Family and brotherhood - Essay Example

?Family and brotherhood, these words have evolved significantly in our understanding of a relationship that is traditionally used to describe blood relationship. The familiarity of sharing the same lineage and in consequence the same experiences that bond one person to another. But these words have become encompassing terms that it can connote a whole new different perspective that points toward unswerving loyalty, camaraderie and unity. “Infernal Affairs” has taken brotherhood toward a realm which yields multiple perspectives that all the notions of being one in a common goal and purpose in life makes a brotherhood, in crime and in justice, possible. Simultaneously, the film has taken a new look in outlining the existing perception of what a Chinese family is and how it should be then molds it in such a way that relationships may not be of blood but it remains to be thicker than water. This is not a new concept in terms of movie themes but the lack of family relationships in the Hong Kong blockbuster and the focus on alternative relations put a different strain on traditional relationships as commonly seen in Chinese culture and gears towards a modern conceptualization of family. The modification of a western genre involving the battle of good versus evil is something taken to new heights with this movie. The film has garnered international and local awards as proof of its success, critically and financially. “Many commentators have also raised questions about the export success story of recent Chinese cinema. They worry that Chinese filmmakers pander to Western audiences and that Western audiences and scholars appropriate and distort Chinese films for Orientalist and neo-imperialist ends” (Berry and Farquhar 204). This is a valid sentiment as very western values were shown in the movie. The brotherhood that exists within the triad provides for a good illustration of how men in an illegal operation take loyalty seriously. Where people depend on each other’s trust when they are bound by criminal conduct makes it a prerequisite. The discovery of a mole within the triad and within the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau (OCTB) initiated the major conflict in the film. Yan, the police undercover deep within the triad’s ranks has been battling with his demons as he loses grasp of his true identity for being involved in the organization for far too long. Conversely, Ming has been perfecting his role as an ambitious cop by keeping his records immaculate when all along he has been a protege of triad kingpin Sam and his well thought-out scheme to penetrate the police force by enlisting young men to the Police Academy. Both Yan and Ming were tasked to find out who the infiltrator is within their respective groups. Whoever finds out first the other’s counterpart could mean the destructive end to one’s life and another’s career. Triad boss Sam takes the necessity of finding out who the mole is seriously. He executes a routine one-on-one conversation with each member of the group, asking them how many years they have worked for him and complimenting them for their contributions. He tells Yan that of all the brothers he trusts him the most. But some doubt had been cast on him earlier when Sam smashes Yan’s arm cask looking for a bugging device as their transaction with the Thais was tipped off to the OCTB, prompting them to throw the drugs into the water. The goose chase starts as both sides realized the other knew their every move to the very detail. Yan survived his boss’ suspicions narrowly and continued earning his respect. Keung, another triad member, later on confides that Sam talked to him in the same manner and asked if he would be willing to shoot any of his brothers if he finds out he is a mole and to which he answered yes to without hesitation. Later on as Keung was in the troughs of death, his final words endured to be an advice to Yan as his brother, “Remember this, if you see someone doing something but at the same time watching you... then he is a cop” (Infernal Affairs). Ironically, Ming gets a promotion and was given the job to find out who the mole is within the force. He has gained enough esteem as a policeman that there never was any doubt to his loyalty. Though he had earlier been in a good position in the eyes of his co-workers, his relentless ambition alienates him from the others. Prior to his promotion, his colleagues admired him for his guts and the extent of what he was willing to do to get the information that they need including impersonating a lawyer as a suspect’s legal representation. Furthermore, it was his bad call that led to the death of Superintendent Wong. The extent of brotherhood and what an individual may be willing to do to protect his ‘family’ reimagines what the term means as illuminated in the movie and to what lengths people are willing to go to. Another reinvention of what family is lies in the relationship of