Infernal Affairs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Infernal Affairs - Essay Example Plot Synopsis Infernal Affairs involves the story of the two main characters, Chan and Lau, who are both connected to the Hong Kong triad and who both enlisted to the cadet academy. The story opens with the introduction of Hon as the triad’s leader who sends his recruits to a police academy to serve as a mole or spy in espionage language. The main characters, Chan and Lau, join the academy, but the former was expelled despite displaying a remarkable wit in the institution. Chan permanently joined the triad, while Lau entered the police force and performed excellently. The highlight of the movie reveals when police superintendent Wong led an operation intercepting the cocaine deal of the triad. The information of the cocaine deal came from Chan, who later in the film was revealed as having communication with Superintendent Wong. Lau, on one hand, sends a message to Hon regarding the operation using Morse codes. The operation yields Hon’s determination to win over Wong. T he story goes on with Lau’s dilemma over his allegiance to both the police force and to his role as a mole of the triad. ... Everything went okay between the two, when Chan discovered that Lau is the mole he is looking for. The tragic ending came when Chan was killed by Inspector B, a mole as well who equally feeds the gang with insider information. In the end, Chan is revealed as an undercover officer while Lau gives a salute to Chan in his funeral, and vows to forget his negative past and be a good cop. Themes The theme of the movie mainly revolves around a duality of character among individual actors that are cloaked around a web of deceit, pretension and lies. As the movie progresses, the director was able to convey the central theme using many ways, such as the multiple personality of characters introduced in the novel currently written by Lau’s girlfriend and the mystery as to what the real persona of the main characters is. Furthermore, the mystery unfolds as the movie creatively and suspensely depicts how the lives of the two main characters are tangled, and how living in lies became gradual ly their reality. In the words of Ebert (par. 9), pretension and lies as themes would not be enough justifications to watch the film; rather, the mind and conscience-provoking question as to how living in a persona that is totally different from the real person could be possible. In the end, it is just a matter of reclaiming the real self by spilling the beans, telling the truth, and facing the consequences, no matter how undesirable the outcome may be. Visual Elements: Angling and Shots, Lighting, Costumes and Set Locations Infernal Affairs really deserves an A when it comes to cinematography. In fact, a lot of movie critics are all-praised when it comes to the crispness of the shots, the