Infernal Affairs
dir. Andrew Lau, Alan Mak

One of the slickest cop thrillers I've seen in a good while, it's perhaps no real surprise that Infernal Affairs has come out of the Hong Kong film industry, as it has the sheened, metallic quality of the city itself. Infernal Affairs has an effectively twisty storyline, involving a police mole in the Triads and his counterpart, a Triad mole in the police. It takes a little while to get hold of the plot, but once you have, it cruises along well. Infernal Affairs' real advantage, however, lies in its two leads. Tony Leung, who never fails to be captivating onscreen, is commanding yet soulful as a police officer floating further adrift in the mob lifestyle. Andy Lau is more straightforward but also brings a pathos to his character a lesser actor could not have managed. The film drifts in the final act, failing to resolve the various story threads totally convincingly (and attempting a totally misguided romantic angle which threatens to ruin the film), but it remains a good-looking, gripping ride with strong characterisation to lift it above the pack.
*** 1/2