Infernal Affairs 2

Can Infernal Affairs 2 possibly live up to the impressive original?

When Infernal Affairs 2 was finally released to western audiences I ventured to the cinema with a tinge of nervous excitement. Its predecessor is one of the best movies I have seen over the past twelve months so obviously I wanted to go back for more, but at the same time sequels rarely live up to the hype.

I must have been lucky then because Infernal Affairs 2 is actually a prequel and the previous movie's main stars, Andy Lau and Tony Leung, are nowhere to be seen. Instead the film revolves around the birth of the legend, focusing on how the events of Infernal Affairs came to be and filing the viewer in on the backgrounds of all the various characters. If you thought that the original movie consisted of an intricate plot then you haven't seen anything yet as Infernal Affairs 2 is a spiderweb of subterfuge, double crosses and corruption. Unfortunately the film is a victim of its own complexity and almost trips itself up at times in a struggle to keep up with the pace of the action. Having said that, IA2 is a worthy member of the record breaking franchise; on its own grounds the film is another excellent piece of filmmaking from Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak, unfortunately it throws up as many questions as it answers and should have been dumbed down somewhat.

The film follows the early careers of Ming (played this time by Edison Chen) and Yan (Shawn Yue takes over Tony Leung's duties here), tracking their rise through the police force and mob respectively. Both actors were seen in the flashbacks in the original movie, but their roles have been expanded in this effort as things are not as simple as was previously thought. Having seen the original movie one would have thought that Yan was simply selected to become a mole in the Triads and Ming was just another one of Sam's street thugs that was placed in the police academy. However it turns out that each of their origins is far more complex and both their minders play pivotal roles in the shaping of their destinies far before the events of Infernal Affairs.

As it happens Yan is the son of one of Hong Kong's leading gang members, upon his death the academy supervisors find out about Yan's murky past and he is to be dismissed for lying on his application. The film then flicks back to its predecessor as SP Wong decides to recruit the disgraced cadet anyway, but it seems to be due more to his family connections with the Triads than his policing skills. On the other hand Ming seems to be helping out his mother and is actually responsible for Yan's father's murder; he is connected to Sam through this mysterious older woman and gradually sinks deeper into the underworld at her bequest. A whole wide web of characters appear as the film delves into the background of the movie's main characters; despite knowing where the story ultimately leads, we are led through a series of twists that completely change the viewer's preconceptions.

The main difference between this movie and its predecessor is the emphasis put on the secondary characters in Infernal Affairs 2. A host of new characters make appearances, as well as a couple of familiar faces. Obviously enough SP Wong and Sam play leading roles in this movie; their roots are further explored, often with quite shocking results. On top of this other characters such as Yan's half brother, Ngai, and Mary, the mysterious older woman in Ming's life, are introduced. At first their introduction is met with immediate success, the events leading up to and following after Yan's father's death are some of the most well worked scenes in recent memory and are reminiscent of The Godfather series. However as the film peters out the feeling that an over necessary emphasis has been placed on these secondary characters begins to emerge. It's not that it takes away from the movie as such; it's just that with the first movie in mind, the viewer can be left confused by the direction IA2 takes at times. Each of the characters have far darker backgrounds than imaginable and you can't help but draw back from them at times; this is a slightly dubious decision to take since, with another movie in the series to be released, one would have thought that maintaining their appeal would be of vital importance.

Despite the fact that the film suffers from its own complexity, its highlights are definitely the resolution of all its twists and turns. Two moments in the movie stand out for being quite similar to the final scenes of The Godfather Part III, a whole series of events are put together and is met with rather interesting results. You're literally stuck on the edge of your seat and just when you flinch thinking the inevitable is about to occur, it's like a car crashes into you and sends you spinning into a completely new direction. The film's opening gambit and finale truly are the stand out moments of the entire affair, it's such a shame that everything else in between takes away from all their good work. The funny thing about my criticism of this movie is that I feel that the filmmakers have done too much. Instead of relaxing the storyline so that the action can match the pace of the film, Infernal Affairs 2 tends to get bogged down with all its intricacies. As a result there is quite a gulf between the movie's two standout moments, one wishes that they edited out about thirty minutes of the movie as it would have been a more complete package. Instead we get a long drawn out affair that ends up dragging down most of the film's good work and we are left with an enjoyable movie rather than the classic that Infernal Affairs 2 could have been.

I really have to single out Edison Chen and Shawn Yue for praise; despite their tender years, the weight of Infernal Affairs 2 hangs on their shoulders and they manage to carry the movie. The two young actors also had some big boots to step into as they tried to live up to Tony Leung and Andy Lau's memorable performances, both prove to be quite adept and each of them are another example of the huge talent in Asia at the moment. Eric Tsang (Sam) and Anthony Wong (SP Wong) also give some memorable performances, helping their young co-stars both on and off the screen. Tsang's character proves to benefit the most from the film's complexity as the viewer is exposed to another side of Sam, as well as some interesting developments in his relationship with SP Wong.

The film is bolstered by a strong supporting cast; it would want to have, seeing as so many characters are introduced into the mix. It's not such a serious affair all the way through however as Yan's bumbling sidekick, Keung (Man-chat To), also makes a return as the film's most entertaining character. Just like in the original movie, he provides the audience with many heartfelt and amusing scenes and really keeps the film down to earth at times. Despite being the member of a criminal organisation he is one of my favourite film characters of all time and I look forward to his return in Infernal Affairs 3.

It is said that the original movie out-heats Michael Mann; unfortunately the prequel looks to have blown a gasket because its radiator has boiled over. While I might sound overly critical at times, it is worth pointing out that I really enjoyed this movie, it's just that Infernal Affairs 2 had a lot of expectations on its shoulders and didn't quite live up to its billing. I wouldn't say that it's the Godfather Part III of the series, but either way it definitely didn't surpass the original. Despite a drawn out script there are plenty of exciting sequences dotted out across the two hours, all the twists and turns will put you in a head spin.

Piaras Kelly
Editor, Kikizo Movies