Notable Mentions: Alan Mak and Felix Chong's Genius Screenplay
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I was nervous watching this film. I was afraid that I wasn't going to like the film watching it with older eyes and a more mature mind. Especially after I talked so much shit about The Departed. To my relief, Infernal Affairs held up to the test of time and rewatches.
I remember watching Infernal Affairs the first time. I was so excited when I figured out the plot. I could not contain myself. I thought the plot was so slick. I remember watching the trailer for The Departed the first time. I thought to myself, this is Infernal Affairs. And it was. The Departed is the American remake of Infernal Affairs. The Departed garnered tons of recognitions, praises. I was and I am still upset with The Departed, because it didn't give its dues to Infernal Affairs. The best thing about The Departed, the story itself, is pretty much an exact copy of Infernal Affairs. The Departed owns its success to Infernal Affairs. The Departed would not exist without Infernal Affairs. The latter statement is an absolute, cannot-be-disputed truth. When The Departed won Best Picture at the Oscars, they didn't acknowledge Infernal Affairs. Martin Scorsese half-assedly mentioned the "original film" in his acceptance speech for Best Director, but didn't call out the film by name and mispronounced Andrew Lau's name. Disrespectful and a demonstration of how little they care. Bottom line is they don't really want the world to know that they didn't come up with this brilliant idea that became this incredibly successful film, that their masterpiece is a mere copy. It gave me the ick back then. It still icks me today.
I give credit where credit is due. Watching Infernal Affairs a second time after watching The Departed, there are a couple scenes from The Departed I like better. There are a couple scenes that were upgraded in The Departed. I like the I-gave-you-the-wrong-address-but-you-still-show-up-to-the-right-place and the elevator scenes from The Departed more. Before rewatching Infernal Affairs, I thought those scenes from The Departed were how they were done in Infernal Affairs too. I was disappointed to find out that I misremembered.
Infernal Affairs' ending was unsettling, nauseating. The bad guy won. Life IS unfair! The Departed's ending gave the viewers closure. Justice was ultimately served. I can see some viewers prefer Infernal Affairs' ending over The Departed's ending and vice versa. For a film, Infernal Affairs' ending is better. For the sake of my peace, The Departed's ending is better.
I like that Infernal Affairs was concise. Every second counts. The Departed felt inflated. They fluffed every scene from Infernal Affairs, desperately trying to be different. That being said, they probably would've gotten even more crap from me if it was an exact copy. Because of all the additions, The Departed's pace at times felt slow.
Don't watch Infernal Affairs II. I recently saw the second Infernal Affairs film. What a disappointment. It ruined the original Infernal Affairs. I'm going to pretend the prequel doesn't exist. I hope Infernal Affairs III is better.
