1159 The Infernal Affairs Trilogy

[swo17]

The Infernal Affairs Trilogy



The Hong Kong crime drama was jolted to new life with the release of the Infernal Affairs trilogy, a bracing, explosively stylish critical and commercial triumph that introduced a dazzling level of narrative and thematic complexity to the genre with its gripping saga of two rival moles—played by superstars Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau Tak-wah—who navigate slippery moral choices as they move between the intersecting territories of Hong Kong's police force and its criminal underworld. Set during the uncertainty of the city-state's handover from Britain to China and steeped in Buddhist philosophy, these ingeniously crafted tales of self-deception and betrayal mirror Hong Kong's own fractured identity and the psychic schisms of life in a postcolonial purgatory.

Infernal Affairs

Two of Hong Kong cinema's most iconic leading men, Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau Tak-wah, face off in the breathtaking thriller that revitalized the city-state's twenty-first-century film industry, launched a blockbuster franchise, and inspired Martin Scorsese's The Departed. The setup is diabolical in its simplicity: two undercover moles—a police officer (Leung) assigned to infiltrate a ruthless triad by posing as a gangster, and a gangster (Lau) who becomes a police officer in order to serve as a spy for the underworld—find themselves locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse, each racing against time to unmask the other. As the shifting loyalties, murky moral compromises, and deadly betrayals mount, Infernal Affairs raises haunting questions about what it means to live a double life, lost in a labyrinth of conflicting identities and allegiances.

Infernal Affairs II

The first of two sequels to follow in the wake of the massively successful Infernal Affairs softens the original's furious pulp punch in favor of something more sweeping, elegiac, and overtly political. Flashing back in time, Infernal Affairs II traces the tangled parallel histories that bind the trilogy's two pairs of adversaries: the young, dueling moles (here played by Edison Chen Koon-hei and Shawn Yue Man-lok), and the ascendant crime boss (Eric Tsang Chi-wai) and police inspector (Anthony Wong Chau-sang) whose respective rises reveal a shocking hidden connection. Unfolding against the political and psychological upheaval of Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China, this elegant, character-driven crime drama powerfully connects its themes of split loyalties to the city-state's own postcolonial identity crisis.

Infernal Affairs III

Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau Tak-wah return for the cathartic conclusion of the Infernal Affairs trilogy, which layers on even more deep-cover intrigue while steering the series into increasingly complex psychological territory. Dancing back and forth in time to before and after the events of the original film, Infernal Affairs III follows triad gangster turned corrupt cop Lau Kin-ming (Lau) as he goes to dangerous lengths to avoid detection, matches wits with a devious rival in the force (Leon Lai), and finds himself haunted by the fate of his former undercover nemesis (Leung). A swirl of flashbacks, memories, and hallucinations culminates in a dreamlike merging of identities that drives home the trilogy's vision of a world in which traditional distinctions between good and evil have all but collapsed.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED THREE-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New 4K digital restorations, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks
• Audio commentaries for Infernal Affairs and Infernal Affairs II featuring codirectors Andrew Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak and screenwriter Felix Chong Man-keung
• Alternate ending for Infernal Affairs
• New interview with Lau and Mak
• Archival interviews with Lau, Mak, Chong, and actors Andy Lau Tak-wah, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Anthony Wong Chau-sang, Kelly Chen Wai-lam, Edison Chen Koon-hei, Eric Tsang Chi-wai, and Chapman To Man-chak
• Making-of programs
• Behind-the-scenes footage, deleted scenes, and outtakes
• Trailers
• New English subtitle translations
• PLUS: An essay by film critic Justin Chang

[yoloswegmaster]

I'm happy that this is coming out sooner rather than later but I am disappointed that this isn't going to be in 4K UHD. I'm also a bit surprised that the theatrical cut for the third film won't be included on here.

[ryannichols7]

one new extra it appears too

[What A Disgrace]

Is this the highest profile release of the past 12 months which isn't a 4K Blu-ray?

[Finch]

How much of a step down from the first film (which I liked a lot) are II and III?

[ryannichols7]

Is this the highest profile release of the past 12 months which isn't a 4K Blu-ray?

I say Pink Flamingos is about equal. in a world where Arrow, Vinegar Syndrome, etc are putting out UHDs of schlock and they sell out/sell quickly, that one is a hugely surprising omission.

by and large, genre films seem to do the best on the format for the boutiques. I can't imagine they'd keep pumping them out if they did. but Criterion has weirdly missed two months in a row on this (Cure of course being the other), both asian films though so who knows. maybe a rights thing but I can't imagine that being the case in both instances

[tenia]

How much of a step down from the first film (which I liked a lot) are II and III?

It's been a very long time since I haven't seen any of them 3, but I remember one of the sequels as being at least as good as the 1st movie and only the other one being OK but not as interesting. I'd spontaneously say the 2nd movie is the good sequel (to me) and the 3rd one as being the lesser movie, but it could be the other way.

