Infernal Affairs Film - Movie Review Example

Final paper: “Infernal Affairs Wu Jian Dao, 2002)” The “Infernal Affairs” is a film whose story line involves a police trying to investigate the triads and a spy who has infiltrated a police department in Hong Kong. The film’s Chinese title refers to the lowest level of hell in Buddhism. The main objective of the film is to find out who the mole and the cop are. Even though the film has several characters, it focuses mostly on the two characters; Chan, the legit police officer who goes undercover to investigate the triad, and Lao, the criminal who is sent to the police academy in order to infiltrate the police force. The two attended the same police academy although they do not recognize each other when they first meet at the stereo store. The film brings out hot, debated themes within the contemporary critical theory including globalization, identity, consumerism and capitalism, politics and new technologies (Marchetti, 2007). The use of advanced technology in the film brings out the modern lifestyle in Hong Kong. The characters use cell phones and computers, and the music stereo at the store along with other audio-visual appliances, which are all modern technology. In addition, the music played at the store, which prevents Chan and Lao from recognizing each other shows how people in Hong Kong have adopted the urban lifestyle to an extent that music is able to destruct people that much (Marchetti,2007). Moreover, at the stereo store, Lau uses a credit card to pay for the goods purchased. This introduces china as a modern economy, which uses “plastic money”. That scene brings out one of the main themes of the film, which is modernism in china (Ciecko, 2006). The scene at the stereo shop also introduces the relationship between technology and economics. Chan and Lao survey Hong Kong’s rich electronics whose technology from America, Japan and Europe together with the labor from China produces the final product sold in the Hong Kong market place. The stereo store serves as a micro version of the post war Hong Kong economy. In addition, the stereo represents a cultural capital in which the Hong Kong middle class can appreciate and afford. Hiding of drugs in the stereo floor display symbolizes the legitimate capitalism of Hong Kong in the light of day and the illegitimate unofficial economy that is hidden (Marchetti, 2007). The film brings out the modern capitalist economy in China. Both Chan and Lao aspire to own a legitimate business and live in modern flats with advanced electronics. Furthermore, the recording of conversations and image reflections of skyscrapers show the predominant technological influence in China. There is one scene where Chan and Lau are fighting in a garage filled with modern state of the art vehicles. The film succeeded in bringing out the different representations by depicting the modern advancements experienced in china (Ciecko, 2006). A cop pretending to be a criminal and a criminal pretending to be a cop merge into one form, rooted in the legitimate colonial control and the illegal triad activities. This paints a portrait of the political economy in Hong Kong (Marchetti, 2007). The triad’s roots in political agitation, and police roots in British colonialism, both arise from the historic corruption and oppression. Both Chan and Lao long to forget their identities as representatives of the state and representative of forces opposed to the state and become small businesspersons in the Hong Kong market place. This is a reflection of the Hong Kong identity becoming less certain due to its SAR status under People’s Republic of China sovereignty (Marchetti, 2007). The film shows the struggle for Hong Kong to form its own cultural identity. Its global status emphasizes on its difficulty to separate itself from the amalgamation of other cultures. The film encapsulates the one country, two-system aspect of post-colonial identity in Hong Kong. The two systems are; the Chinese communist regime and the British colonialism which is defined by bureaucracy and a capitalist economy (Marchetti, 2007). Both Chan and Lao work for both systems because of their dual identities. So do other corrupt police officers. The film brings out urban China as an environment characterized by illegitimate activities of a capitalist economy (Ciecko, 2006). The film’s cinematography is exemplary. The colors of the triad’s underworld are cool and dark contrasting Hong Kong’s bright beauty during the daytime. In addition, when Lao and Chan were fighting in a garage, the skyscraper reflection is visible on the puddles. Moreover, Hong Kong’s skyline appear distorted and refracted in the mirrored windows (Ciecko, 2006). The background music in the film and the scenes shooting is in a manner that reminds the viewer about the dynamics of power play between the two characters. Chan’s shooting is edited in backwards time, and the flashback’s dialog carries over in a sound bridge into the present (Ciecko, 2006). The flashing forward and backward in time rationalizes the characters’ temporary positions with geopolitics and transgressive gangster logic. Juxtaposition of the more mature or younger actor and the colors or black-and-white cinematography, mark the temporal disjuncture in the film. The film places cinematographic virtuosity in the foreground (Marchetti, 2007). There is a dramatic contrast of the field size when moving from extreme close-ups of facial details, to the long shots of Hong Kong’s cityscape and moving from the top of skyscrapers, to the city markets. The camera movements establish a rhythm that violently fluctuates from a moment of quiet contemplation to a moment of violence (Marchetti, 2007). In one scene, Lau and Chan bond while listening to a song called “Forgotten Times”. The song’s lyrics invite a nostalgic reverie. The lyrics references Chan’s Morse code used to communicate with his boss. It also references the forgotten or repressed memories that haunt both protagonists. Moreover, the song asks the main question “who?” echoing the question of identity. The film shows the power that music can have on time, memory and space (Marchetti, 2007). When Chan joined the police academy for training, he hid his family’s connections to criminals in Hong Kong. This resulted to automatic dismissal from the academy. Wong, a senior police officer, decided to appoint Chan to be a mole in the triad. Chan knew very well that the appointment was not due to his talents but it was because of his blood kinship with the triad. There was little that Chan could do, either way, he could not continue with the training. He knew the only way to remain a “cop” was to join the triad as his only ambition was to become a police officer. On the other side, the triad forced Lao to join the academy so that he could spy for them. At first, he does not want to do it and prefers to leave the force so that he can continue being a criminal. Later, in order to maintain his lifestyle and wife, he decides to become a legit officer. He even kills people who knew that he was a double agent. The transformation of the character’s identity mirrors the change of Hong Kong’s residents from colonial subjects to Chinese nationals (Marchetti, 2007). Historically, the change of sovereignty in Hong Kong is the reason behind the characters’ complications. The film, like many contemporary films in Hong Kong, uses the Cantonese language but sprinkle it with English. The continually usage of English and adoption of English words by Cantonese speaking people into the ever-hybridizing dialects speaks volumes about post colonialism and globalization in Hong Kong. In addition, some characters in the film speak and/ or understand Mandarin and Thai as well (Ciecko, 2006). The film brings out hot, debated themes within the contemporary critical theory including globalization, identity, consumerism and capitalism, politics and new technologies (Marchetti, 2007). Due to the cinema culture crisis, the film mirrors the industry that created it, the society that spawned it and the global market that embraced it. There was a glimmer in the box-office upon the release of the film in Hong Kong. The film broke records in Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan; and in mainland China, it was the biggest opener of the year. The Hollywood studio, Werner brothers, bought the remake rights to the original film (Ciecko, 2006). The acceptance of the film signified globalization in Hong Kong. Reference Ciecko, Anne T. Contemporary Asian Cinema: Popular Culture in a Global Frame. Oxford [u.a.: Berg, 2006. Print Marchetti, G. (2007). Andrew Lau and Alan Maks Infernal affairs - the trilogy. Hong Kong: Hong Kong Univ. Press Read More