Infernal Affairs

Reviewed by RUSSELL BAILLIE

(Herald rating: * * * *)

What's this? A Hong Kong crime flick where excess is a dirty word?

True, the first scene of this terrific and intricate crime thriller does take place at the grand Temple of 1000 Buddhas (this I know because my mate Darryl took me there on my first visit to HK this year. Tourist happy-snaps available on request).

And that is a lot of zen for any movie to kick off with.

But Infernal Affairs is positively restrained in every other department. Its body count is about the size of a rugby test, the car chases barely get out of second gear, there are no boat pursuits in HK harbour and that temple is as close you get to any martial arts influence.

It steers almost clear of melodrama, too, care of its taut script, powering its story about spy vs spy - a triad mole highly placed in the HK police department tries to unearth an undercover cop in his gang and vice versa.

The first twist is an oldie but a goodie.

Corrupt cop Ming (Andy Lau, not to be confused with co-director Andrew) soon rises to a position in the department's Internal Affairs Bureau where he is charged with the job of uncovering himself.

Meanwhile, Yan (Leung) has been undercover for so long,with only one key senior officer knowing of his assignment, that he wants out before he forgets whose side he's on.

Cue a speed-chess game of divided loyalties, ambiguous morality, drug smuggling, occasional gunfire and excruciating tension. It's also a film that makes you wonder just how they actually made crime films before the advent of cellphones.

Lau and Leung's performances give the electric plot a very cool and conflicted core, their pairing reminiscent of the Robert De Niro-Al Pacino face-off in Michael Mann's Heat, a film this sometimes also echoes with its elegant urban visuals and pulsating soundtrack.

It does have its goofy spots. Like Ming's fiancee wrestling with writing a novel about a man with multiple personalities. And it's a pity about the punsome English title.

Released two years ago in HK, it proved a huge domestic hit and spawned two sequels, both of which are showing at the upcoming film festival.

Seeing this first is required thrilling reading.

The 1997 handover to China might have been bad for the HK movie business, but Infernal Affairs shows it might have been good for movies.

Cast: Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Chiu Wai

Director: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak

Running time: 97 mins

Rating: M (low level violence

Screening: Rialto