Infernal Affairs II
Theatrical poster of Infernal Affairs II
Directed by	Andrew Lau Alan Mak
Produced by	Andrew Lau
Written by	Felix Chong Alan Mak (Based on characters created by Alan Mak and Felix Chong)
Starring	Anthony Wong Eric Tsang Edison Chen Shawn Yue Carina Lau Francis Ng Hu Jun
Music by	Chan Kwong Wing
Cinematography	Andrew Lau Ng Man Ching
Editing by	Danny Pang Curran Pang
Distributed by	Media Asia Distribution Ltd.
Release date(s)	2003
Running time	119 min. 110 min.
Country	Hong Kong Singapore
Language	Cantonese Mandarin English Thai
Preceded by	Infernal Affairs
Followed by	Infernal Affairs III
Official website
IMDb profile

Infernal Affairs II (Chinese: 無間道II; Jyutping: mou gaan dou ji; Mandarin Pinyin: Wú Jiān Dào èr) is a 2003 Hong Kong crime thriller film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It is a prequel to the 2002 hit Infernal Affairs. Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang, Edison Chen, Shawn Yue, and Chapman To reprise their roles from the original film alongside new cast members Carina Lau, Francis Ng, and Hu Jun. Both Tony Leung and Andy Lau, who played the central roles in the original, do not appear in the film, as they are replaced by the younger versions played by Shawn Yue and Edison Chen, respectively. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Andrew Lau Wai Keung (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; born April 4, 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, cinematographer and presenter. ... Siu Fai MAK (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a Chinese scriptwriter and co-writer with Felix Chong the story of Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. ... Felix Chong or Felix Chong Man Keung (January 1, 1968 in Hong Kong, China) is a Chinese scriptwriter and co-writer with Siu Fai Mak the story of Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. ... Anthony Wong Chau Sang in Infernal Affairs (2002) Anthony Wong Chau-Sang (Chinese: ; pinyin: Huáng QiÅ«shÄ“ng; born September 2, 1961) is a Hong Kong actor. ... Eric Tsang Chi-wai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ZÄ“ng ZhìwÄ›i; born April 14, 1953) is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio Series on TVB over the course of 10 years. ... Edison Chen Kwoon-Hei (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), born October 7, 1980, in Vancouver, Canada is a Hong Kong movie actor, singer, idol, founder of CLOT Inc. ... Shawn Yue (Traditional Chinese: 余文樂, Pinyin: Yu Wenle, born November 13, 1981) is an actor/singer based in Hong Kong. ... Carina Lau Kar-ling (Traditional Chinese: 劉嘉玲, Simplified Chinese: 刘嘉玲, pinyin: Liú Jiālíng;Wu Chinese (Suzhou Dialect) IPA:[liY][kÉ’][lin]; born December 8, 1965 in Suzhou, China with family roots in Rongxian, Guangxi, China), is a Hong Kong actress. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Hu Jun (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; born May 18, 1968,Beijing,China ) is a Chinese actor. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hong_Kong. ... Media Asia Group, or Media Asia, is a film production company and distributor for films made in Hong Kong and throughout China. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hong_Kong. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Standard Cantonese is a variant, and is generally considered the prestige dialect of Cantonese Chinese. ... Standard Mandarin, also known as Standard Chinese, Modern Standard Chinese or Standard spoken Chinese, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used by the Peoples Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Singapore. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For other uses of internal affairs, see internal affairs. ... Infernal Affairs (無間道) is a stylish 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller about an cop (Tony Leung, as Yan, 陳永仁) going deep undercover into the Triads and a Triad member going into the police department (Andy Lau, as Ming, 劉健明). Each mole was planted by... Jyutping (sometimes spelled Jyutpin) is a romanization system for Standard Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong (LSHK) in 1993. ... Standard Mandarin, also known as Standard Chinese, Modern Standard Chinese or Standard spoken Chinese, is the official modern Chinese spoken language used by the Peoples Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Singapore. ... Pinyin, more formally called Hanyu Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), is the most common variant of Standard Mandarin romanization system in use. ... This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... The thriller is a broad genre of literature, film, and television. ... Andrew Lau Wai Keung (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; born April 4, 1960) is a Hong Kong film director, producer, cinematographer and presenter. ... Siu Fai MAK (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ) is a Chinese scriptwriter and co-writer with Felix Chong the story of Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. ... A prequel is a work that portrays events which include the structure, conventions, and/or characters of a previously completed narrative, but occur at an earlier time. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... For other uses of internal affairs, see internal affairs. ... Anthony Wong Chau Sang in Infernal Affairs (2002) Anthony Wong Chau-Sang (Chinese: ; pinyin: Huáng QiÅ«shÄ“ng; born September 2, 1961) is a Hong Kong actor. ... Eric Tsang Chi-wai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ZÄ“ng ZhìwÄ›i; born April 14, 1953) is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio Series on TVB over the course of 10 years. ... Edison Chen Kwoon-Hei (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), born October 7, 1980, in Vancouver, Canada is a Hong Kong movie actor, singer, idol, founder of CLOT Inc. ... Shawn Yue (Traditional Chinese: 余文樂, Pinyin: Yu Wenle, born November 13, 1981) is an actor/singer based in Hong Kong. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Carina Lau Kar-ling (Traditional Chinese: 劉嘉玲, Simplified Chinese: 刘嘉玲, pinyin: Liú Jiālíng;Wu Chinese (Suzhou Dialect) IPA:[liY][kÉ’][lin]; born December 8, 1965 in Suzhou, China with family roots in Rongxian, Guangxi, China), is a Hong Kong actress. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Hu Jun (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; born May 18, 1968,Beijing,China ) is a Chinese actor. ... Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a 2006 promotional photograph for the Hong Kong Entertainment Expo Tony Leung Chiu Wai (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (born in Hong Kong on June 27, 1962) is a Hong Kong movie and ex-television actor. ... Andy Lau Tak-Wah (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Liú Déhuá; Cantonese Yale: Lau Dak-Wa; born September 27, 1961 in Hong Kong as 劉福榮 Lau Fuk-Wing) is a Hong Kong Cantopop star, movie actor and producer. ...

