Tony Grrl
Joined: 25 Feb 2003 Posts: 1431 Location: Scotland UK
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2004 3:22 pm Post subject: Financial Times Review of Infernal Affairs Wed 25th Feb 2004 |
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nfernal Affairs is a zippy Chinese thriller, already earmarked by Martin Scorsese for a US remake. Crime and plainclothes crimebusting in Hong Kong form a complex underworld, with a mole in every tunnel. Drug lords moving shipfuls of dope into south Kowloon have their plant in the police force. The cops, whose chief gets a transfer, metaphysically speaking, after a brilliantly chilling moment with a pair of lift doors, have an informer among the crooks. And there may be a third stoolpigeon unknown to either . . .
You can get a migraine trying to work out who is betraying whom, but directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak move the action so fast you forget you need an aspirin. Superstar Tony Leung (In the Mood for Love) gives double agent number-one a broody charisma, while pop-eyed, wattle-cheeked villain Hon Sam (Eric Tsang) is a star turn. The art of spotting a snitch on the street is given lucid exposition by a minor character with more brains than smarts - "If he seems to be doing something but is paying attention to us instead, he's a plainclothes cop" - and is then turned hilariously on its head. Direction is crackling and kinetic. Unsurprisingly, Infernal Affairs 2 and 3 are already on the way.
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Their star rating is only 2 out of 5!
Duh, number 2 and number 3 are already out, dumbo. _________________ Sheila
TLCW Fan UK
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