The first movie shows the two lead actors both leading double lives undercover. In the prequel, the focus shifts to the antagonism between detective Wong and Sam Hung. That is, the acting contest between Andy Lau and Tony Leung this time moves to Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang.
Wong shows his dark side as he breaks the law and tries to instigate triad members to kill their bosses. Anthony Wong here excellently illustrates a complex and conflicted police officer, filled with guilt, frustration and cynicism, yet still holding out hope for justice being carried out in the end. However in this game between bad guys and good guys, he knows he will lose. The scheming Ngai ultimately begins his massacre four years later.
Infernal Affairs II spares us the massive gun battles seen in so many Hong Kong films. Instead, there are just cold-blooded murders in quiet lanes, market streets and outdoor eateries.
The movie recruited many of the top talents of the Hong Kong film industry, including director and cinematographer Andrew Lau (劉偉強), scriptwriter Alan Mak (麥兆輝), editors Danny and Oxide Pang (co-director of best-selling movie The Eye) and visual consultant Christopher Doyle. This concentration of talent should indicate that Hong Kong filmmakers have united to create an Infernal Affairs phenomena to signal a revival of the city's film industry.
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