–Intro: One of this week’s topics is “gangster movies”—a genre which is called by differently in various countries but are similar in principle. (Italy/Hollywood-Mafia/Gangster; Hong Kong-Triad; Japan-Yakuza; Bollywood-Underworld) In this blog post, I’ll be analyzing a Hongkong triad film Infernal Affairs (2002) in relation to its genre.
–First Impression: Personally, I liked the movie. I found the first half was a bit of a drag but the second half of IA was exciting with twists and turns. One classic scene on the rooftop, beautifully shot with blue and green color grading, is an intense moment which the director has controlled really well. Compared to its Western version which is full of foul language and actions(see the video below), IA is calm and restrained, yet you can feel that there is tension between the characters, an underlying battle. The ending was quite a surprise since I didn’t expect that the other inspector was a triad member as well and that Lau escaped his punishment entirely.
–A Comparison: The video below is just another comparison: exciting fast-paced editing vs. emotional slow motion. It shows a distinct difference between IA and other triad/gangster films.
–Gangster and Triad movies: According to Tim Dirks, all crime and gangster movies are about “the sinister actions of criminals or gangsters,…who operate outside the law, stealing and violently murdering their way through life.” This is the basic definition. As for Hong Kong triad movies specifically, they are also identified with charismatic/handsome actors, action/violence sequences, and a Hong Kong context. (Cerda, 5) Quite interestingly, the former two traits are often associated with “high concept” cinema. (Leary, 1) In Infernal Affairs, audiences are guaranteed a worthwhile spending, casting various film stars such as Andy Lau and Tony Leung, and even a pop singer—Kelly Chen. This type of choice for casting follows what they did in the first popular triad movie “A Better Tomorrow” in 1986. However, the film lacks set action sequences which is supposed to be a tradition in this genre—the most prominent director for this tradition could be John Woo. IA, featuring no violence until one hour in the film, is quite unique in this. (Example: the scene in which Inspector Wong is killed—see the comparison above) It is more about the battle between the two undercovers from the gang and the police which focused on psychological changes and narrative twists. The various uses of names of the genre also suggest one diffference—context. IA depicts a possible view of what the Hong Kong triads may be like as well as how corrupted the police may be. Meanwhile, Li has also pointed out that, due to the reunification in 1997, HK people can feel connected with the ending when Lau embraced his cop identity for a brighter future, giving up his past as a triad member—HK people giving up their original identity and joining mainland China. (Li, 1)
–Conclusion: Infernal Affairs is a Hong Kong triad movie demonstrating traditions of its genre and a few of its unique aspect. It has certain traits of a high-concept movie such as famous actors, beautiful visual style while it also possesses its own charms of psychological twists and a minimal use of actions. It is a comment on Hong Kong society; and it is also trying to appeal to HK people’s mentalities.
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References:
Alexandre CEDRA, “Triad movies and young people’ s perception of triads in Hong Kong”, <http://commons.ln.edu.hk/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1030&context=soc_etd>.
Tim DIRKS, “Crime and Gangster Films”, <http://www.filmsite.org/crimefilms.html>.
Charles LEARY, “Infernal Affairs: High Concept in Hong Kong”, <http://sensesofcinema.com/2003/feature-articles/internal_affairs/>.
Cheuk-to LI, “Journal: Hong Kong”, Issue September/October 2004, Film Comment Magazine.
brittany
September 28, 2017 — 2:56 pm
HI Lulu,
I personally adore the infernal affairs, as two protagonists are subtle and subdued. However, in Departed the one looks more raw and emotional. And it didn’t even have a logical explanation why they would meet at that particular spot.
Like what you said, Hong Kong triad movies are identified with charismatic/handsome actors, action/violence sequences, and a Hong Kong context. But it is also evolving to suit its global audience in a way that the film has a quite similar style from Hollywood blockbusters. Do you think that Hong Kong cinema should focus on its mainland audience instead of evolving to a more Westernised Hollywood blockbuster style?
jialucheng
September 28, 2017 — 3:15 pm
Hi, Brittany. 🙂
What an interesting question.
I do find that between The Departed and Infernal Affairs, I prefer the latter. Even though I’ve not watched TD as a whole, the movie clips give me a sense that the characters’ vigorously feelings are problematically exaggerated. I guess that’s the problem with many action blockbusters——too eager for attention.
I think how the producers of contemporary cinema make decisions should not be solely centered around the preferences of the audiences. The appeasement policy during WWII didn’t work also, did it? I suppose the creators are obliged to make films that explore new contents and forms and satisfy the audiences as well.
Ada Yu
September 30, 2017 — 8:33 pm
Hi Jialu,
I enjoyed reading your views on the Infernal Affairs. I liked your analysis on the poster’s color application for showing the two main characters’ tension. This design has already let the audience feel nervous. Infernal Affairs is a good and exciting Hong Kong movie. Although it is a gangster movie, it had not too many action scenes and focused on psychological description and overall arrangement. Moreover, it inserted a large number of Hong Kong local elements and assisted this film to be successful in Hong Kong and the international. How do you think Infernal Affairs that can attract the international audience?
Thank you.
Ada Yu
jialucheng
October 1, 2017 — 8:03 pm
Hi Yu,
Thanks a lot for the comment. 🙂
To answer your question, the first thing I should point out is that there has been a Western remake. This is a significant evidence that Infernal Affairs may not be as well received internationally than in HK.
If I were to identify some reasons, one is the movie’s HK-ness. International audiences may be attracted by its unique setting in HK, intrigued by the people and culture of the place. The second could be its twisted plot. The charm of its plot is that it grabs one so much and it is very unpredictable. Meanwhile, to understand the story, one does not require a solid background for HK’s society or history. So audiences from anywhere can watch it.
There may also be other reasons, but they can’t apply to the majority of audiences.
Have a nice day.
Jialu