Infernal Affairs II

I really liked that I actually learned several details from the "intermediate period" and a deeper understanding of the psychology of the main characters in this sequel. Mainly because the creators took enough care to avoid repetition and, unlike the first installment, the majority of attention is now focused on the duo of main characters controlling the entire story. The straightforward thriller thus becomes a complex composition with an atmosphere reminiscent of The Godfather. (04/08/2007)

This is a respectable prequel of the excellent police drama Infernal Affairs, but it remains in its predecessor’s shadow. Though the film successfully expands the circumstances of the characters that were secondary in the first film, it is conceived more as a supplementary source of information about the original than as full-fledged drama in its own right. It’s overwrought, doesn’t give as much space to the relationships and is worthless for viewers who have no knowledge of the first film. (10/19/2005)

The film continues to maintain its visual and somewhat narrative qualities, but I can't shake the feeling that it remains in the shadow of its one-year-older brother. The creators, however, demonstrate a talent for incredibly cinematic shots that have an interesting effect on the viewer. I liked this aspect in the first film, and it continues here. The violent scenes are often shot interestingly, although they can be somewhat clichéd. (05/04/2014)

The story is set in a time preceding part one. In other words, the years when the two central protagonists joined the police and the hierarchy of the Triads. In fact it is more like framed by these two characters, but focuses more on other characters we are familiar with. And isn’t this like cheekily and cheaply watering down stew to make it go further? That’s what it seems like for the first couple of minutes, or until the story moves forward to the events of 1995. Afterward it is again a suspenseful, flawless crime movie with an intelligent screenplay, amazing actors and a marvelous technical side. In terms of quality this is unarguably less good than its other brother, but it’s still so good that most pictures of similar genres must gawp in silent envy. (02/19/2007)