I only want to be a good man.
Infernal Affairs II is a prequel to Infernal Affairs. The story takes place a few years before the first Infernal Affairs movie. The characters who left us in the first movie are back again, but they have replaced Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai with two younger actors who play the same characters that Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai played. Eric Tsang and Anthony Wong play the same characters as they did in the first movie.
In Infernal Affairs II, the pace is slow. The movie focuses on character depth and a story of power struggles between different triad leaders. One would think the focus would be on the characters played by Shawn Yue and Edison Chen, but no. The two central characters from the first movie end up in the background.
It’s the characters that Eric Tsang and Anthony Wong play that are the central characters here, along with the mighty triad boss played by Francis Ng. Although I was a little disappointed that they put the two central characters from Infernal Affairs in the background, it works because the story is interesting and we have some fantastic actors who deliver the goods.
Edison Chen and Shawn Yue doesn’t get much to work with, but Shawn Yue shows some potential here. But you feel sorry for the poor man who has to play Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s character. We’re talking about Tony Leung Chiu-wai!
Edison Chen’s presence is not exactly something to brag about. He is terrible, and I understand why he’s hated as an actor. It’s embarrassing to look at this absent-minded role interpretation, and it’s so tiring to look at his one facial expression. If you need a question mark, just call Edison Chen. He’s a walking question mark! He’s a lousy actor. Thank God that he destroyed his career. He never seemed like a smart man. Stupid question-mark man!
Infernal Affairs II has a runtime of 120 minutes, which is 25 minutes too long. There are some tedious scenes here, and it shouldn’t come as a surprise that it’s the scenes with Edison Chen. Even Steven Seagal has more screen presence than this man. Where Infernal Affairs has several suspenseful scenes and a tight script, Infernal Affairs II is more relaxed. I missed the suspenseful scenes and pace from the first movie.
The last half hour of the movie is fantastic! Infernal Affairs is a fantastic movie that offers suspense, good actor performances, and strong emotional scenes. Infernal Affairs II also has this, and I felt my tears fill up when Shawn Yue and Anthony Wong stands at the tombstone of a former colleague. For those of you who have seen the first movie and were moved by that scene, this is a fantastic, emotional scene!
Another brilliant scene is when Eric Tsang is in tears. He’s alone against the world, but in the next scene, he’s toasting and enjoying himself at a party. Two emotional scenes that to me are two of the saddest scenes I’ve ever seen. But such scenes depends on a good and emotional score, and the score doesn’t disappoint. When you have such big and emotional scenes, the score is half of the experience. And the score is perfect for the scenes we see!
I have watched Infernal Affairs II several times, and the movie leaves behind several questions. Especially why Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s character is still willing to work for Anthony Wong after the outcome of this movie and what happened to his family. And you notice that Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s character who just wants to be a good man is hard to understand after watching Infernal Affairs II. Considering what he has been through, he almost seems mentally challenged after watching Infernal Affairs II.
And the script should have been better considering the relationship between the characters played by Shawn Yue and Francis Ng, who are half brothers. What kind of relationship do they have with each other? This is the big weakness of the movie.
Infernal Affairs II isn’t as good as the first movie. Compared with the first movie, Infernal Affairs II focuses more on character depth and the story. Infernal Affairs II feels similar to The Godfather II. It’s a dark and serious movie where many characters will die!