Mou Gaan Dou [Infernal Affairs] (2002)

A top notch crime thriller. A complete revamp of what you'd expect to see from a Hong Kong crime flick. Gone are the highly stylised gun play action, where every character seems to knows a bit of kung fu and where blood would splatter freely. What we have here is a taut and tense cat and mouse film where the hero and villain are conflicted and both wish to be set free from their assigned roles. It was so outstanding, even Hollywood stood up and paid attention and remade it into an overblown but stylish crime film The Departed.

Ming (Andy Lau)

The Departed was highly praised, commercially and critically but I feel unfortunately, that a lot of people seem to have missed the original and raved on too much about the remake. It is a sharp, sleek and more focused film and it zips along and gets to the dramatic actions quicker. There is more characters and development in The Departed but sometimes less is more (the only character I particularly liked in The Departed gave the film more credibility was Staff Sgt Dignam played by Mark Wahlberg).

Yan (Tony Leung)

For those of you who don't know what the film's about here's a brief synopsis. 10 years prior to the present day events, we learn that a Triad Boss Mon Sam (Eric Tsang) instructs his newest minions to infiltrate the police force by recruiting to become a mole. Unbeknown to the crime lord, the police also have similiar ideas. All this is played out to us in under 8 minutes, Ming (Andy Lau) rises amongst the police ranks whilst Yan ( Tony Leung) earns the trust of his Triad Boss. No sagging and no extra luggage. Fast forward to present day we find Yan (Tony Leung) so desperate to finish his undercover assignment and Ming also tried of being an informant for the Triads.

One night when a lucrative drug deal is being set up, Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong) is tipped off and plans to arrest Mon Sam and all those involved. Unfortunately Ming also tips off Sam and when both the police and the triads come away empty handed, suspicions arises and both parties conclude that there is a mole amongst their midst. Both organisation set out to flush the mole into the open and both assign their respective moles to find themselves!

With such a simplistic yet wildly unbelievable story, it is actually quite compelling. There are a few plot holes and characters which don't enhance the narrative of the film (Yan has a daughter....?!?) but overall the film feels fresh, full of energy and great use of locations (the city roof tops have never looked a cooler place for a secret meeting) and with Christopher Doyle as visual consultant we can see how immersing and intense the colours come out on screen. It's so clean and crisp, I have never seen a better looking Hong Kong film in such a long time.

Both leads portray men with an internal struggle to such an extent you believe they're both wanting out from their ordeal.They're basically playing each others roles and are sick of the lies and the constant fear of being found out. Tony Leung is, as always amazing and you can feel his turmoil by the look in his eyes (especially when he's put into a tight situation or when he feels like someone is on to him), and a special mention should go to Eric Tsang as he is normally associated with comedic roles and plays the role of a crime lord with great grit, determination and menace with none of the over theatrics that Jack Nicolson shows in the remake.

The use of mobiles and Morse code plays heavily in this film and provides the film with some of its more intense dramatic scenes. I don't think I have seen a better and more valuable use of the mobile phone than in this film. It is what makes it different from the usually HK crime films. It's relies heavily on characters' driving the narrative forward instead of some stupid nonsensical violent shoot-out (the film does have a shoot out on the streets but it's not over the top or excessively violent). It's very reminiscent of how U.S. crime thrillers are made. It's clever, with some neat twists and turns, some you may expect others you may not. When I first saw this film, it felt unique and very fresh. It mixes the Hollywood style of storytelling with Chinese themes of honour, loyalty and betrayal. I hope that if people saw The Departed, they would seek out the original as it is a more deserving film to be called a modern classic instead of it having a small cult following it currently has and I have been trying to get more people to watch it.

18/20

Chungking Express (1994) with Trailer

If you only get to watch one Wong Kar Wai film make it this one, It's the most accessible and enjoyable film he has made in my opinion. Wong Kar Wai is known for starting a film without a planned script and this film follows suit. This is all about obsessions and mourning over lost love. The narrative is split in two and the link between them is very tenuous (there is the obvious connection of them being two cops and that they eat at the same take out joint) but both stories do share the common theme of what a break up can do to a man and how a minor connection from strangers can overcome and heal ones heartache.

The first story introduces us to Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) who is obsessively buying tins of pineapple with the expiration date May 1st to see if his love will re blossom or expire like the tins of pineapple. His own rational thinking involves the fact his birthday falls on the 1st of May so that will be the time to move on after mourning and pining after her for a whole month. When his birthday arrives he comes across a blonde wig wearing drug dealer on the run and he spots her in the bar. He tries his hardest to chat her up but she just wants to find somewhere safe to rest. Eventually they end up in a hotel together and she falls asleep and he wakes up alone the next morning, unbeknown to him he has helped her more than she could have hoped for.

With the second narrative, the transition occurs at the take out joint where both cops frequent and we are introduced to Faye (Faye Wong) the new waitress who notices the 2nd lovelorn cop, Cop 663 (played by Tony Leung) always coming in buying food and getting relationship advice from the owner. Unfortunately for him his relationship breaks down and he fails to notice the subtle advances made by the new waitress, so she sets out obsessively to try to get his attention and win him over by any means possible.

Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro)

I can't say how much I found this a breath of fresh air and an absolute joy to watch. Its very light and has a very dream like quality to the opening and the dazzling kaleidoscopic colours capturing the neon lights of the bustling Hong Kong streets incredibly well. Credit goes to the amazing cinematographer Christopher Doyle, he fleshes out such sumptuous vibrant colours from the locations. It's very aesthetically pleasing on the eye.

Cop 663 (Tony Leung) and Faye (FayeWong)

The dialogue is very much written the night before each scene and there is a poetic feel to the whole observational comments on love and the situations we can find ourselves in. The performances by both leads are commendable considering there isn't much to the script. Tony Leung is always watchable and there is always an intensity to him even when he has nothing to say, it's all in his eyes. He looks thoughtful and displays such emotion that even when he is just standing still in shot, he still out acts most actors.

People may find that it's a case of style over substance. The story is not the strongest part of this film and like I said before, Wong Kar Wai is known for starting a film without a completed script, but it's all the cinematic techniques which are on display which draws you in. The jump cut editing, the numerous pop cultural references, to the kinetic camera work and the repetitive use of Mama's and Papa's "California Dreaming" (you'll end up loving the song or it'll drive you insane, for me it was the former) all makes up for it's paper thin narrative with it's avant garde visual style. Very much a Hong Kong art house flick akin to the New Wave French films created by film makers like Jean Luc Goddard and Francois Truffaut.


It's a film that will excite many of those who are film-literate (or a moderate knowledge of the film language) but for many modern audiences, I feel, will be a little bit less engaged by the whole thing. For those willing to try something different visually and unconventional in terms of narrative, you can't go wrong with this expressive piece of work with a finale that is ambiguous and lets you paint your own conclusion as to what happens to it's characters.

18/20