Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

Infernal Affairs Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 13, 2022

Alan Mak and Andrew Lau's "Infernal Affairs" (2002) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with the two directors; making featurette; outttakes; archival interviews; promotional materials; and more. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Infernal Affairs

Lau (Andy Lau, Running Out of Time), an ambitious Hong Kong cop, is ordered to track down a mole in his department who has been leaking crucial information to Sam (Eric Tsang, Bullet and Brain), an influential local gangster. Chan (Tony Leung, In the Mood for Love) is an undercover cop who has been with Sam for years. He reports to Wong (Anthony Wong, Vengeance), the only person in the entire Police Department who knows his true identity. Chan and Wong often meet to discuss various strategies.

After years of pretending to be a gangster, however, Chan is beginning to realize that he is slowly becoming one. Wong believes in Chan and has no doubts that he can complete his mission, but understands that there are powerful personal demons his man is struggling with.

Lau is Sam’s mole. Like Chan, he is beginning to feel that his life is changing. Because of Sam he has accomplished a lot but is now having second thoughts about the future of their relationship. Soon, Lau and Chan’s paths will cross.

Infernal Affairs II

A little over ten years earlier. The leader of the triads is assassinated. His son, Hau (Francis Ng, Juliet in Love), a soft-spoken and elegant man, immediately takes over his father’s empire. Mary (Carina Lau, Days of Being Wild), who is responsible for the death of Hau’s father, becomes upset that her husband, Sam (Eric Tsang), who has decided to remain loyal to Hau’s family.

Lau (Edison Chen, Sex and Beauties) and Chan (Shawn Yue, Dragon Tiger Gate) are recruited by Sam. After their training is completed, Lau enters the Police Academy and then begins working with Wong (Anthony Wong), while Chan becomes a cop because he is unable to fit in Sam's organization. Eventually, both men become moles.

Infernal Affairs III

Shortly before and after the events seen in Infernal Affairs. Lau is under investigation for his involvement in Chan’s death. Sam (Eric Tsang) is in the middle of a tricky business reorganization, partially directed by Shan (Chen Daoming, Aftershock), a cocky mainland gangster looking for a partner in Hong Kong. Yeung (Leon Lai, Fire of Conscience), a highly motivated superintendent, is on a secret mission. Despite respecting and admiring each other, Wong (Anthony Wong) and Sam realize that their relationship is doomed.

***

What makes the films in the Infernal Affairs trilogy so good is their ability to produce very diverse material with numerous outstanding characters. Though many of the key characters reappear in the second and third films, most have different roles, expanding their narratives in new directions.

The first film is a masterful character study overflowing with sizzling action. It has the polished look of a big-budget blockbuster but its narrative is uncharacteristically dark and gritty. This has been a popular concept amongst contemporary Hong Kong directors shooting action films, but Alan Mak and Felix Chong's work feels special.

The cast is loaded with stars. Lau and Leung are terrific as the two moles whose personal lives are slowly beginning to spin out of control. Wong delivers one of the very best performances of his career playing the tough but also emotionally brittle veteran cop.

The second film is even darker. It is also notably slower and moodier. Its action is toned down substantially but the depiction of the game of crime remains unchanged.

Hong Kong remains an important character as well. There are various observations about its upcoming historic transfer to China, its rapidly evolving corrupt political system, and the uncertainty everyone feels.

The third and final film is shockingly good. It looks as well polished and sleek as the first film, and the cast is simply fantastic. Key revelations from the first film, typically introduced as scattered flashbacks, are used to link various subplots and add plenty to important relationships that may have previously appeared exhausted. For example, there is a lot more to learn about Sam and Wong’s complex relationship, so familiarity with the first film is crucial. Many former secondary characters, such as Kelly Chen’s Dr. Lee, are also brought forward.

In 2003, Infernal Affairs won seven Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak), and Best Actor (Tony Leung). The film also won Film of Merit and Best Actor Awards at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

In 2004, Infernal Affairs II won Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Song (Beyond), and Best Film Award at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

In 2004, Infernal Affairs III won Film of Merit Award at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

Infernal Affairs Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Infernal Affairs arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"These 4K digital restorations (for the three films) were undertaken by Media Asia from the 35mm original camera negatives at L'Immagine Ritrovata's facilities in Bologna, Italy, and Hong Kong. The original 5.1 surround soundtracks were remastered from the digital audio master files.

