Comments on: Infernal Affairs vs. The Departed http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/ I'm a dad, designer, China expat and blogger Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:41:49 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: K http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28914 K Sat, 02 Oct 2010 08:52:05 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28914 I'm shocked. I'm really shocked to read positive review of The Departed. I need to express my own feelings, because I watched both and as for me, The Departed is a crap. As much as I love IA, I was disguisted by TD. Considering Academy Award, I was hoping for something close in feeling to the original film, but I was totally disappointed. The only motive in TD which was interesting to me, was the creation the female character who is involved in lives of both protagonists. That was good, yet predictable in American films. But - yeah, that added a flavor to TD. Yet the ending of TD made me so mad, I wanted to throw my TV set through the window. That was just too much. And to be honest - I got irritated every time I saw Leo's face. It was the same all the time. I wouldn't believe him if he told me he hadn't been a spy, sorry. I’m shocked. I’m really shocked to read positive review of The Departed. I need to express my own feelings, because I watched both and as for me, The Departed is a crap. As much as I love IA, I was disguisted by TD. Considering Academy Award, I was hoping for something close in feeling to the original film, but I was totally disappointed.
The only motive in TD which was interesting to me, was the creation the female character who is involved in lives of both protagonists. That was good, yet predictable in American films. But – yeah, that added a flavor to TD.
Yet the ending of TD made me so mad, I wanted to throw my TV set through the window. That was just too much.
And to be honest – I got irritated every time I saw Leo’s face. It was the same all the time. I wouldn’t believe him if he told me he hadn’t been a spy, sorry.

]]> By: Ryan http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28341 Ryan Fri, 07 May 2010 03:06:48 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28341 Wow -- fantastic comparison between the two, thanks for sharing it David. Wow — fantastic comparison between the two, thanks for sharing it David.

