Before there was The Departed, there was Infernal Affairs. The gorgeous and riveting Hong Kong film was the basis for the hit 2006 film, which brought Martin Scorsese his long overdue Oscar, and for our money, it's the superior option if you're hankering for a story of police corruption and double-crossing, clocking in at a brisk 101 minutes, while the American version is 151 minutes.
The 2002 film, directed by Alan Mak, was called "so beautifully shot that the images occasionally distract you from the condensed policier plot" by Elvis Mitchell in the NY Times (he also compared it to Michael Mann's Heat), is playing at the Film Society of Lincoln Center this Friday, along with its follow-up, Infernal Affair 2. The Film Society reveals, "What a lot of people don’t know is that the sequel, Infernal Affairs 2, is even better than the first movie, and taking the two together is an intense cinematic experience equivalent to watching The Godfather and The Godfather Part II back-to-back."
Infernal Affairs 1 screens at 6 p.m. while Infernal Affairs 2 follows at 8:40 p.m., at the FSLC's Walter Reade Theater (165 West 65 Street). Tickets are $13 for adults.
