In comparison with the hong kong original, the departed departed on what drives the two main characters actions. With leonardo dicaprio, matt damon, jack nicholson, mark wahlberg. My original introduction to the story was after seeing the departed. When infernal affairs was released in hong kong to great commercial and critical success it was immediately snaffled up for a western remake. This mashup video features the departed and the movie it was based on, infernal affairs.
It was created as a final project for my contemporary us cinema course at. Of course i see the originals appeal and i actually. The infernal affairs codirectors opinion was that the departed stuck so close to the original it looked like they are just making infernal affairs again. May 18, 2007 the fact that the infernal affairs supporters talk about that film so differently technology used, moleonmole action, etc. Infernal affairs came out a few years before the departed, and its almost a mirror copy of what martin scorcese did. The departed this essay compares differences between hong kong gang film infernal affairs 2002, directed by. The similarities between these two crimedramathrillers are great. Fast forward to yesterday and i watched the original film infernal affairs and i gotta say the departed is still kind of better imo. Infernal affairs is a much more nuanced and far superior film. My original introduction to the story was after seeing the departed, and i absolutely loved every.
Although departed has a great cast, it lost the excitment and it doesnt seem real anymore. Infernal affairs is a 2002 hong kong crime thriller film directed by andrew lau and alan mak. Infernal affairs is an awesome film and infernal affairs ii the prequel, only strengthened its power. What works so well in infernal affairs is the fact that these two men have started on their paths at a very young age, wanting to be in the mobpolice respectively and becoming the opposite at around 18 years of age. These men cross paths in the academy and 1015 years later, we see their lives evolve and begin to care for both characters. Dec 02, 2014 infernal affairs vs the departed original vs remake duration. The ultimate news source for music, celebrity, entertainment, movies, and current events on the web. Its the hong kong film that the upcoming starladen the departed is based on, and its. This trilogy was released in 20022003 and then later remade by martin scorsese for hollywood. These men cross paths in the academy and 1015 years. It is the first in the infernal affairs series and is followed by infernal affairs ii and infernal affairs iii. In the latest remakeremodel, leigh singer interrogates martin scorseses remake of a hong kong crime classic. May 05, 2007 the hong kongs big hit infernal affairs a film made in 2002 by andrew lau and alan mak, is one of the truest undercover films of all time.
Mole the departed humor the departed justicerevenge, the end, what goes around, comes around. Apr 15, 2016 the departed, as many know, is based on the popular movie trilogy. That said, i think the departed was a great movie, as well, and this is coming from someone who dislikes dicaprio and loathes marky mark. I loved jack nicholsons roguish, charming performance as an old school, career gangster who keeps everyone guessing.
Chen wing yan is an undercover agent who has been chosen since his days in the police academy to infiltrate the. The departed is a 2006 american crime film directed by martin scorsese and written by william monahan. They discuss the hong kong identity, the operatic inspiration of infernal affairs, and both films hidden symbolism. The story however, is based on a 2002 hong kong film directed by waikeung lau and siu fai mak, mougaan dou. Collectivism versus individuality a case study duration. The directors of both films chose to play out the tension of the characters in. The departed distinguishes itself from infernal affairs in its challenge to conventional morality. The chinese title means the nonstop way, a reference to avici, the lowest level of hell in buddhism. If you dont know, infernal affairs is the first of a trilogy. Compounded by the fact that dicaprio is some washed out, drop out, con, and he is more appealing that the straight laced, hard working, good guy. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates a triad, and another officer secretly working for the same gang. Chen wing yan is an undercover agent who has been chosen since his days in the police academy to infiltrate the crime world, particularly the gang of the notorious sam.
Even though infernal affairs is the original, i feel the remake improves, on a lot of. It tells the story of a police officer who infiltrates the triads, and a police officer secretly working for the same gang. Comparing the departed and infernal affairs essay 2415 words. Even though infernal affairs is the original, i feel the remake improves, on a lot of little things, like that, just adding more and more suspense, in comparison, aside from the ending, in which i like the originals a lot better. I watched the departed 3 years ago and it kinda blew me away especially leos death and the ending were phenomenal. The antagonist mole is never made a fool by the movie. I never hated a movie so much like the departed the main reason is because it was insanely praised by the media. Apr 10, 2007 so i have finally seen both movies, and the original affairs edges out the remake departed but jiust barely. The departed stars leonardo dicaprio, matt damon, jack nicholson, and mark wahlberg, with martin sheen, ray winstone, vera farmiga, and alec baldwin in supporting roles.
The departed was entertaining but too long and felt crowded. Infernal affairs is one of the most successful films in asia, and it became internationally known when martin scorsese adapted it to shoot the departed. For simplicity, let me call the two movies in short, i. But i prefer the departed over the entire infernal affairs trilogy, and heres why. Scorseses operatic approach is not indulgent, and lau and maks tight, punchy. Infernal affairs is one of the most successful films in asia, and it became internationally known when martin scorsese adapted it to shoot the. The departed, as many know, is based on the popular movie trilogy. I have to say that both movies had excellent acting thought i still prefer tony leung to leonardo dicaprio, i confess he did a really good job and excellent writing, but i prefer the minimalistic style of affairs.
