Infernal Affairs II

"The Birth of a Legend."

2003 1h 59m CN

👍

7.3

SOLID

🍅

75%

FRESH

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.3TMDB · 492🍅75%Rotten Tomatoes★7.2IMDB · 21,087

ActionThrillerCrime

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In this prequel to the original, a bloody power struggle among the Triads coincides with the 1997 handover of Hong Kong, setting up the events of the first film.

“The Birth of a Legend.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Yue Man-lok
陈永仁
Edison Chen
刘健明
Francis Ng Chun-Yu
倪永孝
Eric Tsang
韩琛
Carina Lau
Mary
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
黄志诚
Hu Jun
陆启昌
Andrew Lin Hoi
倪永忠

Credits

Behind the camera

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

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

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $3M — a 25.7× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Cantonese, English, Thai, Mandarin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Singapore.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

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

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 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#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alan Mak Siu-Fai directs. Andrew Lau Wai-Keung behind the camera. Comfort Chan scores. Danny Pang cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in China, Hong Kong, Singapore. Dialogue in Cantonese, English, Thai, Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.1M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $3M — a 25.7× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
3Released 23 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Cantonese, English, Thai, Mandarin.
5International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Singapore.
6Part of the "Infernal Affairs Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
7Directed by Alan Mak Siu-Fai, shot by Andrew Lau Wai-Keung. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Comfort Chan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Danny Pang shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Yue Man-lok and Edison Chen and Francis Ng Chun-Yu carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "The Birth of a Legend.".
12IMDB entry: tt0369060 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Released under 19 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
Original score: Comfort Chan
Editing: Danny Pang
Runtime: 119 min · 1h 59m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $125,000
Box office: $3,208,262
Return: 2567% of budget
Original language: CN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Infernal Affairs II (2003)
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 21,087 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

6 wins & 25 nominations total

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.