Infernal Affairs Trilogy – The Criterion Collection (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: Hong Kong, 2002 (Infernal Affairs), Hong Kong, 2003 (Infernal Affairs II, Infernal Affairs III)
Directors: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak (All Films)
Cast: Andy Lau, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang, Kelly Chen, Sammi Cheng (Infernal Affairs), Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang, Carina Lau, Francis Ng, Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, Jun Hu (Infernal Affairs II), Tony Chiu-Wai Leung, Andy Lau, Leon Lai, Daoming Chen, Kelly Chen, Anthony Chau-Sang Wong, Eric Tsang, Sammi Cheng, Carina Lau (Infernal Affairs III)

Release Date: November 15th, 2022
Approximate running times: 101 Minutes 16 Seconds (Infernal Affairs), 119 Minutes 57 Seconds (Infernal Affairs II), 118 Minutes 22 Seconds (Infernal Affairs III)
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (All Films)
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Cantonese (All Films)
Subtitles: English (All Films)
Region Coding: Region A
Retail Price: $99.95

Infernal Affairs: "Two of Hong Kong cinema’s most iconic leading men, Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau Tak-wah, 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 setup 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 (Lau) 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." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Infernal Affairs II: "The first of two sequels to follow in the wake of the massively successful Infernal Affairs softens the original’s furious pulp punch in favor of something more sweeping, elegiac, and overtly political. Flashing back in time, Infernal Affairs II traces the tangled parallel histories that bind the trilogy’s two pairs of adversaries: the young, dueling moles (here played by Edison Chen Koon-hei and Shawn Yue Man-lok), and the ascendant crime boss (Eric Tsang Chi-wai) and police inspector (Anthony Wong Chau-sang) whose respective rises reveal a shocking hidden connection. Unfolding against the political and psychological upheaval of Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China, this elegant, character-driven crime drama powerfully connects its themes of split loyalties to the city-state’s own postcolonial identity crisis." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Infernal Affairs III: "Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau Tak-wah return for the cathartic conclusion of the Infernal Affairs trilogy, which layers on even more deep-cover intrigue while steering the series into increasingly complex psychological territory. Dancing back and forth in time to before and after the events of the original film, Infernal Affairs III follows triad gangster turned corrupt cop Lau Kin-ming (Lau) as he goes to dangerous lengths to avoid detection, matches wits with a devious rival in the force (Leon Lai), and finds himself haunted by the fate of his former undercover nemesis (Leung). A swirl of flashbacks, memories, and hallucinations culminates in a dreamlike merging of identities that drives home the trilogy’s vision of a world in which traditional distinctions between good and evil have all but collapsed." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 3.75/5

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "New 4K digital restorations".

Infernal Affairs comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 46.4 GB

Feature: 29.2 GB

Infernal Affairs II comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 45.1 GB

Feature: 35.1 GB

Infernal Affairs III comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 43 GB

Feature: 34.4 GB

Though these three films come from new 4K restorations, there are a few areas where they come up short. Notably, the black levels are not that convincing; there are moments where the image looks soft, and sometimes the colors don't look right. Despite these flaws, the new transfers look better than the previous home video releases of these films, albeit with minor improvements.

Audio: 5/5

Each film comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in Cantonese, and included with this release are removable English subtitles. All three audio tracks sound excellent. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and range-wise, all three tracks sound robust when they should.

Extras:

Extras for Infernal Affairs include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 34 seconds, Dolby Digital 5.1 Cantonese with removable English subtitles), a supercut trailer (1 minute 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with non-removable English subtitles), outtakes (23 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an on set archival featurette titled Confidential File (8 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival making of featurette (21 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), alternate ending (19 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival interview co-director Alan Mak, and screenwriter Felix Chong titled Hong Kong Noir (23 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an interview with directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak (38 minutes 6 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Andrew Lau, Alan Mak, and Felix Chong, in Cantonese with removable English subtitles.

Extras for Infernal Affairs II include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 58 seconds, Dolby Digital 5.1 Cantonese with removable English subtitles), deleted scenes and bloopers: deleted scene 1 (3 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), deleted scene 2 (1 minute 10 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), deleted scene 3 (4 minutes 25 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), deleted scene 1 (1 minute 35 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), and bloopers (2 minutes 1 second, Dolby Digital mono Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an on set archival featurette titled Confidential File (5 minutes 44 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival making of featurette (21 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with Andrew Lau, Alan Mak, and Felix Chong, in Cantonese with removable English subtitles. 

