One of the best thrillers of the 2000s is coming to the cinema and it will put you in your seat

Released in 2004, Infernal Affairs set off a dynamite in the small world of Noir thrillers. Directors Alan Mack and Andrew Lau created the little gem of the detective film, which today is considered one of the best of its kind, even the best for some.

In vain, Martin Scorsese decided to make a remake of it in 2006, The Departed. The work won 4 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Twenty years later, Infernal Affairs is released in a restored 4K version, thanks to distributor The Jokers. Recall, the story takes us to Hong Kong, where local police and the Triad are engaged in a relentless battle.

To protect his interests, Sam, the mafia godfather, decides to infiltrate the Lau police, where he quickly ascends the ranks. Meanwhile, Commissar Wong sends his guardian to be seen as a Mafia mall.

The day the police and the Mafia realize that Molly has infiltrated each camp, the race against time begins. The removal of their masks is gradually reduced to a duel between Chan and Lau, between two men who, each in their own way, can no longer bear a dual identity.

On the day of the feature film release, AlloCiné met with co-director Andrew Lau, who goes behind the scenes of this cult work.

How do you explain the success of Infernal Affairs?

It took a lot of hard work to make this film, and we also had a lot of funding problems. I insisted that the budget was enough to shoot. Hong Kong cinema also went through a difficult period and I was very happy to be able to assemble a team that believed in my script.

I feel like people liked the movie because they felt connected to it. At the time, Hong Kong was also going through a SARS crisis and, just like today with Covid-19, people were having financial and personal problems, which is illustrated in my film.

I have always said that if the function failed, I would retire, but I am happy with how things turned out.

Nevertheless, Infernal Affairs made a lot of money during this period. I have always said that if the function failed, I would retire, but I am happy with how things turned out.

I think Infernal Affairs’s success serves many people who have worked a lot on the film, be it actors or a group. I really want to use this moment and thank them for their hard work.

The film will be released in a restored version in 4K, can you tell us what works this restoration has and what does it bring to the film?

At the time I was filming Infernal Affairs, I wanted to experiment with coloring a movie. I was using packaging and wanted to do a bleaching process.

Maybe it was because of the technology at the time, but I was never satisfied with that. Recovering the movie in 4K shows the best colors of the movie and I am fulfilling one of my dreams.

Why is the public fascinated by the gangster figure in the movies?

I think the reason why people love gangster movies is to run away from them. I always say movies are escapism and gangster movies are a special form of escape. I think these works allow the viewer to fantasize about a criminal life without consequences or to see something where a bad guy gets what he deserves.

A lot of gangster movies also tell us about outsiders, brotherhood, friendship and I think people like that. For example, in the young and dangerous film, even though my characters are all gangsters, I tried to put more emphasis on the brotherhood of these characters.

By incorporating these values ​​into the comic book style, I think I managed to impress my audience. Look at Wong Fei Hong, I end the movie with the loss of the bad guy, I got what I deserved and I think it all speaks to people.

A lot of gangster movies also tell us about outsiders, brotherhood, friendship and I think people like that.

Why did you choose Tony Leung and Andy Lowe for these particular roles?

Infernal Affairs was a mid-budget film and no one thought about starring Andy Lausa and Tony Leung. Alan Mackie and Felix Chong met with various companies about this scenario but were unable to secure funding.

When I looked at the script, I thought it had a lot more potential and it must have been a big project. Then I offered to hire Andy and Tony for the movie. Although the budget was not large, Andy said he would work temporarily for free. Tony agreed and the rest is history.

When they took part, I felt it was natural for Andy to play Lau Kinming and Tony in the role of Chan Vinyan. It was more appropriate, it felt so.

How would you describe your work with Alan Mack on the set?

Alan on the set was mostly about rehearsals. He talked to the actors before I watched and rehearsed, found the right angles, made sure we had the coverage we needed for the scenes.

It can be said that I took care of the technical aspect, and he took care of the shooting area. The whole pre-production process and production. We were in constant contact; He usually viewed the script first, changed it, and then moved on.