]]> By: David A. Romero http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28338 David A. Romero Thu, 06 May 2010 16:00:49 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28338 Ex-pat Suzhou life eh? I'm an American living in Fuzhou, is that kinda close? Hahaha. First of all, I love both The Infernal Affairs Trilogy and The Departed. But… I prefer The Departed over the entire Infernal Affairs trilogy, and here’s why: First of all, Ming’s Mary in Infernal Affairs 1 is an extremely annoying character. She’s an author who, shock upon shock, is writing a story about a character who cannot decide whether or not he’s a good guy! This is agonizingly self-reflexive, as Ming listens to her story, ponders his own nature (“I want to be a good guy!”) and she remains oblivious to his connections to the Triads throughout most of the first film. I prefer the love triangle of The Departed to the side story-esque love stories of Yan and Ming in the Infernal Affairs trilogy. The love story between Yan and the psychologist adds absolutely nothing to the plot of Infernal Affairs 1 OR 3! She plays no role in the struggle between the police and the Triads. As soon as she comes on screen, you can expect loud and especially cheesy romantic music, bad acting from Kelly Chen, and a whole lot of smirking from Tony Leung. They may as well have put a big flashing “love subplot” overtitle onto each one of these scenes. In Infernal Affairs 3, this subplot is even more excruciatingly bad than in 1, as the character is brought in to expand upon a relationship that didn’t amount to much in the first place! Furthermore, what I find ironic about the gripes of Infernal Affairs trilogy fans in regards to the love triangle of The Departed, is that in Infernal Affairs 3, the psychologist character eventually becomes the same type of link between the two moles! I’m presuming neither of them had sex with her, but both of them obviously had feelings for her and she had feelings for the both of them as well (if this isn’t true in regards to Ming, I have a hard time understanding why she and Ming were spending so much time together in 3). In her heart of hearts though, she ultimately chooses Yan over Ming; especially after learning the truth about Ming (similar to how the psychologist chose Leo over Damon in The Departed). The psychologist character in The Departed and her connected subplot condenses the love stories of the Infernal Affairs trilogy into a much more tense and complete whole. Her connection to Damon showcases both the charm he uses to advance himself in the police force and the coldness and meanness he exudes as a mole and person in general (here, his personal life legitimately builds and expands on his public life). Her connection to Leo also shows us why he is truly worthy of being the hero of the story. Aside from all of this male-dominated discussion in what the psychologist DOES FOR the male characters in The Departed, her affair with Leo actually gives HER character some direction, we can root for HER, she does stuff, she has a STORY, and this is what makes it great for her to find love she’s been looking for with Leo and give the “he’s the mole!” moment of truth between her and Damon some impact. The only compelling female character you can find in the Infernal Affairs trilogy is the Mary of Infernal Affairs 2. All other female characters in the Infernal Affairs series do nothing but react to the male characters. To conclude this talk of love subplots and female characters, and their relationships with male characters, Infernal Affairs 1 and 3 offer up Ming sleeping on the psychologist’s couch and then starring, dreamy-eyed at her, thinking about what could be if he ever ended his stint as a mole, as the peak of romance. Ming and the psychologist never “do the deed.” I don’t think they even ever kiss! This is sweet, pure and sad. However, if you compare this to the passionate “we shouldn’t be doing this” type of sex between a mutually desperate Leo and the psychologist in The Departed, you’ll find another reason why I choose the love triangle of The Departed over the relationships of the Infernal Affairs trilogy any day! I prefer Damon’s take on the mole as someone who is completely sure in what he’s doing (unlike Lau’s turn in the Infernal Affairs trilogy as a conflicted villain/hero). Damon’s a bad guy, he knows it, and we know it. To see Damon subvert his hero persona created in other films is refreshing and actually makes for a more gritty and real movie in my mind. I’m given enough reason to care about the Leo/Damon stand-off because even if Damon is a villain, he’s a charming villain, one who brings you into his world, and I’m interested in what power-plays this character could have made with Nicholson out of the picture and his “hero” status in the police force still intact. Some people argue that Wahlberg’s Dignam was a completely unnecessary character, I beg to differ. In Infernal Affairs 2 and 3 there are characters who are incredibly similar to Dignam in their relationships to the other characters and the roles they ultimately play in the story: Superintendent Luk, Superintendent Yeung, and “Shadow” Shen. Once again, The Departed succeeds by condensing multiple characters into one to provide a tighter and more logical story. Also, key to the unique success of the inclusion of Dignam: Walhberg provided great comic relief as the foul-mouthed hot-head of The Departed. This kind of laugh-out-loud humor is missing from the entirety of the Infernal Affairs series. While many complain about the “Hollywood ending” of The Departed, they fail to compare it to the eventual discovery of the Ming character as the mole (and what may-as-well-have-been his death!) in Infernal Affairs 3. It’s hard to imagine anything more anti-climactic and unsatisfying. I couldn’t have cared less whether or not Ming died as he entered his final stand-off with Yeung and Shen. In contrast, the shocking exposition of violence and retribution for the murders of Leo and Sheen, achieved by the quick execution of Damon by Wahlberg in The Departed, brings about a completely satisfying sense of closure. Were I to omit Infernal Affairs 3 from this judgment of endings, and instead chose to focus solely on Infernal Affairs 1, I would be left with Ming’s survival and what seems to be his decision to begin himself anew as an honest cop. However, this still doesn’t add up to the glory that is Damon’s execution. It could be that I’m just a violence-obsessed guy, or perhaps Infernal Affairs 1 failed to convince me that turning a new leaf was a genuine possibility for the mole. Another success of The Departed that I would like to mention here is the fantastic job Scorcese does of delving into Boston, and Boston-Irish culture, especially. People accuse this film of simply being “Infernal Affairs… with White People” but that hardly does this aspect of the film justice. If you pay attention to some gems of lines from Nicholson, Damon and others about their identitiy as Boston-Irish, and how they constantly come into conflicts, both big and small, with characters who are NOT Boston-Irish, you’ll see that this isn’t just the background of the film or just an excuse for actors to put on an accent, but it is an integral part of the film itself and its message. Make no mistake, the Infernal Affairs trilogy clearly is a series of films that deals with the particularities of culture as well: there are telling interactions with people from Thailand, numerous references to Buddhism, a distrust of “mainlanders” from China, and perhaps most importantly, the changing from British colonial rule to “one nation, two systems” with China that serves as the backdrop for Infernal Affairs 2. However, it is my contention that The Departed surpassess the Infernal Affairs series in being a movie just as much about the ethnicity of its characters, the culture of it’s specific location, and its time period(s), as it is about two moles who hunt each other down and the lives they affect along the way. So, to review: Romance – The Departed Mole vs. Mole – The Departed Humor – The Departed Justice/Revenge, The End, “What goes around, comes around!” – The Departed Location, Location, Location! – The Departed Also: Honorable Mentions: Tight Pacing and Suspense – Infernal Affairs 1 Moral Ambiguity as a Theme – Infernal Affairs 2 Michael Corleone-like character – Infernal Affairs 2, Ngai One-Way Love Story – Infernal Affairs 2, Young Ming’s infatuation with Mary Criticisms of The Departed - Too long - Too many characters with too much screentime for each - The scene with Nicholson and the Chinese Triads. How are you going to so blatantly insult the nationality of the people who inspired your movie! Ex-pat Suzhou life eh? I’m an American living in Fuzhou, is that kinda close? Hahaha.

