Infernal Affairs begins with Triad Crime Boss plotting the futures of a group of his young soldiers. They are meant to enter the police force and work in his interest, as moles. Two of these young men manage to excel at the academy. While Lau Kin-Ming is on the fast track, Chan Wing-Yan is expelled for reasons unknown.
As it turns out Yan has been selected by internal affairs for a deep undercover mission, inside the Triads. It will be his job to get the information the cops need to bring down the Triad. Yan begins losing himself to the life of crime, day by day, while his counterpart Ming is put in charge of a task force assembled to bring down the gang. What results is a cat and mouse game almost too complex to describe here, without risking spoiling some of the major plot points. Let's just say it gets complicated, but I mean that in a good way.
As an American filmgoer we are accustomed to a certain level of quality that other movie markets just can't seem to match, whatever the reasons. That is not the case here. Apparently Infernal Affairs was filled with top Hong Kong actors and it shows by the level of acting that is on display here. The performances could be considered somewhat restrained compared to our actors but that might have been a directing choice. I don't have enough context, in terms of seeing other films these actors have appeared in, to be a good judge of that.
Don't let the fact that the characters are not speaking English, keep you from watching this movie, it is highly recommended. If you're a person who already enjoys a foreign film every so often, then enjoy. I'm just sorry I missed this one when it came out.
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