I cut it and made other changes. I allowed him to take care of more artistic decisions, while I also took care of the commercial aspect of the film.

The tension gets stronger and stronger throughout the story, how did you manage to create this tension?

We had a pretty solid script and what was described in it was pretty clean and simple. But the biggest challenge was translating the words into pictures. There have been many stories of cops, robbers and undercover cops in Hong Kong cinemas. I myself have done several, including Life and Death in Tsimshatsu. I wanted to take it anew.

Usually in such movies, we do not know who Molly is. In Infernal Affairs, both Tony and Andy, I was able to create a situation where the viewer knows who the carpets are. But the characters in the story do not know it. That was why this tension was created throughout the film. When they find out who they are, what will happen?

Throughout the film you see how cats and mice play together, almost discovering each other’s identities. I think it really adds to the tension of the film.

Throughout the film you see how cats and mice play together, almost discovering each other’s identities. I think it really adds to the tension of the film. On stage with Andy and Tony on the roof, the script initially required a great deal of fighting between them. We rehearsed this scene before and it didn’t show, so I allowed the actors to continue playing the scene.

I think everyone is waiting for the end of this big fight between the two main characters, but in the end, I think the fight through dialogue really increased the tension of the film. Although this scene is considered to be the best in the film when I shot it, it took me a while to gain inspiration.

Martin Scorsese is my idol. Although I did not meet him later, I consider him my mentor.

What do you think of The Departed, a Martin Scorsese remake?

Martin Scorsese is my idol. Although I did not meet him later, I consider him my mentor. When I heard that he was going to do a remake of my movie, I was very happy. It was very reassuring for me that someone I respect so much re-created my work.

When you hear that Martin Scorsese will be inspired by your work, you can only say “Woe”. Sure, I prefer my version, but Martin did very well too. Of course, he had to adapt it to an American audience.

I also wanted to talk about my meeting a few years later when he was one of the executive producers of my film Revenge of the Green Dragons. When I met him at the Toronto Film Festival, the premiere of a feature film, I remember laughing and saying, “Finally, we’ll meet!” What an unforgettable moment!

How did the director approach you to talk about the remake and why did you agree to allow him to do the remake?

Plan B Entertainment acquired the rights to the film in the United States and named Martin Scorsese the director of the film. I immediately agreed, even without thinking. As I said, when a project like Martin is attached, you do not say no.

The ending of Infernal Affairs is quite surprising and shocking, did you write it like that from the beginning?

Spoiler Warning!

There was a lot of discussion at the beginning of the writing. We probably had 10 different endings. Who was going to die? Andy or Tony character? Should both die or neither should die? I always thought Tony should have died, but I could never say why.

There was a discussion that Andy should have died because he is the perpetrator of this story. This strengthened my position on Tony’s death as a bad guy in this world will survive.

Tony’s death also brought with it the fact that death can be an escape, but the perpetrators will survive by living in this “continuous hell.” So finally, I’m pretty happy with how it all happened.

Scorsese changed much of the script. While this is a remake of Infernal Affairs, I think these two films are quite different.

Martin Scorsese changed the ending, especially what happened to Matt Damon / Andy Lau. What do you think of Scorsese’s choice for the end?

Martin changed a lot of scenarios. While this is a remake of Infernal Affairs, I think these two films are quite different. We both had different topics that we wanted to explore, or maybe producers or actors were involved in the process. But I think our understanding of the scenarios was different.

As I have already said, I think the important theme of this series is this “continuous hell” in which the character finds himself. While Andy’s character is still alive, he lives in such a hell where he has no friends, no dignity. He is a shell of his own.

But I want to know why Martin changed the ending!

How do you think about blockbusters like Marvel, superhero movies, compared to the Hong Kong industry?

I think every generation has its heroes. Different cultures have conflicting ideas about what it means to be a hero. For example, in Hong Kong we have our series of superhero movies, old wuxia movies, cops and robbers movies and so on.

I think I made a few superhero movies like Storm Riders and A Man Called Hero. In the end, I think every culture puts its idea of ​​a superhero on the big screen, but personally I do not care as much as it’s a good movie, I think that’s enough.

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