supafinc27

It's a sentiment that has been echoed many times since the release of Martin Scorcese's "The Departed," but it's worth saying once more. Without "Internal Affairs," "The Departed" would not exist. The film is not without its flaws-it is, at times hokey and lapses between scenes derail the continuity at points. But the intriguing premise, vivid characters, slick visuals, and break-neck pacing come together to produce a film that isn't only fun to watch, but substantive. It would be unfair to place Scorcese's re-make on the pedestal it stands to occupy, without acknowledging this film.

This isn't Nicholson, Damon, and DiCaprio, but the acting is no less compelling. Tony Leung, ragged and feral is a stark contrast to his adversary, played capably by Andy Lau, who traverses dangerous ground as a Triad packaged as a charming and talented detective. Eric Tsang and Anthony Wong both turn in performances that buttress the theme of dichotomy as two weathered veterans, engaged in a human chess match with the lives of their protégées at stake.

The story revolves around a would-be officer, played by Leung, a former academy standout, hand-picked to infiltrate the Triads for an indefinite amount of time. Simultaneously, the Triads send a young solider to establish a vein of intelligence within the police department. Both men quickly rise in their respective agencies, enmeshing themselves in the operations, finding it increasingly difficult to see the way out and as years pass, increasingly difficult to separate reality from the lives that they've built on a foundation of deceit. Their paths come to a head when those who commissioned them inform them that they each man must identify and expose the other, all while avoiding being discovered by their own.

Thematically, the film showcases the delicate interplay between truth and deceit, safety and death, crime and justice that subtly manifests itself in the fabric of this film and never wavers. Masterfully crafted tension is broken up in parts by comic moments that are as fleeting as any sense of security afforded its protagonist.

The most important aspect of this film, the notion that the two leads are reflections of one another, that every man has a propensity for good and evil, that dilemmas of justice like morality have no easy solutions is not new, by any means. But here, it is treated in a manner that is neither stale nor heavy handed. The two lead characters are as connected as they are opposed, something which is explored here to a greater degree here than in the Scorcese remake.

Although "The Departed" borrows much from this film, it does not achieve the level of cohesion or the richness of connection between its characters. That's not to say that Scorcese's film is a failure; it's an entertaining film with viable themes. And though this came first, the Westernized version is still worth watching even if only for the star powered cast, for a taste of Scorcese's signature gangster lean, or for Alec Baldwin's scene stealing banter. After reading so many responses to the film on this site, it's clear that some of the credit for its warm reception is due to the film being set in the city of Boston. But for whatever reason, this story just seems more at home in the alternately murky and glowing streets of Hong Kong.