Mou gaan dou (2002)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

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)
Affaires internes (Canada: French title) [fr]
Asuntos infernales (Argentina) (video title) [es]
Conflitos Internos (Brazil) [pt]
Infernal Affairs (Germany) (festival title) [de]
Infernal Affairs (Finland) [fi]
Infernal Affairs (France) [fr]
Infernal Affairs (Italy) (DVD title) [it]
Infernal Affairs - Die achte Hölle (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Juego sucio (Spain) [es]
Mugendô (Japan) [ja]
O anthropos tou nomou (Greece) (DVD title) [el]
Põrgulik amet (Estonia) [et]
Satanikes ypotheseis (Greece) (festival title) [el]

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 psychiatrist's name, "Lee Sum Yee", is a homonym (in Cantonese) for "your psychiatrist".

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: During the funeral scene at the end, the drummer is not synchronized to the sound.

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)

Hong Kong does "Michael Mann"!

Most western viewers will only know the Asian crime scene from the bleak and lyrical canvas of Takeshi Kitano's work. Here we get something that at first seems far more westernized and very close to the work of one Michael Mann. Okay, enough allusions: yes "Heat" comes heavily to mind at first. but this is no simple "Heat" in Hong Kong. This a splicing of everything Asians do best in a moody, stylish tension-based thriller. From the beautiful cinematography(reminiscent of Wong Kar-Way's films)- step forward visual consultant Christopher Doyle! - and music to the graceful ying-yang undertones (mirror-images are a key theme), the film's most heroic achievement lies in its leads and in the bold ending.

Hearing that this is being considered for a remake stateside comes as no big surprise, but how Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio could possibly compete against Andy Lau and Tony Leung evokes cynicism at best. Both leads are perfect. Lau's cold calculating intellect against Leung's anguished and tormented heart, complimentary opposites. There aren't enough words to commend this fresh, invigorating film with...