As such, i thought it would be interesting to see how martin scorsese instilled cultural differences while maintaining plot similarities, and if there were any overt american. Infernal affairs cant escape the departeds shadow, but watch it. It is ranked 14 in worldwide yearly 2006 and 422 in alltime domestic. The departed had its moments, which i dont really remember, but too many problems. Martin scorsese has taken a lot of guff from me, in my mind, every time ive sat. In 2007, when scorsese finally won his decadeslate oscar, it was for the departed, a remake of the 2002 hong kong crime thriller infernal affairs. I selected these two films because the departed 2006 is a hollywood adaptation of the wildly successful infernal affairs 2002. Imo infernal affairs is much better than the departed. Infernal affairs 2 is a prequel that takes place years before the events in infernal affairs, and tells the story of how these characters came to be. I do see the argument that infernal affairs had a larger impact on hong kong cinema where its an alltime popular success than the departed did on american cinema where its one of many goodtogreat crime movies and seen as more of a career oscar for scorsese.
The departed is about the same thing, yet everyone is loud and brash and swearing for no apparent reason. Infernal affairs and the departed to me are thus manifestations of these two styles in terms of narrative. So i have finally seen both movies, and the original affairs edges out the remake departed but jiust barely. Nov 28, 2019 the departed has almost an hour longer runtime than infernal affairs, but that fact is a credit to both films. Shopify tsl 5 the bracket whats something you miss about older sc2. Infernal affairs in 2007, director martin scorsese finally won an oscar for best director for his cops and robbers drama, the departed. It is a remake of the 2002 hong kong film infernal affairs. Making damon impotent and an unknowing cuck is a huge f u to the character. An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an irish gang in south boston. I saw this movie in the theater in 2002 when it was originally released. First of all, mings mary in infernal affairs 1 is an extremely annoying character. There is a constant question of good vs evil in infernal affairs, with the double act by the two characters creating a disconnect between law and morality. Infernal affairs is a 2002 hong kong crime thriller film directed by andrew lau and alan mak and written by mak and felix chong. Martin scorseses the departed came out in 2006 and did pretty well for itself, picking up four oscars.
Then we had a remake of it called the departed made in 2006 by martin scorsese, a gangster movie in american version. Aug 01, 2012 infernal affairs vs the departed 2007 must be an unforgettable year for hollywoods ace director martin scorcese in which he got his first oscar award for best direction for his film the departed. Its the hong kong film that the upcoming starladen the departed. Infernal affairs vs the departed which do you prefer. The departed, a film directed by martin scorsese, won an oscar for best picture, as well as 3 other academy awards. A story between a mole in the police department and an undercover cop. The main roles in both films gave topnotch performance as usual. In this new video essay, part of an ongoing series entitled remakeremodel, leigh singer looks at how directors andrew lau and. I dont think a straight comparison is fair because while the departed was obviously heavily based on infernal affairs, its not a straight remake. May 14, 2018 i do see the argument that infernal affairs had a larger impact on hong kong cinema where its an alltime popular success than the departed did on american cinema where its one of many goodtogreat crime movies and seen as more of a career oscar for scorsese. Infernal affairs is a series of three crimethriller films directed by andrew lau and alan mak, starring andy lau and tony leung.
Infernal affairs is far more efficient at conveying the same premise copgangster vs. Martin scorsese has made better films than infernal affairs the departed just isnt one. Iv never actually seen infernal affairs, but i did enjoy the departed well enough. It was a great movie and i thought it would be able to hold its. The departedinternal affairs film comparison free essays. Apr 23, 2020 infernal affairs is a much more nuanced and far superior film. Infernal affairs vs the departed original vs remake duration. With andy lau, tony chiuwai leung, anthony chausang wong, eric tsang. Martin scorsese for the departed as much as i really, really admire infernal affairs, i wouldnt necessarily say its direction is one of its strongest suits.
The departed won best picture despite the fact that it was not even in the top five of scorsese. Although the departed stays remarkably close to the plot of infernal affairs, both films are made with different cultural contexts in mind, and paint completely opposing moral universes. For his 2006 gangland thriller the departed, the acclaimed american filmmaker turned to cult hong kong cop drama infernal affairs for inspiration. Oct 14, 2006 infernal affairs, i think that infernal affairs has a better setting and the atmosphere is much better than departed.
Dec 04, 2006 first of all, i love both the infernal affairs trilogy and the departed. The story however, is based on a 2002 hong kong film directed by waikeung lau and siu fai mak, mou gaan dou. This accounts for the difference since in the infernal affairs movie, both characters started going undercover at around the same time, and the movie starts. Hong kong actionmovie directors have picked up a lot from martin scorsese. Its a film about spies, moles and covert behaviour, where every one is trying to be covertblend innot give anything away. I thought jack nicholson was ridiculous as the mob boss and that mark wahlbergalec baldwin were also just as silly lookingsounding in the movie. The only problem with the franchise is that it was ruined by infernal affairs iii and if one can stay away from this horrible sequel please do so. The movie, a remake of an acclaimed 2002 hong kong film mou gaan dou. The departed has almost an hour longer runtime than infernal affairs, but that fact is a credit to both films. The departed had its moments, which i dont really remember, but too many problems the silly jack nicholson character, the deflating ending. In ia, the main roles are done by hong kongs well noted actors andy lau as the. In fact, you could say the combination of two directors is better than the one. Its certainly competent enough in terms of establishing a very appropriate universe for its world of crime and the police universe, but compared to say beast cops it doesnt manage to do it with as stylistically memorable flair. Infernal affairs 2 is a pretty good prequel, but the almost incoherent infernal affairs 3 has a scrambled time scheme to allow flashbacks to bring back the dead.
Infernal affairs mou gaan dou 2002 rotten tomatoes. Infernal affairs and the departed calvin sun medium. A sidebyside analysis of infernal affairs and the departed. Psycho vs psycho hitchcocks classic vs gus van sants remake. Infernal affairs, i think that infernal affairs has a better setting and the atmosphere is much better than departed. Martin scorcese fleshed it out and added more character complexity and some terrific dialogue.
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