback reaffirms the point that Lau wished he had taken a different route in life. In mainland China, an alternate ending for the film was screened, in which Lau exits the elevator and is informed by Cheung that the police have found evidence that he was a mole. Lau hands them his badge and is arrested without protest. The sequel, ''
Infernal Affairs III
''Infernal Affairs III'' is a 2003 Hong Kong crime action film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It is the third and final installment in the ''Infernal Affairs'' film series, and is both a sequel and a semi-prequel to the original film, a ...
'', uses the original ending instead of the alternate one.
''Infernal Affairs II'' (2003)
In 1991,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
police inspector Wong Chi-shing (
Anthony Wong) meets with his informant, Hon Sam (
Eric Tsang
Eric Tsang Chi-wai (; born 14 April 1953) is a Hong Kong actor, film director, producer, and television host, best known for hosting the variety show ''Super Trio series'' on the Hong Kong television network TVB over 18 years. He currently holds ...
), while Lau Kin-ming, Hon's prospective
mole
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America
* Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
within the
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Po ...
, assassinates Hon's
triad boss, Ngai Kwun. Lau is later greeted by Hon's wife, Mary, who casually ascertains whether he has any reservations about his mission for Hon. While giving him cash, Mary advises Lau to maintain a low profile. She also confesses that she was the person who ordered the hit on Ngai Kwun, admitting that Hon has no knowledge of this transgression and urges Lau to remain silent. Mary wants Hon to replace Ngai Kwun as the triad boss.
Meanwhile, instructors at the police academy discover that Chan Wing-yan, a promising but troubled cadet, is the half-brother to Ngai Kwun's
heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
, Ngai Wing-hau; he is subsequently discharged from the force. Chan is later approached by Wong, who asks him why he wants to be a cop; Chan replies, "I want to be a good guy." Wong subsequently makes Chan into an undercover agent for the police, sending him to prison to get close to one of Hon's henchmen, "Crazy" Keung. Meanwhile, Ngai Wing-hau takes his late father's place as triad boss; he is the only Ngai child directly involved in the family business. With Ngai dead, four other triad bosses, known as the "Big Four", dismiss Ngai and debate on whether to pay their tithe to his family. However, Ngai
blackmail
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to fa ...
s with his knowledge of their mutual betrayals. Hon acts as an ''
agent provocateur
An agent provocateur () is a person who commits, or who acts to entice another person to commit, an illegal or rash act or falsely implicate them in partaking in an illegal act, so as to ruin the reputation of, or entice legal action against, the ...
'' for Ngai in this affair.
By 1995, Chan has become a small-time gangster while Lau rises as a rookie cop. Chan's continual association with Hon and Ngai causes his girlfriend to have an
abortion
Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
because she does not want their child to follow in Chan's footsteps. Ngai wishes the troubled Chan to be integrated into the Ngai family and invites him to his daughter's birthday party, where he announces that he is retiring to
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
and dividing his former business amongst the Big Four, also giving Hon the
Thai
Thai or THAI may refer to:
* Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia
** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand
** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand
*** Thai script
*** Thai (Unicode block ...
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...
racket. Meanwhile, Hon leaks information on criminal dealings to Lau, who is able to apprehend many local gangsters and earn promotions in rank.
During Ngai's next drug deal, a
Morse code
Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...
message from Chan tips off the police about an abrupt change of plans for the meeting, allowing the kingpin to be arrested. However, a videotape found in Ngai's suitcase reveals that Wong conspired with Mary to have Ngai Kwun killed, giving the triad
leverage
Leverage or leveraged may refer to:
*Leverage (mechanics), mechanical advantage achieved by using a lever
* ''Leverage'' (album), a 2012 album by Lyriel
*Leverage (dance), a type of dance connection
*Leverage (finance), using given resources to ...
over the police. As he is being taken in for questioning, Ngai initiates his plan for
vengeance
Vengeance may refer to:
*Vengeance (concept) or revenge, a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance
Film
* ''Vengeance'' (1930 film), action adventure film directed by Archie Mayo
* ''Vengeance'' (1937 film) or ''W ...
against his father's murderers: the Big Four are killed by Ngai's men; an ambush awaits Hon in Thailand; and an assassin edges towards Mary. Mary manages to escape danger with help from Lau and Keung, but is betrayed by Lau when she rejects his romantic feelings toward her. She is run over by Ngai's henchmen at
Kai Tak Airport
Kai Tak Airport was the international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply Ka ...
.
In 1997, Lau is picked as one of the officers to preside over the ceremony signifying
Britain's handover of Hong Kong to China. Ngai attempts to enter politics, but his support disintegrates after Hon betrays him to the police. Wong brings Hon back to Hong Kong under
witness protection
Witness protection is security provided to a threatened person providing testimonial evidence to the justice system, including defendants and other clients, before, during, and after a trial, usually by police. While a witness may only require p ...
