Infernal Affairs (2002)

Infernal Affairs is the Hong Kong crime-thriller that was the bases for Martin Scorsese's 2006 best picture Oscar winner The Departed. Now its been years since I've seen The Departed, so my memory is not completely clear as to where these two pictures line up and where they defer, to my recollection they line up in most cases, though I think the endings might be different. Again with The Departed being the version I saw first (I generally try to see originals before remakes) It's hard to really judge this movie independently, certainly it didn't have the budget or the stars of its remake, but Infernal Affairs has a gripping story and succeeds as a suspense thriller. I don't see very many Asian films so I enjoyed that part of it, the setting and the subtitles were not a problem for me. For those curious to see the inspiration for The Departed, I don't think you'll be disappointed here. ***1/2