Re: Infernal Affairs Trilogy 720p Torrent
Qiana Castagna
Infernal Affairs is a series of three crime-action films directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates the triads, and a police officer secretly working for the same gang. The Chinese title means "the non-stop way", a reference to Avici, the lowest level of hell in Buddhism. The English title is a word play combining the law enforcement term "internal affairs" with the adjective 'infernal'.The Criterion Collection released the trilogy as a box set on November 15, 2022.
In 2004, filmmaker Frédéric Ambroisine traveled to Hong Kong to conduct the following interviews with the filmmaking team and cast members of the INFERNAL AFFAIRS trilogy, including Andrew Lau Wai-keung, Alan Mak, Felix Chong Man-keung, Kelly Chen Wai-lam, Anthony Wong Chau-sang, and Chapman To M...
This 12-minute offering again presents us with plenty of behind the scenes footage of scenes being shot, and of the cast and crew on-set, interspliced with interviews with all of the main players, explaining the complicated plot machinations and the themes of eternal neverending hell both within this sequel, and paralleled across the entire trilogy.
The first disc also includes the 20-minute alternate ending, shot in order to meet the demands of Mainland China -- which I'd heard about and never seen before; Hong Kong Noir, recorded in 2007 and directed by Yves Montmayeur, which consists of interviews with Chong, Mak, and Lau, and also Peter Tsi, who look back on the culture of Hong Kong, ten years after the era-defining Handover; Making Of, a standard promotional featurette, with behind the scenes footage (BTS) and brief interviews, running 15 minutes; Confidential File, running 9 minutes, which has more BTS footage; outtakes, 23 minutes of raw, often silent material; and two trailers, the original theatrical and a "supercut" for the trilogy as a whole, cut by Criterion. I've only sampled the audio commentary, but it features Chong, Mak and Lau, going in-depth on the characters and themes.
Do not delay on the opportunity to own your very own personal copy of these essential films. I have watched them multiple times over the years, and each time I watch the trilogy, a different one emerges as my favorite. I look forward to my new favorite, the next time I watch the films, which will be as soon as possible!
And now, fans and newcomers alike will get to experience the films with unprecedented clarity when a new 4K restoration of the trilogy begins screening at Film at Lincoln Center on September 16. The new restorations were created using an ARRISCAN film scanner and the original camera negatives, and the soundtrack has been remixed using the original digital audio master files.
Tony Leung and Andy Lau return for INFERNAL AFFAIRS III (2003), the cathartic conclusion of the Infernal Affairs trilogy, which layers on even more deep-cover intrigue while steering the series into increasingly complex psychological territory.
Although two decades have passed, this trilogy has maintained its international legacy, especially among its Sinophone audience. Every screening I attended at the Walter Reade Theater was packed with Chinese moviegoers from all walks of life. The restoration of these films is a celebration of a shared cultural heritage.
Infernal Affairs (2002), Infernal Affairs II (2003) and Infernal Affairs IIII (2003) are all co-directed by Hong Kong filmmakers Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, directors of many, many other HK action movies previously, including making Initial D and Confession of Pain together before they both went their own way to direct movies solo. The screenplays are co-written by Alan Mak & Felix Chong for all three films as well. The films took years to first show up in the US, only opening in 2004 after first premiering in Hong Kong in 2002 / 2003. The new 4K restorations of the Infernal Affairs trilogy will debut in select theaters (Lincoln Center in NYC) on September 16th, 2022. They'll be out on Criterion Collection Blu-ray later this year.
The first Infernal Affairs film plays out pretty much exactly as The Departed. The twists and surprises are intact as well as Lau, Chan, Sam, and Wong are working to figure out who the moles are and who the undercover cops are who have infiltrated the chaotic Triad gang. Again, the whole story plays out the same as in the Scorsese film for the most part. Scorsese held Infernal Affairs to a high standard and wanted to make sure his tribute would make everyone happy and it did. With the success of the first film, it was only ideal that Mak and Lau make their Godfather-Esque trilogy complete, which is exactly what they did.