, but Ngai manages to kidnap his family in retribution. However, during the confrontation between Ngai and Hon, it is revealed that Hon's Thai associates are also holding Ngai's family hostage in Hawaii and that the woman being held hostage is a
decoy
A decoy (derived from the Dutch ''de'' ''kooi'', literally "the cage" or possibly ''ende kooi'', " duck cage") is usually a person, device, or event which resembles what an individual or a group might be looking for, but it is only meant to lu ...
. Wong arrives with a task force and guns down Ngai, who dies in Chan's arms. Moments before succumbing to his wound, Ngai discovers the wire in Chan's jacket and realizes that his half-brother is an undercover cop.
Hon's tactics against Ngai leads to a falling out between him and Wong; shortly after their final meeting, Ngai's entire family is murdered. The pieces are set in place for the first film: Hon goes down the dark path of replacing Ngai as the main triad boss, becoming Wong's new foe; Lau is a police inspector and Hon's mole; Chan is forced to remain undercover, returning to join Hon's triad. As the handover ceremony takes place, Hon sheds tears over the loss of Mary before hosting a party. Back at police headquarters, Lau handles a case involving a young woman, coincidentally also called Mary, who becomes his wife in ''Infernal Affairs''.
''Infernal Affairs III'' (2003)
''Infernal Affairs III'' uses parallel storytelling, flashing between the past and the present.
Six months before Chan's death
Undercover cop Chan Wing-yan seeks to uncover the link between
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
triad boss Hon Sam and the mysterious
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
gang leader Shen Cheng. Since Hon's ascension to the seat of triad boss was due to the death of his predecessor, Ngai Wing-hau, Hon is suspicious of all his men for fear they might usurp his position. He tests Chan's loyalty by ordering him to smash an ashtray on Shen's brother during a negotiation, resulting in Chan's arrest by Inspector Yeung Kam-wing. Yeung tells Chan that though Chan does not recognise him, he recognises Chan and he warns the latter to "be careful". Chan is released after both Hon and Shen fetch him at police headquarters.
Concurrently, Chan is prosecuted for violent behaviour. His superior,
Superintendent
Superintendent may refer to:
*Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank
*Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator
*Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...
Wong Chi-shing, persuades the court to allow Chan to seek therapy, leading him to meet Dr. Lee Sum-yee. Hon asks Chan to deliver arms to Shen, but he and other triad members do not show up. When Chan delivers the cargo, Shen's men discover that the boxes are empty and open fire on Chan; Shen and Chan shoot each other in the limbs during the crossfire. Shen finds out that Chan is an undercover cop when Yeung unexpectedly arrives on the scene. Yeung tells Chan that Shen is also an undercover cop, working for Chinese authorities. Yeung also tells Chan that he gained top honours when he was in the police academy due to Chan's "expulsion". The three shake hands and wait for the chaos to subside before leaving.
Ten months after Chan's death
Lau Kin-ming, Hon's former
mole
Mole (or Molé) may refer to:
Animals
* Mole (animal) or "true mole", mammals in the family Talpidae, found in Eurasia and North America
* Golden moles, southern African mammals in the family Chrysochloridae, similar to but unrelated to Talpida ...
in the
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Po ...
, has been demoted to administrative duty pending an investigation into the deaths of Chan and Inspector B. He falsely claims that B shot Chan in the head while holding him hostage, and that he killed B in retaliation. After months of investigation, Lau is transferred back to
Internal Affairs, where he struggles to whitewash his past and cover his true identity. Lau later learns that Hon had previously planted five other moles in the police force, one of whom might be a fellow Security Division Inspector, Yeung. A battle of wits develops between Lau and Yeung, as each of them tries to discover the other's secret.
Meanwhile, Lau suffers from an identity collapse as he loses track of reality, wrestling with guilt over Chan's death and grappling with his impending divorce from his wife, Mary. His psychological trauma deteriorates to the point where he begins to see himself as Chan. As "Chan", Lau makes it a personal mission to apprehend Yeung, whom he sees as his former self. After witnessing an incident where Lau suffers a
hallucination
A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the qualities of a real perception. Hallucinations are vivid, substantial, and are perceived to be located in external objective space. Hallucination is a combinatio ...
, Dr. Lee conducts a hypnosis on him and finds out that he was Hon's mole. Lau realises his folly and knocks Lee unconscious before escaping.
