The Musings of an Eccentric Diva

Usually I tend to stay away from American remakes of foreign films. Hollyweird has a tendency to turn sugar into shit. I remember when it was announced a few years back there would be a remake of the awesome Japanese film “Shall We Dance?” with J-Lo and Richard Gere…WTF??? I was so mad I did not speak to anyone for an entire day! Since I felt The Departed was such an awesome film, I felt it could not hurt to see the original film it was based upon, Infernal Affairs. Usually I would have seen the original foreign version of a film first before watching the American remake but the premise of Infernal Affairs did not grab my attention when it was released. So basically I saw these films in reverse order. I will not do a full review of Infernal Affairs, it would be pointless since it mirrors The Departed, to review one would be to review the other. What I will discuss is the contrast between the two films.

Infernal Affairs is more stylized and visually stunning. In contrast, The Departed is more gritty and realistic in nature….no flash, no dash. Infernal Affairs has far less violence than The Departed. You don't get as much background information on the characters in Infernal Affairs versus The Departed. We get to know the main characters from The Departed from childhood up to the moment they face off. The crime boss played by Jack Nicholson in The Departed is less flamboyant and not nearly as entertaining the crime boss in Infernal Affairs. The crime gang in Infernal Affairs were much younger and flashier than the crime gang in The Departed…..those dinosaurs needed to be put out to pasture. I will add that The Departed really stayed true to the original material, at some points in the film I knew exactly what was coming when watching Infernal Affairs. The ending of both films differ a bit but neither disappoints. In parting I will say that for once Hollyweird got it right, the good reputation of a great foreign film remains intact.

VERDICT FOR INFERNAL AFFAIRS: 3 ½ Soul Claps