By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 5 cats
Director: Siu Fai Mak | Wai Keung Lau
Starring: Anthony Wong | Edison Chen | Shawn Yue
Original language title: Wu jian dao 2
Country: china, hong_kong, singapore
Year: 2004
Running time: 119
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369060/combined
Bruce says: “INFERNAL AFFAIRS 2 is a prequel to INFERNAL AFFAIRS. While it does seem a bit strange to treat the films this way, the technique is successful. IN IA2, Yan, the mole in the triads, and Ming, the mole in the Hong Kong police, are played by Shawn Yue and Edison Chen. As Yan is kicked out of the police academy ostensibly for being the illegitimate half-brother to a mobster, he says ‘I bet none of you want to be in my shoes.’ Ming whispers, ‘I do.’ Much of film takes place in several time frames 1991, 1995 and 1997. Much is made of the British handover in 1997 – ‘One country, two systems.’ As we witness the Hong Kong police and the triads in action, we know that Hong Kong has been functioning with two systems for a long time.
“Many of the blank spaces in the first film are filled in: how Sam – initially a small time crime figure becomes a big time triad boss and a force to be reckoned with; Yan’s reconnection with his triad relatives, namely Ngai Wing-Hau, Yan’s half-brother; Ming’s fascination and subsequent involvement with Sam’s girlfriend; and police inspector Wong and Yan’s on-again, off-again relationship. The triads’ business relationships with the Thai underworld and mainland China crime figures are more fully explained than they were in the first film.
“INFERNAL AFFAIRS 2 is a hard core crime drama with operatic overtones and spiritual subtexts. On the operatic side, comparisons can be made to THE GODFATHER; certainly there are at least two scenes that rival THE GODFATHER’s christening/execution pastiche. For me, IA2 is all about the music. From scene to scene, the music shifts from full orchestration to simple piano; flute to harmonica; chorale to torch singing; and classical guitar to sitar. In every case, the film is richer as a result. Not once did I feel that the musical choice was out of context.
“Both actors playing the younger Yan and Ming are exceptional. In ways they are as captivating as the older actors playing the same characters in INFERNAL AFFAIRS and IA3. Anthony Wong Chau-Sang and Eric Tsang continue their roles from INFERNAL AFFAIRS.
“Reviewing the trilogy is a difficult task. Once you see all three films, even if you remember exactly what took place when (which I am sure no one could on a single viewing), it is still hard to mentally separate the events neatly into three packages. While I felt the second in the trilogy is not quite as perfect as the first I feel it is very close in quality. Why split hairs? 5 cats”