Transfer supervision: L'Immagine Ritrovata, Asia, Hong Kong.
Color grading: One Cool Production."

I have only one other release of Infernal Affairs in my library, which is included in this three-disc set the defunct British label Palisades Tartan produced in 2010. I performed various extensive comparisons to see what type of improvements the new 4K restoration of Infernal Affairs offers. There are some good news and some not so good news, so I will break my comments for both below.

The good news - The entire film has a better balanced appearance. In some areas, highlights are managed significantly better and as a result a lot of backgrounds with different ranges of light look more convincing (see screencapture #11). The fluidity of the visuals is better as well. However, the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to conclude that its consistency could have been better. I assume that in native 4K the fluidity of the visuals would be outstanding, but I could be wrong (I will explain why below). Color balance is fine. There are some minor changes where warmer primaries and supporting nuances emerge, but they do not alter the personality and identity of the film. Image stability is outstanding. The entire film looks spotless as well.

The not so good news - The film looks softer than I expected. It is easy to conclude that some of the stylization contributes to the softness, but it is just as easy to tell that there are anomalies that do the same as well. For example, there are darker areas where the dynamic range of the visuals is off. You can see an obvious example in screencapture #18. This is not how the film was shot and ought to look in high-definition. The gray flattening that you see has a digital origin and was introduced in the lab. What is unclear is whether it was introduced during the color grading adjustments or by digital work that affects the surface of the visuals. If I had to guess, I would write that it is a little bit of both. So, depth, sharpness, and clarity fluctuate, and while some of these fluctuations are introduced by the original cinematography, some are not. Finally, some of the darker areas are on the verge of producing macroblocking. I did not encounter any troubling areas because the film manages to hide the shaky spots very well, but this is an issue that easily could have been avoided. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Infernal Affairs Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track is outstanding. I had my audio system roaring and was quite impressed by some of the dynamic contrasts. However, I must mention that the lossless track on the Region-B release I have in my library performs very well, too. The dialog is always clear, stable, and very easy to follow. The English translation is outstanding.

Infernal Affairs Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailers -
  
  1. Original theatrical trailer. In Cantonese, with English subtitles. (3 min).
  2. Supercut trailer. In Cantonese and English text, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Alternate Ending - this alternate ending was shot for the theatrical release of Infernal Affairs in mainland China. The Chinese State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, which is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, bars films "propagating obscenity, gambling or violence, or abetting to commit crimes." In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (20 min).

• Andrew Lau and Alan Mak - in this exclusive new interview, directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak recall how they fell in love with cinema and discuss their friendship, early work, and the conception and production of the Infernal Affairs trilogy. There are some particularly interesting comments about how they managed to "round the best people at the time" to appear in the films. The interview was conducted for Crterion in Hong Kong in July 2022. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (39 min).

• Hong Kong Noir - in this archival interview, Alan Mak, screenwriter Felix Chong, and Hong International Film Festival director Peter Tsi discuss the socio-cultural environment in which Infernal Affairs emerged. The interview was conducted by filmmaker Yves Montmayeur in 2007. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (24 min).

• Making of - an archival featurette with plenty of raw footage from the shooting of Infernal Affairs and clips from interviews with several cast and crew members. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (15 min).

• Confidential File - an archival program with footage from various locations seen throughout Infernal Affairs, as well as more raw footage from key scenes. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (9 min).

• Outtakes Reel - an archival program with raw footage of outtakes from Infernal Affairs. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (24 min).

• Commentary - this very good archival commentary was recorded by Andrew Lau, Alan Mak, and Felix Chong. It was also included on the Region-B release of Infernal Affairs that I mentioned elsewhere. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles.

• Booklet - 34-page illustrated booklet featuring Justing Chang's essay "Double Blind", details for each film, and technical credits.

Infernal Affairs Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Infernal Affairs trilogy is a humongous acquisition for the Criterion Collection. Each entry in the trilogy is a minor masterpiece that highlights, in different ways, everything that makes contemporary Hong Kong gangster films special. In an exclusive new program, directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak confess that they were lucky to "round the best people at the time" to work with them and this is the truth. Even some of the minor parts in the Infernal Affairs trilogy are done by great actors and future stars. The three films have been redone in 4K and at the moment this three-disc box set has the best presentation of each that I have seen to date. However, I think that the 4K makeovers and the technical presentations could have been more convincing. RECOMMENDED.