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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Screenwriting

"Infernal Affairs"

Just thought I'd pop in and make a quick recommendation.

I live nearby one of the last Mom N' Pop video stores in the area (the others annihilated by the inexorable Ballbuster Video juggernaut) which is owned by a very nice Chinese family. Lucky for me, they're exceptionally good about stocking imported Hong Kong DVDs and, knowing my love for the stuff, they always inform me when a good new one has hit the shelves. Last night I rented a crime thriller called "Infernal Affairs", and boy is it a doozy.

The plot goes like this: Ten years ago the Hong Kong police department decided to plant a mole in the local mobster's gang, a deep cover agent to covertly feed them information on their criminal activities while gradually earning greater trust and rising in rank. What he and his superior don't know is that the mobster has done the exact same thing to the cops - he's planted a mole in their outfit. Eventually both the cops and the gang discover they've got a mole problem, which leaves the Cop-Pretending-To-Be-A-Gangster and the Gangster-Pretending-To-Be-A-Cop with the rather tricky proposition of protecting their cover while hunting down the moles in both their and the enemy's organization.

After turning off "Collateral" somewhere in the beginning of the third act, watching this film really reminded me why I watch as many Hong Kong movies as I do. Unlike the bland, cookie cutter crime thrillers coming out of Hollywood, "Infernal Affairs" is a gripping, well-scripted, beautifully acted, emotionally draining little picture that kept me pinned to my damn seat for its full running time. Andy Lau and Tony Leung both give terrific, heartfelt performances as a pair of demon-haunted men who no longer have any idea who they are.

Anyway, I highly recommend giving you probably won't be able to get it at Blockhead, but I do believe Netflix carries it. I'm curious to see if it got to the regs here as much as it did to me.

Cheers,

B
  

Top answer

[nq:1]Just thought I'd pop in and make a quick recommendation. I live nearby one of the last Mom N' Pop ... I'm curious to see if it got to the regs here as much as it did to me.

  • [nq:1]Just thought I'd pop in and make a quick recommendation.
  • I live nearby one of the last Mom N' Pop ...
  • I'm curious to see if it got to the regs here as much as it did to me.
  • Cheers, B[/nq] It's actually still showing here in Europe.
  • The site below is called Infernal Affairs III.
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7 Answers
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[nq:1]Just thought I'd pop in and make a quick recommendation. I live nearby one of the last Mom N' Pop ... I'm curious to see if it got to the regs here as much as it did to me. Cheers, B[/nq]
It's actually still showing here in Europe. The site below is called Infernal Affairs III. Are we missing something?

htt
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[nq:1]I live nearby one of the last Mom N' Pop video stores in the area (the others annihilated by the ... has hit the shelves. Last night I rented a crime thriller called "Infernal Affairs", and boy is it a doozy.[/nq]
It's a trilogy. Watching the first was like watching an epic like The Godfather, and it was only 90 minutes long or so! The story was just packed without having explana
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[nq:1]Just thought I'd pop in and make a quick recommendation.[/nq]
Scorsese is directing a remake (The Departed), with Irish characters.

Mysti
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[nq:2]Just thought I'd pop in and make a quick recommendation.[/nq]
[nq:1]Scorsese is directing a remake (The Departed), with Irish characters.[/nq]
Yeah, I found that out after checking the film on the IMBD. While I'm thrilled that Hong Kong kung fu films are finally getting the major theatrical releases they deserve here in the states, it's a shame that their superb dramas still have to
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[nq:1]It's a trilogy.[/nq]
But is it really a trilogy? I suspect it's simply a movie with two sequels (i.e. the "A Better Tomorrow" series).

Watching the first was like watching an epic like The
[nq:1]Godfather, and it was only 90 minutes long or so! The story was just packed without having explanations showed down the throat. Just excellent, efficient, effective fi
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[nq:1]... it's a shame that their superb dramas still have to go the remake route. Mind you, I'll see anything ... "Infernal Affairs" would capture his imagination. Cheers, B Well, the original is premiering here in SF at the Balboa 2/3/2004.[/nq]
Something, anyway
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I just happened to complete the trilogy last weekend with INFERNAL AFFAIRS III, and I agree with Lars - first one's best, second one's not so but still watchable, third one's a letdown.

Aside from some unnecessary and goofy subplots (psychiatrist lets her patient sleep through their sessions because he's insomniac?), INFERNAL AFFAIRS is a really slick thriller with some really smart writ

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