P R E S E N T S  T H E

Infernal Affairs II DIRECTED BY ANDREW LAU WAI-KEUNG, ALAN MAK RELEASED: 2003 Why's it so good? Both cops and Triads are struggling against a new crime lord in town in this prequel to the original film, amid political manoeuvrings and back-alley deals between opposing sides. This plot is so intricate that it makes the previous one look positively anaemic, but it's meaty rather than tangled when you sink your teeth in.

How does it stack up to the original? After the elegant dilemma of the first film - an undercover cop in the Triads and an undercover Triad among the cops seek each other out - this more conventional crime thriller may seem lacking, but there's still a heck of a story here. And Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang, whose police Inspector and small-time crime boss Sam provide the focus here, are both on excellent form. Glaring error: This is set during the Hong Kong handover, dating it a mere 5 years before the original film, but apparently original leads Yan and Ming changed vastly in that time, because here they look like completely different people. GAP BETWEEN SEQUEL AND ORIGINAL: 10 MONTHS 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 43 42 41 40 39 38 37 36 35 34 33 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Advertisement