Chan Wing-Yan and SP Wong Chi-Shing. Wong is Yan’s only connection to his identity as an undercover cop. He was his link to normalcy and what possibility of a future out of the triad resembles. Their relationship has evolved to be as close to a father and son as it could possibly be. The older cop has been taken aback with the observant and intelligent Yan that he and Headmaster Yip of the Academy immediately found him to be a suitable undercover. In one of their rooftop meetings, Wong gives him new surveillance devices and a watch. Yan asks where the lens is, assuming it to be a spy camera, and Wong replies it is for his birthday. Wong shows a general concern for his well-being and mental sanity given their unusual circumstance. When Wong dies and as his body slams to the car after being thrown off the top of the building, Yan stopped in his tracks as he looks at his mentor and the closest person to a family that he has. This provided for one of the most emotional scenes in the entire film. On the closing credits of the film it was written that Dr. Lee Sam Yee found records in Officer Yip’s office, proving Yan’s true identity as a police undercover and that later on Yan was buried next to SP Wong. The unconventional kinship between Wong and Yan made “Infernal Affairs” more than just a “cops-and-robbers thriller” (LoveHKFilm.com). Yet it is also a different Chinese film in that though it deals with an action-fueled theme, it is not the typical export that is delineated to martial arts. The appeal of Chinese films to a global audience has transcended the usual films exported to other countries. The Fifth Generation and filmmakers after them have worked hard to create a new identity that is not boxed to a single genre. “The fact that many of this group continue to make films that attract global audiences speaks to their lasting influence” (Larson 120). It is even perhaps notable to mention that there were no actual family relationships shown to exist for the two main characters, Yan and Ming. There was not even a hint of any direct family such as a mother and a father that they have which could add depth to the characters or some compulsory backstory. Nor was there any explanation whether they are orphans or had simply lost touch with their family. Mary, Ming’s fiancee is the only person he has outside his work. They have no direct families as shown in the movie and neither was there any typical extended families as commonly portrayed in traditional Chinese families. Seemingly, the concept of having no next of kin seems absurd in a Chinese flick. This is in consonance with the new concept of family that does not tie with the deep family roots that is prevalent in social culture. The earliest scene of the young Ming was when he was with a group of boys where Sam has been disciplining them and imparting his magnanimous conceit. He remarks, “I wish you every success in the police force…You choose your own future” (Infernal Affairs). While for the young Yan, we come to know him as he enters the Academy alongside Ming and his other cohorts from Sam’s guidance. The American genre adopted in this film made do without family conflict to complicate the story. As Chris Berry protests in “Wedding Banquet,” “But what about the Chinese family melodrama? The term ‘melodrama’ is commonly used in the discussion of Asian cinemas in general and Chinese cinema in particular” (185). The biggest twist of the movie which gave it that ultimate shock value for its ending was Yan’s death as he was shot in cold blood by another policeman working with Ming. The flashback signifies that, together with Ming, they were both recruited by Sam to penetrate Hong Kong Police. “No sweat. We are brothers” (Infernal Affairs). So he proposes to Ming his loyalty and that they should help each other out in climbing the ranks of the police force. The death of Sam meant that they will have the opportunity to reinvent themselves and start fresh. Their brotherhood stands but Ming had higher hopes for himself and having a future without any link to his past. Ming may not have honored this bond as he had always been concerned only of himself. But these connections, no matter if founded on a symbiotic need for each other, continues to be a driving force that symbolizes a re-imagination of family. Bibliography Berry, Chris. Chinese Films in Focus: 25 New Takes. London: BFI Pub., 2003. PDF. Berry, Chris, and Mary Ann Farquhar. China on Screen: Cinema and Nation. New York: Columbia UP, 2006. PDF. Infernal Affairs. Dir. Andrew Lau Wai-Keung and Alan Mak Siu-Fai. Perf. Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Andy Lau. Media Asia Group, 2002. DVD. Larson, Wendy. "The Fifth Generation: A Reassessment." The Chinese Cinema Book. Ed. Song Hwee Lim. London: Palgrave Macmillan on Behalf of the British Film Institute, 2011. 113-21. PDF. LoveHKFilm. “Infernal Affairs (???) (2002).” Infernal Affairs (???) (2002). N.p., n.d. Web. 10 June 2013. Read More