First of all, I love both The Infernal Affairs Trilogy and The Departed. But…

I prefer The Departed over the entire Infernal Affairs trilogy, and here’s why:

First of all, Ming’s Mary in Infernal Affairs 1 is an extremely annoying character. She’s an author who, shock upon shock, is writing a story about a character who cannot decide whether or not he’s a good guy! This is agonizingly self-reflexive, as Ming listens to her story, ponders his own nature (“I want to be a good guy!”) and she remains oblivious to his connections to the Triads throughout most of the first film.

I prefer the love triangle of The Departed to the side story-esque love stories of Yan and Ming in the Infernal Affairs trilogy. The love story between Yan and the psychologist adds absolutely nothing to the plot of Infernal Affairs 1 OR 3! She plays no role in the struggle between the police and the Triads. As soon as she comes on screen, you can expect loud and especially cheesy romantic music, bad acting from Kelly Chen, and a whole lot of smirking from Tony Leung. They may as well have put a big flashing “love subplot” overtitle onto each one of these scenes. In Infernal Affairs 3, this subplot is even more excruciatingly bad than in 1, as the character is brought in to expand upon a relationship that didn’t amount to much in the first place!

Furthermore, what I find ironic about the gripes of Infernal Affairs trilogy fans in regards to the love triangle of The Departed, is that in Infernal Affairs 3, the psychologist character eventually becomes the same type of link between the two moles! I’m presuming neither of them had sex with her, but both of them obviously had feelings for her and she had feelings for the both of them as well (if this isn’t true in regards to Ming, I have a hard time understanding why she and Ming were spending so much time together in 3). In her heart of hearts though, she ultimately chooses Yan over Ming; especially after learning the truth about Ming (similar to how the psychologist chose Leo over Damon in The Departed).

The psychologist character in The Departed and her connected subplot condenses the love stories of the Infernal Affairs trilogy into a much more tense and complete whole. Her connection to Damon showcases both the charm he uses to advance himself in the police force and the coldness and meanness he exudes as a mole and person in general (here, his personal life legitimately builds and expands on his public life). Her connection to Leo also shows us why he is truly worthy of being the hero of the story.

Aside from all of this male-dominated discussion in what the psychologist DOES FOR the male characters in The Departed, her affair with Leo actually gives HER character some direction, we can root for HER, she does stuff, she has a STORY, and this is what makes it great for her to find love she’s been looking for with Leo and give the “he’s the mole!” moment of truth between her and Damon some impact. The only compelling female character you can find in the Infernal Affairs trilogy is the Mary of Infernal Affairs 2. All other female characters in the Infernal Affairs series do nothing but react to the male characters.

