After I enjoyed Martin Scorcese's "The Departed, I decided to watch the film that inspired the celebrated director to re-make it and move the action from Hong Kong to Boston, MA, USA. I must say that I liked the original movie better: 50 minutes shorter than Scorcese's magnificent remake, "Infernal Affairs" is tighter, faster, more compelling and tells the same story better. It does not have a grand acting Jack Nicholson who basically plays Daryl Van Horne with the attitude and "Infernal Affairs" characters don't talk and don't curse as much as they do in "The Departed" but the Hong Kong's movie only benefits from it. As much as I admire Leonardo DiCaprio as Bill Castigan, Tony Leung (Yan) in his role is simply unforgettable.

This film begins with two men in the police academy. Yan (Tony Leung) is drummed out for some rules violation--though he is actually going deep undercover to join the mob and infiltrate it for the police. Lau (Andy Lau) is the opposite--a seemingly exemplary cop who's been planted in the academy by the mob! Soon the mob plant is an important inspector working for Internal Affairs and sending his mob boss all the police moves against the organization and the only one who seems to have a prayer in finding him is Yan...and both are looking to unmask each other. But who will find out the identity of the other first? Plus, Yan's job soon becomes a lot more difficult when his one and only police contact, Superintendent Wong, is murdered! Now no one in the police force knows who he is or can offer him any help...and everyone thinks Lau is beyond reproach and the full power of the Force is behind him...as well as the mob.

This film surprised me. After all, I'd already seen the Americanized version of this film, "The Departed" and didn't love the film (despite it's many Oscars). However, "Infernal Affairs" was a much, much better film--with characters that made more sense as well as a profoundly sad and moving ending. Overall, it's one of the best films from Hong Kong I have had the pleasure of seeing and strongly recommend you give it a try.

A decent police procedural from Hong Kong that not only spawned two sequels and an American remake but whose look and style has inspired many police films ever since (watch NEW POLICE STORY for an example of how this film's distinct visuals have proved so influential). I really hate to say it, but I actually think the Scorsese-directed remake, THE DEPARTED, is superior to this – it's got a better ensemble cast, more grandiose set-pieces and a bigger, epic feel to it. Infernal Affairs is lower budgeted but still offers remarkable acting and an intricate original plot line.

Andy Lau and Tony Leung are both fine actors whose popularity is a mark of their success in China. They're both able to get their teeth into meaty roles here, playing undercover operatives on different sides of the law, and even though they share few scenes together they have a shared kind of intensity. It's hard to pick who's best: Leung, edgy and reluctant, or Lau, icy and efficient, and I think they deserve equal plaudits. Veteran support comes from Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang, the latter finding a new lease of life in a career previously noted for comedy – he plays it dead straight here.

The star of the show is the storyline, which is inventive and well paced, a cat-and-mouse thriller like no other. Every drop of tension is wrung from what stands as a fairly simple premise, each moment pumped for maximum suspense. This is the kind of mature, creative film-making that Hong Kong indulges in on occasion, and when they do few others can come close.