For many people, the only thing they know about “Infernal Affairs” is that it served as the inspiration for Martin Scorsese’s beloved “The Departed.” However, over the years, the “Infernal Affairs” trilogy has gained a legacy that some would argue is more influential on cinema than what Scorsese did with his reimagining. And thankfully, for those who have yet to see the films, you’re about to have a chance to see the films in their best presentation yet.
Thanks to the folks at Janus Films, all three “Infernal Affairs” films are getting new 4K restorations and a US re-release. The films tell the story of two men who are both undercover moles and find themselves facing off against each other. One is a police officer going undercover to infiltrate a gang, while the other is a gangster who goes undercover to infiltrate the police. It’s a shockingly simple premise but is executed well beyond what most people would expect.
The trilogy of films stars Andy Lau and Tony Leung. “Infernal Affairs” is directed by Andrew Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak.
The new 4K restorations off the “Infernal Affairs” trilogy debut on September 16 at Film at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Here’s the synopsis for the first film:
Two of Hong Kong cinema’s most iconic leading men, Tony Leung and Andy Lau, 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 set-up 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 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.