To conclude this talk of love subplots and female characters, and their relationships with male characters, Infernal Affairs 1 and 3 offer up Ming sleeping on the psychologist’s couch and then starring, dreamy-eyed at her, thinking about what could be if he ever ended his stint as a mole, as the peak of romance. Ming and the psychologist never “do the deed.” I don’t think they even ever kiss! This is sweet, pure and sad. However, if you compare this to the passionate “we shouldn’t be doing this” type of sex between a mutually desperate Leo and the psychologist in The Departed, you’ll find another reason why I choose the love triangle of The Departed over the relationships of the Infernal Affairs trilogy any day!

I prefer Damon’s take on the mole as someone who is completely sure in what he’s doing (unlike Lau’s turn in the Infernal Affairs trilogy as a conflicted villain/hero). Damon’s a bad guy, he knows it, and we know it. To see Damon subvert his hero persona created in other films is refreshing and actually makes for a more gritty and real movie in my mind. I’m given enough reason to care about the Leo/Damon stand-off because even if Damon is a villain, he’s a charming villain, one who brings you into his world, and I’m interested in what power-plays this character could have made with Nicholson out of the picture and his “hero” status in the police force still intact.

Some people argue that Wahlberg’s Dignam was a completely unnecessary character, I beg to differ. In Infernal Affairs 2 and 3 there are characters who are incredibly similar to Dignam in their relationships to the other characters and the roles they ultimately play in the story: Superintendent Luk, Superintendent Yeung, and “Shadow” Shen. Once again, The Departed succeeds by condensing multiple characters into one to provide a tighter and more logical story. Also, key to the unique success of the inclusion of Dignam: Walhberg provided great comic relief as the foul-mouthed hot-head of The Departed. This kind of laugh-out-loud humor is missing from the entirety of the Infernal Affairs series.

While many complain about the “Hollywood ending” of The Departed, they fail to compare it to the eventual discovery of the Ming character as the mole (and what may-as-well-have-been his death!) in Infernal Affairs 3. It’s hard to imagine anything more anti-climactic and unsatisfying. I couldn’t have cared less whether or not Ming died as he entered his final stand-off with Yeung and Shen. In contrast, the shocking exposition of violence and retribution for the murders of Leo and Sheen, achieved by the quick execution of Damon by Wahlberg in The Departed, brings about a completely satisfying sense of closure.

Were I to omit Infernal Affairs 3 from this judgment of endings, and instead chose to focus solely on Infernal Affairs 1, I would be left with Ming’s survival and what seems to be his decision to begin himself anew as an honest cop. However, this still doesn’t add up to the glory that is Damon’s execution. It could be that I’m just a violence-obsessed guy, or perhaps Infernal Affairs 1 failed to convince me that turning a new leaf was a genuine possibility for the mole.

Another success of The Departed that I would like to mention here is the fantastic job Scorcese does of delving into Boston, and Boston-Irish culture, especially. People accuse this film of simply being “Infernal Affairs… with White People” but that hardly does this aspect of the film justice. If you pay attention to some gems of lines from Nicholson, Damon and others about their identitiy as Boston-Irish, and how they constantly come into conflicts, both big and small, with characters who are NOT Boston-Irish, you’ll see that this isn’t just the background of the film or just an excuse for actors to put on an accent, but it is an integral part of the film itself and its message.

Make no mistake, the Infernal Affairs trilogy clearly is a series of films that deals with the particularities of culture as well: there are telling interactions with people from Thailand, numerous references to Buddhism, a distrust of “mainlanders” from China, and perhaps most importantly, the changing from British colonial rule to “one nation, two systems” with China that serves as the backdrop for Infernal Affairs 2.

However, it is my contention that The Departed surpassess the Infernal Affairs series in being a movie just as much about the ethnicity of its characters, the culture of it’s specific location, and its time period(s), as it is about two moles who hunt each other down and the lives they affect along the way.