Plot

The movie begins in 1991, roughly 10 years before the events of the first Infernal Affairs, and begins with a young Ming walking down the streets of Mongkok heading for an opera studio, where he asks for a man named Uncle Kwun. When the old man appears, Ming shoots him dead immediately. The order for the killing was given by Sam's wife Mary without disclosure to anyone, including Sam. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Mong Kok (旺角, pinyin: Wàngjiǎo, pronounced locally as Wong Kok in Cantonese) is an area in Yau Tsim Mong district, on the Kowloon peninsula, in Hong Kong. ...

The man Ming assassinated was in fact Yan's father, an underworld kingpin. Hau Ngai succeeds his father, and is an understated but effective kingpin. Yan is on the verge of becoming a police officer, but his ties with the Triad get him dismissed from the Hong Kong Police Force (This information was not given in the first film). However, he is given a choice to be "a good guy" when Superintendent Wong offers him a deep undercover assignment, where his identity is known only to Wong, and the Assistant Commissioner. Triad (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; literally Triad Society) or (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; literally Black Society, a general term for criminal organizations) is a term that describes many branches of Chinese underground society and/or organizations based in Hong Kong and Macau and also operating in Taiwan, mainland... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Hau Ngai is Yan's half-brother, thus making it easier for Yan to infiltrate the Triad, but harder for him at the same time because he has to go against his family. Sam works for Hau Ngai.

The film moves slowly from 1991 to 1997. We learn of the relationship between Sam and Wong. For the band, see 1997 (band). ...

Cast

• Anthony Wong as Superintendent Wong Chi Shing (黃志誠)
• Eric Tsang as Hon Sam (韓琛)
• Edison Chen as Lau Kin Ming (劉健明)
• Shawn Yue as Chan Wing Yan (陳永仁)
• Carina Lau as Mary Hon (MARY姐)
• Francis Ng as Ngai Wing Hau (倪永孝)
• Hu Jun as Superintendent Luk Kai Cheung (陸啟昌)
• Chapman To as Tsui Wai Keung (傻強)
• Liu Kai Chi as Sam Suk (三叔)
• Roy Cheung as Law Kai Yin (羅雞)
• Fu Ka Lei as May
• Wai Ying Hung as Ngai Wing Hau's sister (倪永孝家姐)
• Chan Mong Wah as Ngai Wing Yi
• Lin Hoi as Ngai Wing Chung
• Fong Ping as Gandhi (甘地)
• Wong Ngok Tai as Kwok Wah (國華)
• O Chi Kwan as Negro (黑鬼)
• Chan Tak Sam as Man Ching
• Cheung Tung Cho as Ngai Kwan (倪坤)
• Chiu Chung Yue as Mary

