7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
Flashing back in time, Infernal Affairs II traces the tangled parallel histories that bind the trilogy's two pairs of adversaries: the young, dueling moles and the ascendant crime boss and police inspector whose respective rises reveal a shocking hidden connection.
Starring: Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang, Francis NgForeign | 100% |
Drama | 66% |
Crime | 30% |
Thriller | 2% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Cantonese: DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1
Cantonese: Dolby Digital 5.1
Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1
Mandarin (Traditional), Mandarin (Simplified), English
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Sequels don't live up to expectations. That rule holds true for the second film in the Infernal Affairs saga. The original won seven Hong Kong film awards, compared to only one award--best song--for the sequel. Infernal Affairs II is actually a prequel, set 11 years earlier than the events of the first film, although it is separated into distinct "acts" that come at different times. Both actors who gave powerhouse performances in the original film and helped it achieve so much success--Tony Leung and Andy Lau--make no appearance. Instead, Infernal Affairs II focuses on the relationship between their characters' bosses: superintendent Wong Chi Shing (Anthony Wong) and Triad mob leader Hon Sam (Eric Tsang). While both characters are interesting, neither has the hypnotic appeal or volcanic intensity of Lau or Leung. The lead acting skills, supporting cast, narrative, action and direction fall short of the original film. Fortunately, the 1080p picture and 6.1 DTS-HD MA of Infernal Affairs II are impressive, showcasing an engaging soundtrack and director Andrew Lau's trademark vistas and street shots of Hong Kong. But make no mistake: where Infernal Affairs is like the gritty R&B hit that smashed the charts, the second film is like a boyband imitation that does not live up to the hype.
The film revolves around the complex relationship between Triad mob leader Hon Sam (Eric Tsang, left) and police inspecter Wong Chi Shing (Anthony Wong, right).
As much as director Andrew Lau fails to reconcile elements of the plot, he succeeds in his
trademark
visuals, which are paid off gorgeously on the Blu-ray. Scads of detail, deep black level and
dramatic
contrast drench the screen. The video postproduction yielded a more modern look than the film's
predecessor, even though the story took place years earlier. Part of this cutting edge look lay in
the
gently subdued color palette that stylized the movie, rendering skin tones a bit pale. Other colors
showed more richly.
Above all, the resolution is excellent. Watch the scene in the Kowloon district of Hong Kong,
where
Hau and the other mob bosses are talking around a table. The detail of the characters' faces and
clothing, as well as the food they are eating--all of it appears realistic, with excellent presence.
The
background of the restaurant and the shots of seedy Kowloon neighborhood show good depth. A
scene to evaluate the black level of your display is near the beginning when gangster boss Sam
and
inspector Shing sit on opposite sides of a table, sharing lunch in a darkened interrogation room.
Only the table and wisps of cigarette smoke appear
illuminated, while the rest of the room is in shadows. Overall, the picture is on the clinical side
throughout, with only a few scenes showing a warmer array of colors. Lau and his film crew are
masters in the art of cinematography and framing.
The best feature of Infernal Affairs II is its audio performance. The quality and attention
to
detail that went into the audio production started long before the
6.1 DTS-
HD MA encode of the BD. In both Infernal Affairs
and Infernal Affairs II, the commitment to audio excellence is apparent right from the
start,
as
the opening scenes of each take place in an audio boutique shop, with high-end tube amps
and exotic speakers. With audiophiles involved in the film, is little wonder, then, that the audio is
refined, with delicate highs, full midrange and midbass and taught low end. It isn't perfect, but
the gorgeous extension throughout the audible range sure made it easier to sit through the
boring segues and awful plot twists. No mistake about it: the DTS-HD MA should be considered a
main draw of this BD.
The
surround field is immersive in its presentation of music, but dialog and sound effects only rarely
are assigned to the satellite channels. This audio engineering is as it should be. The characters'
voices, particularly Sam's, sound rich and engaging, anchored solidly in the center channel, with
occasional ambient reflections. Of greater interest are the dynamically more engaging sequences,
which often have no dialog at all. Listen to the car-bomb scene opening into a long musical
interlude in which inspecter Wong Chi Shing tries in vain to extinguish the flames engulfing
another agent's car. The bomb blast has good presence, but the music heightens the drama with
its lush midrange. The sounds of the scorching flames and the fire extinguisher break into the
mix.
The special features are fairly mundane and summed up in four parts:
1. Audio Commentary
2. Trailers
3. Making Of
4. Confidential File
Each of these is what you'd expect. The audio commentary is handled by Anthony Wong, and his
comments are not very interesting to put it kindly. The "Making Of" featurette is the best
supplementary material. At more than 20 minutes, it covers interviews with much of the cast
and production team. The "Confidential File" is a sequence of behind-the-scenes footage set to
music. The trailers round out the supplements. Each of these special features were included on
the Special Collecter's Edition DVD, released in 2003.
As enjoyable as the picture and sound are of the Infernal Affairs II Blu-ray disc, I can not recommend this title. The original is a work of sheer brilliance with excellent acting, pacing and character/plot development. Compared to the first film, Infernal Affairs II is a train wreck. The relationship between Hon Sam and Wong Chi Shing is, at times, interesting. But it is not explored in a meaningful or fresh way, and the supporting actors and plot devices make a mess of the movie. Despite the gorgeous 1080p and lush DTS-HD MA 6.1 track of the sequel, you are better off revisiting the original, which reward repeat viewing with new insights and details.
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