Lau steals tapes from Yeung's office safe, using
spy camera
A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...
s to determine the code. He thinks he hears recordings of Yeung relating information to Hon, and leads his team to the Security Division to arrest Yeung just as Shen arrives. Lau plays a tape recording, which is actually the conversation between him and Hon. When Lau's second-in-command tries to arrest him instead, Lau panics and draws his gun, killing Yeung. He is immediately shot by Shen and attempts suicide by shooting himself in the neck. During a search of Lau's office, a tape is found in his safe and played. It is a recording of the song sung by
Tsai Chin Tsai Chin may refer to:
* Tsai Chin (actress) (born 1933), actress from Shanghai, also known as Irene Chow
* Tsai Chin (singer) (born 1957), Taiwanese singer
{{Hndis ...
, given to him by Hon's wife.
Eleven months after Chan's death
A series of flashbacks play: immediately after Chan's death, Shen and Yeung meet. Shen suspects Lau. Yeung breaks into Lau's office to find tape recordings of his conversations with Hon, proving that Shen is right.
Yeung is buried next to Chan in the police cemetery. Shen and Lee visit the graves and Shen says to Lee: "Events change men, but men do not change events. But these two men are extraordinary because they changed events."
Lau ends up crippled and
catatonic
Catatonia is a complex neuropsychiatric behavioral syndrome that is characterized by abnormal movements, immobility, abnormal behaviors, and withdrawal. The onset of catatonia can be acute or subtle and symptoms can wax, wane, or change during ...
, lost inside his own mind, haunted by the spirit of Mary (Hon Sam's wife, whom he had a crush on in ''Infernal Affairs II'') and locked in his own "
continuous hell". His divorced wife Mary visits and tells him, "Our baby can say "papa" now." Before the picture fades into the next scene, the camera pans down onto Lau's fingers tapping out in
Morse code
Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...
, "H-E-L..." (and then the start of another 'L' as the picture dims).
Before the film ends, there is one final flashback to the hi-fi shop scene in ''Infernal Affairs'', where Lau is buying an audio system from Chan.
Cast and characters
Music
Infernal Affairs
The original film score for ''Infernal Affairs'' was written and performed by
Chan Kwong-wing
Punk Chan Kwong-wing (; born June 15, 1967), also known as Comfort Chan Kwong-wing, is a music composer for Hong Kong films. Some of his well-known works in films include the ''Infernal Affairs'' trilogy, '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', '' Initial D'', ' ...
.
The theme song, ''Infernal Affairs'' (無間道), was composed by Ronald Ng, lyrics provided by
Albert Leung
Albert Leung (born 7 December 1961, ) is a lyricist and writer based in Hong Kong.
Education
Leung attended all-boy secondary schools at Chan Sui Ki (La Salle) College and La Salle College. He received a bachelor of arts in translation from th ...
, and performed in Cantonese and Mandarin by Andy Lau and Tony Leung.
Infernal Affairs II
The film's score was composed by
Chan Kwong-wing
Punk Chan Kwong-wing (; born June 15, 1967), also known as Comfort Chan Kwong-wing, is a music composer for Hong Kong films. Some of his well-known works in films include the ''Infernal Affairs'' trilogy, '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', '' Initial D'', ' ...
. The theme song, ''Eternal Realm'' (長空; ''Changkong''), was composed by
Wong Ka-keung, lyrics provided by Wong and
Yip Sai-wing, and performed by the band
Beyond
Beyond may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Beyond'' (1921 film), an American silent film
* ''Beyond'' (2000 film), a Danish film directed by Åke Sandgren, OT: ''Dykkerne''
* ''Beyond'' (2010 film), a Swedish film directed b ...
.
Infernal Affairs III
The film's score was composed by
Chan Kwong-wing
Punk Chan Kwong-wing (; born June 15, 1967), also known as Comfort Chan Kwong-wing, is a music composer for Hong Kong films. Some of his well-known works in films include the ''Infernal Affairs'' trilogy, '' SPL: Sha Po Lang'', '' Initial D'', ' ...
. The theme song, ''Road to Inferno'' (自作自受; ''Zi Zuo Zi Shou''), was composed by Andy Lau, Chan Tak-kin and Wan Ho-kit, lyrics provided by Andy Lau, and performed by
Hacken Lee
Lee Hak Kan (; born 6 December 1967), better known as Hacken Lee, is a Hong Kong singer, television host and actor, active from the 1980s until today. In 2013, Lee's song "House of Cards" swept multiple awards in many Hong Kong award ceremonies, in ...
. Andy Lau also sang an alternate version of the song.
Reception
Infernal Affairs
''Infernal Affairs'' was released on 12 December 2002 to Hong Kong Theaters to universal critical acclaim. Review tallying website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 57 of the tallied 60 reviews were positive, for a score of 95% and a certification of "fresh". ''Infernal Affairs'' won seven out of the sixteen awards it was nominated for at the
22nd Hong Kong Film Awards
The ceremony for the 22nd Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 6 April 2003 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Eric Tsang, John Shum, Athena Chu and Anna Yau. Twenty-seven winners in nineteen categories were unveiled. The year's biggest w ...
