Infernal Affairs

"Loyalty. Honor. Betrayal."

2002 1h 41m CN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 1,948

DramaThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst.

“Loyalty. Honor. Betrayal.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Andy Lau
Senior Inspector Lau Kin-ming
Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Chan Wing-yan
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
Superintendent Wong Chi-shing
Eric Tsang
Hon Sam
Kelly Chen Hui-Lin
Dr. Lee Sum-yee
Sammi Cheng Sau-Man
Mary
Elva Hsiao
May
Chapman To Man-Chat
Tsui Wai-keung

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alan Mak Siu-Fai
Writers: Felix Chong Man-Keung, Alan Mak Siu-Fai
Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 24 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Infernal Affairs Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alan Mak Siu-Fai, shot by Lai Yiu-Fai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Comfort Chan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Danny Pang shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Anthony Wong Chau-Sang carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Loyalty. Honor. Betrayal.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alan Mak Siu-Fai directs. Lai Yiu-Fai behind the camera. Comfort Chan scores. Danny Pang cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 24 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, Thai.
3Part of the "Infernal Affairs Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Alan Mak Siu-Fai, shot by Lai Yiu-Fai. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Comfort Chan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Danny Pang shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Anthony Wong Chau-Sang carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Loyalty. Honor. Betrayal.".
9IMDB entry: tt0338564 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 19 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Lai Yiu-Fai
Original score: Comfort Chan
Editing: Danny Pang
Costume design: Lee Pik-Kwan
Makeup / hair: Cheng Yu-Lai
VFX supervisor: Eddy Wong Wang-Hin
Sound: Kinson Tsang King-Cheung
Stunt coordinator: Dion Lam
Runtime: 101 min · 1h 41m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,400,000
Box office: $8,836,958
Return: 138% of budget
Original language: CN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Infernal Affairs (2002)

Awards

Golden Horse Award for Best Feature Film
Hong Kong Film Award for Best Film

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Infernal Affairs Collection

The setting is the never-ending war between the police and the Triads of Hong Kong. Chan is a cop who's been assigned to undercover work inside the Triads for so long that he's been able to rise through the ranks to a position of some authority. Lau, meanwhile, is a secret member of the Triads who has infiltrated the police force with an equal level of success. As they feed their bosses information on the plans and counter-plans of the organizations they pretend to serve, they both begin to feel the stresses of their double lives as they become torn between the oppressive obligations they owe to their superiors and the growing camaraderie they share with the foot soldiers around them. As the two organizations become increasingly aware of the moles in their midsts, the race is on for Chan and Lau to try and get out of the game alive.

Also by

Alan Mak Siu-Fai

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

JPV8522022-11-07
★ 8/10
Solid Hong Kong action-thriller with good performances and fine direction. I do think The Departed did better with connecting the plot and character development (particularly between the undercover cop and psychiatrist). Also thought The Departed was more suspenseful. But that said, Infernal Affairs is a fine film. 3.75/5

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