Review of Infernal Affairs II (2003) by Noah V — 24 May 2007

Why is it that Hong Kong has none of the problems Hollywood has in making good sequals? I wasn't sure how they were going to pull off 'Infernal Affairs II' but pull it off they did. Using the actors who played the young versions of Yan and Ming at the beginning of 'IA', Andy Lau and co. have made an exceptional prequal to one of the greatest cops n' crims thrillers of recent years. In my comments for 'The Departed' I critisized it for overly developing the characters though, having now seen this, I see where Scorsese got his ideas from [I still stand by my original opinion though- the character development occurs over an entirely separate two and a half hour movie here!].

It's great to see Inspector Wong and Sam back to life, each trying to play the HK criminal underworld to their advantage, and it's fascinating following the progress of the young Moles as they start to get to grips with what they've got themselves into. The plot itself, while quite typical of the genre, is well-rounded and thoughtful (having the British/Hong Kong handover playing out in the background is a nice touch) and the character's back-stories not only make for a fantastic movie in their own right but also add a whole new depth to the original film. Utter class...