, beating
Zhang Yimou
Zhang Yimou (; born 2 April 1950) is a Chinese film director, producer, writer, actor and former cinematographer.Tasker, Yvonne (2002). "Zhang Yimou" i''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' Routledge Publishing, p. 412. . Google Book Search. Retriev ...
's ''
Hero
A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ...
'' for the Best Film award. It also won Best Picture awards in the
Golden Horse Awards
The Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards () is a film festival and awards ceremony held annually in Taiwan. It was founded in 1962 by the Government Information Office of the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan. The awards ceremony is us ...
and the
Golden Bauhinia Awards
Golden Bauhinia Awards () is a Hong Kong film award organised by the Hong Kong Film Critics Association. Its first award presentation ceremony took place in 1996.
The award attracted controversy in 2007, when ten nominations were given to Pang ...
among other awards too. It was ranked No. 30 in ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010. It is considered to be one of
the best films of all time and is the highest ranked Hong Kong film on
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
's Top 250 movies list.
''Infernal Affairs'' has grossed HK$55,057,176 in Hong Kong and USD$169,659 in North America.
Infernal Affairs II
The film was highly anticipated prior to its release due to the success achieved by ''Infernal Affairs''. However, the general response to the film was mixed.
The film grossed HK$24,919,376, which was high by 2003 Hong Kong standards, but only about half of the original's earnings.
Infernal Affairs III
Despite grossing higher than the second film at the box office with HKD 30,225,661 (over HKD 5 million more than ''Infernal Affairs II''), ''Infernal Affairs III'' was not as critically successful as the previous film. It garnered mixed to positive reviews.
Awards and nominations
Infernal Affairs
Infernal Affairs II
Although ''Infernal Affairs II'' earned twelve nominations for the
2003 Hong Kong Film Awards, it could not match its predecessor's success. The film won only one award, Best Original Film Song, for the song "長空" (performed by
Cantopop
Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") or HK-pop (short for "Hong Kong pop music") is a genre of pop music written in standard Chinese and sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production ...
band
Beyond
Beyond may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Films
* ''Beyond'' (1921 film), an American silent film
* ''Beyond'' (2000 film), a Danish film directed by Åke Sandgren, OT: ''Dykkerne''
* ''Beyond'' (2010 film), a Swedish film directed b ...
).
The film won the Best Film award at the
Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards () are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong since 1994. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the mem ...
.
23rd Hong Kong Film Awards
*Won: Best Original Film Song (Wong Ka Keung, Yip Sai Wing, Beyond)
*Nominated: Best Film (Andrew Lau)
*Nominated: Best Director (Andrew Lau, Mak Siu-fai)
*Nominated: Best Screenplay (Mak Siu-fai, Chong Man-keung)
*Nominated: Best Actor (Francis Ng)
*Nominated: Best Actress (Carina Lau)
*Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (Chapman To)
*Nominated: Best Supporting Actor (Liu Kai-chi)
*Nominated: Best Cinematography (Andrew Lau, Ng Man-ching)
*Nominated: Best Editing (Curran Pang, Danny Pang)
*Nominated: Best Original Film Score (Chan Kwong-wing)
*Nominated: Best Sound Effects (Kinson Tsang)
10th
Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
The Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards () are the annual awards given by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society in Hong Kong since 1994. The awards are determined by votes cast in three rounds after a substantial discussion session between the mem ...
*Won: Best Film
Infernal Affairs III
23rd Hong Kong Film Awards
* Nominated: Best Picture
* Nominated: Best Screenplay
* Nominated: Best Cinematography
* Nominated: Best Film Editing
* Nominated: Best Original Film Score
* Nominated: Best Sound Effects
* Nominated: Best Visual Effects
41st Golden Horse Awards
* Won: Best Actor (
Andy Lau
Andy Lau Tak-wah (; born 27 September 1961) is a Hong Kong actor, singer-songwriter and film producer. He has been one of Hong Kong's most commercially successful film actors since the mid-1980s, performing in more than 160 films while maint ...
)
9th
Golden Bauhinia Awards
Golden Bauhinia Awards () is a Hong Kong film award organised by the Hong Kong Film Critics Association. Its first award presentation ceremony took place in 1996.
The award attracted controversy in 2007, when ten nominations were given to Pang ...
* Nominated: Best Actor (Andy Lau)
Remakes
* ''
The Departed
''The Departed'' is a 2006 American epic crime thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by William Monahan. It is both a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film ''Infernal Affairs'' and also loosely based on the real-life Boston Winter ...
'' (2006)
* ''
City of Damnation
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
'' (2009)
References
{{Alan Mak
Hong Kong film series
Action film series
Crime film series
Film series introduced in 2002
Triad (organized crime)
Triad films