Infernal Affairs

Synopsis

The greatest Hong Kong crime thriller ever made. Tony Leung and Andy Lau star as opposing moles in a deadly game of identity. Douban 9.3. Remade by Scorsese as Oscar-winning The Departed.

Overview

Infernal Affairs (无间道) is a 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, written by Alan Mak and Felix Chong. Starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau, with Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, and Kelly Chen in supporting roles, the film holds a Douban rating of 9.3 — one of the highest-rated Chinese films ever — and is widely regarded as the greatest crime film in Chinese cinema history.

The title derives from Buddhist philosophy: "Avici" (无间地狱) is the lowest and most agonizing level of hell, reserved for those who have committed the gravest offenses, with no possibility of escape. This metaphor perfectly captures both protagonists' inescapable identity crises — no matter how hard they struggle, neither can return to their true selves.

The film's success led to Martin Scorsese's Hollywood remake The Departed (2006), which won four Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director.

Plot Summary

Hong Kong becomes the battleground for the ultimate game of deception between police and organized crime.

Chen Wing-yan (Tony Leung) is a police mole planted deep within the criminal organization of triad boss Hon Sam (Eric Tsang). He has spent years living as a gangster, enduring enormous psychological strain. No one knows his true identity except his handler, Superintendent Wong Chi-shing (Anthony Wong). Every day he walks a moral tightrope, yearning for the day he can reclaim his life as a police officer.

Lau Kin-ming (Andy Lau) is Hon Sam's mole embedded in the Hong Kong Police Force. With exceptional ability, he has risen through the ranks to become an elite officer. Outwardly loyal to the force, he secretly feeds intelligence to Hon Sam, helping the triad evade justice time and again.

When both sides realize they have a mole in their ranks, a nerve-wracking cat-and-mouse game ensues. Chen and Lau each receive the same mission: find the other side's mole. Both are hunting and hiding simultaneously, each walking along the precipice of exposure.

The film's devastating climax sees Superintendent Wong thrown from a rooftop to his death — Chen watches helplessly, unable to reveal his true feelings. In the final act, Chen is shot dead in an elevator by another hidden mole, and Lau survives but is condemned to live forever within his web of lies.

Cast

Cultural Impact

Infernal Affairs not only reinvented the Hong Kong crime thriller genre but profoundly influenced Asian cinema as a whole. It shattered the traditional black-and-white morality of police films, presenting a morally ambiguous gray world where no character is purely "good" or "evil."

Martin Scorsese's remake The Departed (2006) won the Academy Award for Best Picture — one of the few non-English language film adaptations to receive Hollywood's highest honor. Scorsese acknowledged being deeply impressed by the original's structure and tension.

The film spawned two sequels: Infernal Affairs II (2003), a prequel exploring the early years of Hon Sam and Superintendent Wong, and Infernal Affairs III (2003), continuing Lau's story. Together, the trilogy forms one of the most complete crime epics in Hong Kong cinema history.

The iconic line "I want to be a good man" remains one of the most heartbreaking lines in Chinese cinema — expressing the simplest yet most unattainable wish of an undercover officer trapped in an impossible situation.

References

1. Douban: Infernal Affairs (https://movie.douban.com/subject/1307914/)
2. Wikipedia: Infernal Affairs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infernal_Affairs)
3. IMDb: Infernal Affairs (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338564/)
4. Baidu Baike: Infernal Affairs