Infernal Affairs Trilogy Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Infernal Affairs Trilogy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 15, 2010

Alan Mak and Andrew Lau's "Infernal Affairs" (2002), "Infernal Affairs II" (2003) and "Infernal Affairs III" (2003) arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Palisades Tartan. The supplemental features in this collection include an audio commentary with directors Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak; various standard featurettes; deleted scenes; outtakes; alternate ending; confidential files; and trailers. In Cantonese, Mandarin, and English, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

Discussing strategies

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 (Andrew Lau 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 Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Alan Mak and Andrew Lau's Infernal Affairs, Infernal Affairs II, and Infernal Affairs III arrive on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Palisades Tartan. Please note that screencaptures 1-6 are from Infernal Affairs, 7-14 from Infernal Affairs II, and 15-19 from Infernal Affairs III.

All three high-definition transfers are good but somewhat inconsistent. Generally speaking, fine object detail is good, especially during the daylight scenes, but some of the indoor and nighttime footage occasionally looks soft. Clarity and contrast levels are also pleasing, but there are certain fluctuations that give Infernal Affairs for instance an edgy look -- mild edge-enhancement and background noise constantly pop up; Infernal Affairs II and Infernal Affairs III, however, are a lot easier to tolerate. Some compression artifacts are also present. Again, they are most prominent in Infernal Affairs, though some are also easy to spot in Infernal Affairs II. I also noticed random traces of various mild noise corrections. Color reproduction, however, is rather good - there are a variety of different blues, greens, browns, dark yellows, grays, and blacks; Infernal Affairs III has the healthier colors, followed closely by Infernal Affairs II. There are no serious stability issues. Occasionally some minor background flicker pops up but its presence is not overly distracting. Lastly, I did not see any large damage marks, debris, or stains to report in this review. All in all, while all three films look decent, there is certainly some room for improvement. However, because the high-definition transfers used by Palisades Tartan are practically identical to those used by MegaStar for the Hong Kong Blu-ray release of the trilogy, I have to speculate that this is the best treatment these films will have for quite some time. (Note: The three discs in the collection are Region-B "locked". Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access their content).

Infernal Affairs Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are a total of four audio tracks in the collection - Infernal Affairs has a Cantonese LPCM 5.1 and Cantonese Dolby Digital 5.1 tracks; Infernal Affairs II has a Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 track; and Infernal Affairs III has a Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 track. For the record, each film arrives with optional English subtitles. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The Cantonese LPCM 5.1 track and the two Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 tracks are solid. On all three the bass is potent and well-rounded, the rear channels active and very effective, and the high-frequencies not overdone. I was particularly impressed with the Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 track on Infernal Affairs II - there is an excellent range of dynamics, and Chan Kwong Wing's atmospheric soundtrack undoubtedly benefits a lot from the lossless treatment. The dialog on all three films is clean, stable, crisp, and exceptionally easy to follow. Lastly, while viewing the trilogy I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hiss, or audio dropouts to report in this review.

Note: The back cover of this three-disc set indicates that Infernal Affairs II and Infernal Affairs III should also contain individual Cantonese Dolby Digital EX 5.1 tracks. My discs, however, do not have them.

Infernal Affairs Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Infernal Affairs

• Theatrical trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Infernal Affairs. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080p).

• Trailer - English dubbed trailer for Infernal Affairs - not subtitled. (3 min, PAL).

• Making of - a standard featurette with plenty of raw footage from the shooting of Infernal Affairs and various comments by cast and crew members. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (16 min, PAL).

• Confidential File - footage from various locations seen throughout Infernal Affairs, as well as more raw footage from various key scenes. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (7 min, PAL).

• Outtakes Reel - in Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (9 min, PAL).

• Alternate Ending - in Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (9 min, PAL).

• Commentary - this is a strange audio commentary, to say the least. I believe that two of the contributors are directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, but there is absolutely no way to identify them. Otherwise, the information they offer is excellent. I went through almost the entire commentary and found it to be both factual and entertaining. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles.

Infernal Affairs II

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Infernal Affairs II. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080p).

• Making of - various cast and crew members discuss their contribution to Infernal Affairs II, the key relationships in the film, etc. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (22 min, PAL).

• Confidential File - footage from various locations seen throughout Infernal Affairs II, as well as more raw footage from various key scenes. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, PAL).

• Deleted Scenes - in Cantonese, with optional English subtitles.
  
  -- Scene 1 (3 min, PAL).
  -- Scene 2 (2 min, PAL).
  -- Scene 3 (5 min, PAL).

Infernal Affairs III

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for Infernal Affairs III. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080p).

• Making of - this standard featurette contains raw footage from the shooting of Infernal Affairs III, as well as comments by various cast and crew members. (12 min, PAL).

Infernal Affairs Trilogy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Infernal Affairs trilogy has three remarkably strong gangster films. In fact, I would argue that these are three of the very best films Hong Kong has produced in recent years. If you have only heard about them after seeing Martin Scorsese's The Departed but are yet to see them, consider getting this three-disc set (or the Hong Kong-produced three-disc set) as soon as possible. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. RECOMMENDED.