Anthony Wong Chau Sang in Infernal Affairs (2002) Anthony Wong Chau-Sang (Chinese: ; pinyin: Huáng Qiūshēng; born September 2, 1961) is a Hong Kong actor. ... Eric Tsang Chi-wai (Chinese: ; pinyin: Zēng Zhìwěi; born April 14, 1953) is a prolific Hong Kong actor, film director, film producer and television host best known for hosting the Super Trio Series on TVB over the course of 10 years. ... Edison Chen Kwoon-Hei (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), born October 7, 1980, in Vancouver, Canada is a Hong Kong movie actor, singer, idol, founder of CLOT Inc. ... Shawn Yue (Traditional Chinese: 余文樂, Pinyin: Yu Wenle, born November 13, 1981) is an actor/singer based in Hong Kong. ... Carina Lau Kar-ling (Traditional Chinese: 劉嘉玲, Simplified Chinese: 刘嘉玲, pinyin: Liú Jiālíng;Wu Chinese (Suzhou Dialect) IPA:[liY][kɒ][lin]; born December 8, 1965 in Suzhou, China with family roots in Rongxian, Guangxi, China), is a Hong Kong actress. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ... Hu Jun (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; born May 18, 1968,Beijing,China ) is a Chinese actor. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Liu Kai Chi (廖啟智) is a Hong Kong actor. ... Hong Kong actor who starred in Prison on Fire movie. ...

Reaction

The film was highly anticipated prior to its release due to the extreme success achieved by Infernal Affairs. However, the general response to the movie was mixed, with most saying that it could not be compared to the first one, while others claimed that it was the best out of the series. The original film won seven Hong Kong Film Awards, while this film only earned the award of Best Original Song. Hong Kong Film Awards (香港電影金像獎), is the most prestigious film awards in Hong Kong. ...

Some fans of IA1 was disappointed ,mainly hoping it to have flashbacks to the original film,which only occurs in one scene.The film aims to have a completely new storyline and not to be viewed in the same light as the first film,which was a gangster/crime thriller.

Style

The film is a lot slower than the first one, with no quick or slick Hollywood-style editing. It strives on minimalism, and being extremely low-key in all the killings, and deaths.

Camera style was different from the first film,IA2 was mostly filmed without tripods,resulting in shaky cameras.

The entire film works on developing the characters, being more of a character study than anything else. There is a wider range in terms of story and settings, making it more of an independent epic that feels completely separate from the other two films in the trilogy. The film is filled with slow-moving scenes, moments of still imagery, and close-up shots of characters, showing their emotion.

Also different is the score, being much more dramatic than the first film, with the opening Hungarian choir that dominates the intro. The entire movie thrives on the choir-based score. The cinematography is more grainy to create a deliberate contrast to the commercial style in the previous film.

Trivia

The cemetery scene in IA2 was where Yan was buried in the first film.

SP Luk's death was similar to SP Wong's death in IA1,with a sudden shock and emotional impact.

A notable film flub was Ming's character.In the first film he was a right-handed.In IA2 scenes such as him holding a parcel and hitting it against his leg with his left hand and saluting with his left hand near the end of the movie went unnoticed.

Infernal Affairs' website shut down recently and is now in open domain.

Box office

The film grossed 24,919,376 HKD[1] - big by 2003 Hong Kong standards, but only about half of the original's earnings.

Awards

Although Infernal Affairs II earned ten nominations for the 2003 Hong Kong Film Awards, it could not match its predecessor's success. The film won only one award, Best Original Film Song, for the song "長空" (performed by Cantopop band Beyond). Ceremony for the 22nd Hong Kong Film Awards was held on 6 April 2003 in the Hong Kong Cultural Centre and hosted by Eric Tsang, John Sham, Athena Chu and Anna Yau. ... Cantopop (Chinese: 粵語流行曲) is a colloquial abbreviation for Cantonese popular music. It is also referred to as HK-pop, short for Hong Kong popular music. It is categorized as a subgenre of Chinese popular music within C-pop. ... Beyond was a famous rock band in Hong Kong that was founded in 1983. ...

See also

• Infernal Affairs
• Infernal Affairs III
• Cinema of Hong Kong
• List of movies set in Hong Kong
• List of Hong Kong films

For other uses of internal affairs, see internal affairs. ... Infernal Affairs (無間道) is a stylish 2002 Hong Kong crime thriller about an cop (Tony Leung, as Yan, 陳永仁) going deep undercover into the Triads and a Triad member going into the police department (Andy Lau, as Ming, 劉健明). Each mole was planted by... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ... While most of local Hong Kong movies were filmed locally, several foreign movies were also, at least partly, set in Hong Kong. ... Cinema of Hong Kong This is an A-Z list of films produced in Hong Kong and in the in alphabetical order. ...

External links

• Infernal Affairs II at the Internet Movie Database
• Official site
• Official site on Miramax

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Films A-Z • Action films • Films by year: 1909–1929 • 1930s • 1940s • 1950s • 1960s • 1970s • 1980s • 1990s • 2000s Actors • Directors • Cinematographers • Producers • Screenwriters • Shaw Brothers Studio The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industrys global fame. ... This article is about the Hong Kong movie studio. ...