And Infernal Affairs III goes in both directions as it acts as a prequel and sequel to the original film, running parallel storylines to bring these characters full circle. Lau is under investigation for Chan's death while Sam is dealing with some business that gets a bit dicey. Many secondary characters come back into the fray in the third film while flashbacks resolve some major plot points from the films that include Wong and Sam's relationship during this whole murderous time. This final film is the sleekest looking of the bunch, while the second film is its darkest tone. It's a pitch-perfect trilogy that maybe someday, someone will remake in succession to The Departed. Even after almost twenty years, The Infernal Affairs Trilogy feels fresh and poignant. Those political and societal problems of corruption in Hong Kong play a big role in the films as does the city itself, showcasing its beauty in unexpected places, just like Boston did for The Departed. This is one of those trilogies that will be around forever as one of the greatest of all time.
These films look good and are perhaps the best they've ever looked at thus far, but with some of these issues creeping up in each film, one can't help but think that a 4K release might improve on these situations and be the ultimate way to see them. That being said, the third film in the trilogy by far looks the best and has virtually none of these problems, besides some minor fluctuations in clarity.
In order to do the 4-way comparison of Infernal Affairs (2002) vs The Departed and other remakes, I rewatched the Infernal Affairs trilogy again. Infernal Affairs III (無間道III終極無間) (2003), the sequel to the original movie, while having a really ambitious story, is tremendously confusing and leaves questions unanswered. I found that nearly 10 years after the release of this movie, there are very few, if any, plot analysis for it in English. So I need to write one, for those who love the original movie and want to know what happens after that.
Andrew Lau and Alan Mak did not set out to make a trilogy, but response to the first Infernal Affairs was so overwhelming that they put together both a prequel and sequel. Infernal Affairs II starred Edison Chan and Shawn Yue as younger informants, with Tsang and Wong reprising their roles. Infernal Affairs III puts the focus back on Leung and Lau, introducing Leon Lai as another police foil. They are superb additions to the first entry.
(Here at Hammer to Nail, we are all about true independent cinema. But we also have to tip our hat to the great films of yesteryear that continue to inspire filmmakers and cinephiles alike. This week, Brad Cook hits the streets of Hong Kong with the Criterion 4k Blu-Ray release of the Infernal Affairs trilogy.)
With its stunning fight scenes, gripping suspense and deep themes of loyalty and betrayal, and lost identity, the Infernal Affairs trilogy is an essential watch for all fans of Hong Kong cinema. Get all three films in this 3-disc boxset.
Tony Leung and Andy Lau return for the cathartic conclusion of the Infernal Affairs trilogy, which layers on even more deep-cover intrigue while steering the series into increasingly complex psychological territory.
Andrew Lau Wai-keung is a Hong Kong film director, producer, and cinematographer. He began his career in the 1980s and 1990s, serving as a cinematographer to filmmakers such as Ringo Lam, Wong Jing and Wong Kar-wai, before seeking creative freedom as a film director and producer. A highly prolific filmmaker, Lau has crafted films in a variety of genres. He is best known for his action and crime films, including the Young and Dangerous film series, the Infernal Affairs trilogy (the latter co-directed together with Alan Mak), and Revenge of the Green Dragons (executive produced by Martin Scorsese).
The iconic Hong Kong film series Infernal Affairs is celebrating its 20th anniversary. The first movie in the trilogy, about the cat-and-mouse game between undercover cop Wing-yan (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) posing as a triad member and Kin-ming (Andy Lau), a mole for the triad in the upper echelons of police leadership, was released on Dec 12, 2002.
It is made by Andrew Lau and adapted from a popular Manga comic, but no one should expect anything like the quality of Lau's Infernal Affairs trilogy, his audacious tribute to Coppola's The Godfather.
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