Mou gaan dou (2002)

Directors:

Wai-keung Lau
Alan Mak

Writers:

Alan Mak (written by) &
Felix Chong (written by)

Release Date:

12 December 2002 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Loyalty. Honor. Betrayal.

Plot:

A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. Their objectives are the same: to find out who is the mole, and who is the cop.

Plot Keywords:

Mole | Police | Triad | Undercover | Undercover Cop

Awards:

23 wins & 19 nominations

Cast

Andy Lau	...	Inspector Lau Kin Ming
Tony Leung Chiu Wai	...	Chen Wing Yan (as Tony Leung)
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang	...	SP Wong Chi Shing (as Anthony Wong)
Eric Tsang	...	Hon Sam
Kelly Chen	...	Dr. Lee Sum Yee
Sammi Cheng	...	Mary
Edison Chen	...	Young Lau Kin Ming
Shawn Yue	...	Young Chan Wing Yan
Elva Hsiao	...	May
Chapman To	...	Tsui Wai-keung
Ka Tung Lam	...	Inspector B (as Lam Ka Tung)
Ting Yip Ng	...	Inspector Cheung (as Ng Ting Yip)
Dion Lam	...	Del Piero
Chi Keung Wan	...	Officer Leung (as Wan Chi Keung)
Hui Kam Fung	...	Cadet School Principal

Also Known As:

Infernal Affairs (International: English title) (UK) (USA)
Mou gaan dou (Hong Kong: Cantonese title) (alternative transliteration)
Non-Stop Way (Hong Kong: English title) (literal title)
Wu jian dao (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence.

Runtime:

101 min | Hong Kong:97 min (director's cut)

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese | English | Thai

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Taiwan:PG-12 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Brazil:18 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Ireland:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:PG | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Company:

Media Asia Films

Trivia:

The English title is a play on words mixing Ming's job in the IA, the infernal nature of both characters' double lives, and finally Dante's Inferno, relating to the original Cantonese title.

Goofs:

Continuity: When SP Wong was killed, the top of the taxi had been collapsed, but in the next scene, the top of the taxi remained undamaged.

Quotes:

Lau Kin Ming: [raising his hands to police officers] I'm a cop.

Movie Connections:

References Men in Black II (2002)

Soundtrack:

MOU GAAN DOU (Infernal Affairs)

It has changed my expectation on crime drama forever

This movie has been regarded as the cream of Hong Kong gangster and cop movie. And has won 22 awards. But we all know awards don't mean a thing sometimes. The God Father of America cinema "Martin Scorsese" himself is making a American version of the movie, titled: Departed. I'm somewhat happy to see that this movie is being recognized and acknowledged by a true master, but distraught to the possibility of disappointment.

A little history of Hong Kong film industry, being in somewhat government free state for over 100 years, Hong Kong movie industry proliferated to the state of hysteria. On one hand, everything goes as long as people get what they want for 2 hours worth. On the other hand, lack of political drama has afforded the gangster and cop drama to truly grow and mature.

Now back to the movie itself. 3 years ago, when I was still a poor student, I was loitering in the local Chinese video store as usual, looking for something exciting. The owner handed me a VHS copy of this movie, he personally recommended it and said it's new and unique. So I went home and watched it immediately. And then I said in my then dark and dingy apartment for 30 minutes, in utter silence.

There was no plot twist, and no surprise ending, no Mr. M Night's heavy handed gimmicks and Hollywood's camera tricks. But from the beginning to the end, for full 2 hours, you can cut the tension with a knife. In the end, you still don't want it to end. The story goes on in your mind, questions, bits and pieces start to put together, characters start to take shape even after the movie ended.

In my entire life, I've never seen a movie that there isn't a single excessive frame, until I saw this movie. It has forever changed my expectation on crime drama.

The story is genius and simple enough. A mole in police department working against an undercover cop in drug trafficking mafia. They don't know each other's identity, so it is like a invisible tug war between the two competing against each other's wits. I won't reveal too much of it even though like I said, there's no plot twist.

It's a fairly popular movie that has generated huge buzz when it came out, and since been talked, compared and still highly regarded as unsurpassed by countless fans worldwide. It has an all star cast in Hong Kong cinema, and of course, the screenplay, the acting, the editing, the camera work and overall directing is flawless judging by all standards.

If you are adventurous enough to try even one Hong Kong movie, try this one.