Extras for Infernal Affairs III include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital 5.1 Cantonese with removable English subtitles), an archival making of featurette (12 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles), and archival interviews (16 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Cantonese with removable English subtitles).

Other extras include a thirty-four page booklet with cast & crew information for each film, an essay titled Double Bind written by Justin Chang, and information about the restorations.

Summary:

Infernal Affairs: From its opening moments, it is clear that what is about to unfold is a memorable cinematic experience. And it is also not surprising that Infernal Affairs is widely regarded as one of the biggest films to come out of Hong Kong cinema in the last twenty-five years. Also, Infernal Affairs' influence extended to Hollywood, which remade it as The Departed.

The intricate narrative does a superb job laying the foundation by building up the key characters' backstories. Another strength of the narrative is how key moments are given ample time to resonate. And an exceptional finale provides a perfect coda to the events that preceded.

When discussing Infernal Affairs, one must not overlook or undervalue just how great its two leads are. Andy Lau (House of the Flying Daggers) in the role of Senior Inspector Lau Kin-min, and Tony Chiu-Wai Leung (Bullet in the Head) in the role of an undercover cop named Chan Wing-yan. They portray two law enforcement officers who are on the opposite end of the spectrum. And though most of their scenes are with other cast members, the moments they share are electrifying.

That said, the rest of the cast is all great. Other notable performances are Eric Tsang's (My Lucky Stars) in the role of a triad boss named Hon Sam and Anthony Chau-Sang Wong's (The Untold Story) in the role of Superintendent Wong Chi-shing, the only person who knows Chan Wing-yan’s real identity. These two characters mirror those portrayed by Andy Lau and Tony Chiu-Wai Leung. One is a bad guy, and the other is a good guy.

From a production standpoint, there is not an area where Infernal Affairs does not excel. The premise is superbly released, and the well-executed narrative does an amazing job building tension. An exceptional score that perfectly reinforces the mood and stylish cinematography that heightens the mood are other areas that stand out.

For anyone who is watching Infernal Affairs for the first time but has seen The Departed. Though there are many moments that will feel like deja vu. Once you have seen Infernal Affairs, it will be crystal clear that it is the superior of these two films.

Infernal Affairs II: Trying to surpass or equal a film that preceded it is never an easy task, and this is why so many sequels never live up to their predecessors. Case in point: Infernal Affairs II, a film that has all the core elements that made Infernal Affairs so special. And yet, the result is a film that never comes close to matching Infernal Affairs' energy and freshness.

That said, instead of following the formula that so many sequels do, Infernal Affairs II at least tries to mix things up by placing its narrative in the past and not in the moments just after its predecessor ended. which ultimately makes Infernal Affairs II more of a prequel than a sequel.

Once again, the entire cast is great in their roles. with the standout performances being Eric Tsang (Fatal Vacation) and Anthony Chau-Sang Wong (Ebola Syndrome), who reprise their roles from Infernal Affairs. This time around, the focus is on them, and Infernal Affairs II can be seen as an origin story for their characters.

As a standalone film, Infernal Affairs II does not hold up as well as Infernal Affairs. That said, Infernal Affairs II makes a good companion piece to Infernal Affairs.

Infernal Affairs III: Far too often, when a film has a sequel, there ends up being one more film thrown in to make the collection of films a trilogy. And though there are film series that justify three films, the third entry in the Infernal Affairs film series stretches things too far and feels unnecessary.

Infernal Affairs III can be best summed up as more stories about characters from the first two films. This time around, the narrative jumps around to moments just after the first film's ending and moments after the second film that lead into the first film. Though the narrative always makes clear in what year every moment is taking place, the narrative structure does not do Infernal Affairs III any favors.

That said, the best part of Infernal Affairs III is Andy Lau’s (Fulltime Killer) performance. He delivers a scene-stealing performance that overshadows everyone else's performances. Ultimately, Infernal Affairs III is easily the weakest of the three Infernal Affairs films.

The Infernal Affairs Trilogy gets a good release from The Criterion Collection that has problematic transfers, solid audio, and a wealth of informative extras.

Written by Michael Den Boer