Infernal Affairs (Mou gaan dou) (2002)
87%RT Audience Score: 78%
Awards & Nominations: 24 wins & 26 nominations
Smart and engrossing, this is one of Hong Kong’s better cop thrillers
Infernal Affairs is like a spicy bowl of noodles – it’s twisted, dizzying, and leaves you wanting more. The movie is a perfect blend of powerhouse performances, Grade A production values, and suspenseful direction. The washed-out blues and silvers add a touch of beauty to the intense male performances. The movie is like a rollercoaster ride that takes you through the inner turmoil of living a lie. It’s a hyper-intelligent action thriller that will make John Woo and Michael Mann proud. So, grab a bowl of noodles and get ready for a thrilling ride!
Production Company(ies)
Vendôme Pictures, Pathé Films, Picture Perfect Federation
Distributor
Miramax Films, Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Ten Thousand Buddhas Monastery, Sha Tin, New Territories, Hong Kong, China
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence
Year of Release
2002
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 40m
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Language(s):Cantonese, English, Thai
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Country of origin:Hong Kong
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 24, 2004 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 7, 2004
Genre(s)
Action
Keyword(s)
starring Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Andy Lau, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang, Chapman To, Ka Tung Lam, directed by Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Alan Mak, written by Felix Chong, Alan Mak, action, R rating, Miramax Films, Universal Pictures, produced by Andy Lau, reviewed by Anupama Chopra, David Ansen, Nick Schager, G Allen Johnson, Allison Benedikt, Roger Ebert, MPAA rating, Hong Kong, police thriller, undercover, Triad society, double lives, life and death, violence, Chinese language, Dolby Digital, box office performance, $89.6K budget
Worldwide gross: $8,836,958
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $14,656,648
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,831
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 1,598,326
US/Canada gross: $169,659
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $281,390
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,474
US/Canada opening weekend: $25,680
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $42,592
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,262
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $6,428,966
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $10,662,842
Production budget ranking: 1,643
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $5,741,941
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$1,748,135
ROI to date (est.): -11%
ROI ranking: 1,453
Andy Lau – Inspector Lau Kin Ming
Anthony Chau-Sang Wong – SP Wong Chi Shing
Eric Tsang – Hon Sam
Chapman To – Tsui Wai-keung
Ka Tung Lam – Inspector B
Director(s)
Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Alan Mak
Writer(s)
Felix Chong, Alan Mak
Producer(s)
Andy Lau
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
24 wins & 26 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (64) | Top Critics (28) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (4)
Internal Affairs is a deliciously twisted thriller from Hong Kong.
May 18, 2020
Anupama Chopra
Film Companion
TOP CRITIC
The pace and plot are dizzying, but the movie also works as a study of fractured identity: the two have led double lives so long they’re no longer sure who they are.
March 13, 2018
David Ansen
Newsweek
TOP CRITIC
Ultimately quiet tepid.
May 4, 2005 | Rating: C+
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness
TOP CRITIC
Everything you’d want in a police action thriller: powerhouse performances, Grade A production values, a good script and suspenseful direction.
February 4, 2005 | Rating: 4/4
G. Allen Johnson
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Beauty in its consistent, washed-out blues and silvers, grace in its understated, intense male performances and energy in its unyielding commitment to tone and tension.
December 24, 2004 | Rating: 3.5/4
Allison Benedikt
Chicago Tribune
TOP CRITIC
What makes it special is the inner turmoil caused by living a lie. If everyone you know and everything you do for 10 years indicates you are one kind of person, and you know you are another, how do you live with that?
December 24, 2004 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
…an erratic yet generally rewarding endeavor…
August 4, 2021 | Rating: 2.5/4
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
December 27, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound
Seductively shot and beautifully acted, this is like a summation film, bringing together all the themes, motifs, mood, and style of the gritty policier Hong Kong thriller, one that will make John Woo and Michael Mann proud.
August 18, 2006 | Rating: A
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
This intense, explosive Hong Kong thriller ushers in a new era of hyper-intelligent action.
May 26, 2006
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
well-written, well-directed and well-acted genre film
November 26, 2005 | Rating: 7/10
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews
Um inteligente drama policial que se preocupa mais com o desenvolvimento de seus personagens (e com as relações entre estes) do que com tiroteios e reviravoltas.
May 3, 2005 | Rating: 4/5
Pablo Villaça
Cinema em Cena…
Plot
Chan Wing Yan, a young police officer, has been sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. Lau Kin Ming, a young mafia member, infiltrates the police force. Years later, their older counterparts, Chen Wing Yan and Inspector Lau Kin Ming, respectively, race against time to expose the mole within their midst.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Infernal Affairs on Fresh Kernels.
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