Transcendental Film - Movies you haven’t heard—yet

By Frank Visco
Collegian Editor
October 4, 2006

There’s a whole lot of press surrounding The Departed right now. It’s vintage Scorsese and so his fans are going gaga over the early previews. However, it’s important to note that the film is actually based on the Hong Kong gem Infernal Affairs.

Like The Departed, the film follows a cop who’s actually a mole for the mob, and a mobster who’s actually a mole for the police force.

The film is highly stylized and features some outstanding cinematography. It keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, with tension mounting over which man will come out on top, if in fact one will.

One of the most interesting aspects of the film is that the two men, who are trying to uncover each others’ identities, keep running into one another at a stereo store. These scenes do a good job of hammering home the themes of identity. Is an undercover cop a good guy even though he spends years working for criminals? How about the other way around? The movie presents these issues in a very fascinating and real way, and the conclusion of the film is a brilliant and courageous endnote.

The film became such a hit in Hong Kong that it not only spawned an American remake, but also two subsequent films: a prequel that showed both characters in their early days as moles and a sequel that shows what’s happening 10 months after the first film. The series is so popular that it is favorably known as Hong Kong’s Godfather Series.

If you’re interested in The Departed or you just like fine Hong Kong cinema, check out Infernal Affairs. It’s a tense and smart action flick that provides thrills along with thought provoking discussion.

viscof1@lasalle.edu