So, to review:

Romance – The Departed
Mole vs. Mole – The Departed
Humor – The Departed
Justice/Revenge, The End, “What goes around, comes around!” – The Departed
Location, Location, Location! – The Departed

Also:

Honorable Mentions:
Tight Pacing and Suspense – Infernal Affairs 1
Moral Ambiguity as a Theme – Infernal Affairs 2
Michael Corleone-like character – Infernal Affairs 2, Ngai
One-Way Love Story – Infernal Affairs 2, Young Ming’s infatuation with Mary

Criticisms of The Departed
- Too long
- Too many characters with too much screentime for each
- The scene with Nicholson and the Chinese Triads. How are you going to so blatantly insult the nationality of the people who inspired your movie!

]]> By: AJB http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28175 AJB Mon, 08 Mar 2010 22:30:36 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28175 Good interesting take on it. I don't think Scorsese will remake the sequels, he pulled parts of them into The Departed. I wrote a comparison of the films on my new blog too. Different conclusion, but thats opinion for you. Hope you have a chance to check it out: http://cinematheque.leithermagazine.com/2010/03/06/red-cornerblue-corner-%e2%80%93-infernal-affairs-v-the-departed/ Good interesting take on it. I don’t think Scorsese will remake the sequels, he pulled parts of them into The Departed.

I wrote a comparison of the films on my new blog too. Different conclusion, but thats opinion for you. Hope you have a chance to check it out:

http://cinematheque.leithermagazine.com/2010/03/06/red-cornerblue-corner-%e2%80%93-infernal-affairs-v-the-departed/

]]> By: Hank Pai http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28120 Hank Pai Sat, 20 Feb 2010 04:46:44 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-28120 I was trying to get the RSS Feed for your blog but it is not properly displaying in Google Chrome. Does anyone have any suggestions? I was trying to get the RSS Feed for your blog but it is not properly displaying in Google Chrome. Does anyone have any suggestions?

]]> By: watchman http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-27236 watchman Mon, 22 Jun 2009 03:00:56 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-27236 i watched both movies and IA is much better than the departed. The departed is good movie but not that good especially the acting..... really can't compare to IA . They got into a real gangster life and u can obviously understand their feeling.......................too far too compare i watched both movies and IA is much better than the departed. The departed is good movie but not that good especially the acting….. really can’t compare to IA . They got into a real gangster life and u can obviously understand their feeling…………………..too far too compare

]]> By: Ryan http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-24952 Ryan Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:42:05 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-24952 @Neko_Guy: Bit slow to the punch there. This is more than a year old. But yeah, I guess Fist Full of Dollars does suck. Of course, I'd be lying. Sounds like you had your mind made up way before watching it. @Neko_Guy: Bit slow to the punch there. This is more than a year old.

But yeah, I guess Fist Full of Dollars does suck. Of course, I’d be lying.

Sounds like you had your mind made up way before watching it.

]]> By: neko_guy http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-24951 neko_guy Mon, 31 Mar 2008 11:29:56 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-24951 dont be fucking daft -_- i watched the remake of IA and oh my god i wanted to put a bullet in my head . i watched all the american remakes of the hk and jap movies . they all suck dont be fucking daft -_- i watched the remake of IA and oh my god i wanted to put a bullet in my head . i watched all the american remakes of the hk and jap movies . they all suck

]]> By: Joy http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-3935 Joy Thu, 30 Nov 2006 01:53:43 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-3935 Ryan, I have listend to some of your songs. They are very fresh. If there were the words for them, it could be much better. Ryan,
I have listend to some of your songs. They are very fresh. If there were the words for them, it could be much better.

]]> By: Ryan http://www.ryan-mclaughlin.com/blog/farrago/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-3907 Ryan Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:01:09 +0000 http://www.thehumanaught.com/blog/2006/11/20/infernal-affairs-vs-the-departed/#comment-3907 @Inst: The ending is good. You're right that he doesn't suffer as much. As for the conflict, I certainly felt it, but I'd seen the original, so I knew what to look for - it might cause a bit of a bias. @Inst: The ending is good. You’re right that he doesn’t suffer as much. As for the conflict, I certainly felt it, but I’d seen the original, so I knew what to look for – it might cause a bit of a bias.

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