[Finch]

Thanks, Remy. Apparently the three films are getting (or have gotten?) a UHD release in France, so anyone 4k capable may want to hold off on the Criterion set to see if Arrow or 88 or Eureka are doing those on UHD.

[afilmcionado]

How much of a step down from the first film (which I liked a lot) are II and III?

There are some people – a vocal minority, maybe, but vocal nonetheless – who think II is just as good as, if not better than I. It’s a very different film; while I is a tight thriller, II is more like a crime family saga with obvious homages to The Godfather Part II. In Hong Kong, I’d say II is almost as iconic as I – it has its share of famous classic lines as well, and Francis Ng’s character (Ngai) is well-accepted as part of pop culture canon.

[ryannichols7]

have any of us brought up the possibility that this isn't going to be a boxset and instead a 3 disc Scanovo with a $99.95 MSRP? akin to Samurai Trilogy?

because unfortunately I tend to think that's what we're going to see

[therewillbeblus]

I doubt it, since the MSRP isn't typically that high for anything other than a box set- the Samurai Trilogy has an MSRP of $60, and other longer series/TV films/etc. that fit in those cases are usually at around that lower price point. While I tend to prefer box-set packaging, in this case I'd probably be more likely to buy this set if it was released in a plastic case and half the price!

[dwk]

Since I have long been out of shelf space, I would welcome a 3-disc scanavo.

[cdnchris]

The sell sheet art gives the impression this will be a digi along the lines of the Bruce Lee set, at least from the angle provided.

[Michael Kerpan]

Since I have long been out of shelf space, I would welcome a 3-disc scanavo.

Shelf space? What is this concept you are talking about?

I enjoyed Infernal Affairs moderately when it first came out, but I must confess I've never really even considered re-watching it on DVD (unlike my many favorite Johnnie To and Ann Hui films).

[afilmcionado]

Having now seen two of the three restorations, I can say the picture quality on these are a little shoddy, to say the least, which perhaps explains why Criterion decided against a 4K set. I don’t have the technical acumen to detail what went wrong here, perhaps more knowledgeable members here can help.

[tenia]

Crap. I guess I'll wait for reviews before buying the upcoming French set, since the only announced release so far is a premium UHD/BD combo format.

[dwk]

As I mentioned in another thread, the caps looked waxy to me. I hope that The Heroic Trio and Executioners did not suffer a similar fate.

[ryannichols7]

I will gladly eat my own words above if this ends up being the unfortunate case - can't imagine the reception had they put out a 4K of something akin to Children of Paradise

[cdnchris]

These are basically "acceptable" and that's about it. They're not the worst things I've seen but they've been filtered, feature noticeable banding (the second one may be the worst so far, but I'm only part way through the third), and crushed blacks on occasion. Grain is still there BUT it can look a little digital. Along the lines of some of the Wong Kar-wai restorations. I'm pretty sure the issues are mostly baked into the restorations/masters.

I also can't see these looking particularly good in 4K, or at least much better than how they appear here. I have to guess it was too much of a risk for a set release and that is why Criterion didn't bother.

I'm fine with them and I'm happy to finally have the three films together, but the presentations could be a lot better.

[Orlac]

Think I'll stick with my Tartan set.

[Finch]

Thanks for the review, Chris. I was hesitant to buy as I liked the first film but didn't love it and the other two don't sound like I'd rewatch them regularly. The technical issues seal it against this set. I'm grateful that of all the Asian titles they've released lately, at least Cure and Rouge (that cover though!) are up to scratch.

[dwk]

Chris, who is credited for the restoration?

[cdnchris]

It's L'Immagine Ritrovata, which is what's surprising. Their questionable color grading aside they're usually on point in every other area, so i have to suspect Media Asia is responsible for the shortcomings. Criterion is not one to apply unneeded noise reduction and it's not an encoding issue. The banding i also feel is part of the master supplied but I haven't looked closer (I haven't found it to be an obvious problem with their encodes the last year or so).

As to the colours they look fine. They aren't laced in a heavy green or yellow. The grabs on Criterion's site are pretty representative of how the films look (at a glance anyways).

I'm visiting family but I'm aiming to have these up this week (along with WALL E) since I managed to get through them.

Also, not sure why they aren't listed in the features but Tony Leung and Eric Tsang appear on the commentaries.

[dwk]

I know there is some posts on the Blu-ray.com forum reporting that The 36th Chamber of Shaolin in the 2nd ShawScope box has some shots that have been excessively degrained and that is also a L'Immagine Ritrovata 4K job.

[tenia]

L'Immagine Ritrovata has had to deal with asian rightholders forcing their hands on DNR in the past, like on the 4 Bruce Lee or the WKW movies (which are all DNRed to a certain degree), or the more obviously awfully degrained The Flowers of Shanghai (which seemingly neither Criterion nor Carlotta managed to get a pre-DNR version of the restoration).

I suppose it has been the case here too.