This review contains major spoilers of Infernal Affairs (2002) vs The Departed (2006). Directed by Andrew Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak Siu-fai from a script by Mak and Felix Chong Man-keung, Infernal Affairs was released in 2002 to near-universal acclaim. A nervy Hong Kong thriller with an ingenious central conceit, it tells the story of two moles: undercover officer Chan ( Tony Leung Chiu-wai ) who has infiltrated the triads, and triad member Lau ( Andy Lau Tak-wah ) who works for the police. As their paths cross and clash, the film repeatedly blurs the line between cops and robbers, doubling the tension at every turn. Starring an array of Hong Kong legends, including Eric Tsang Chi-wai as Lau’s boss, and Anthony Wong Chau-sang as Chan’s superior, the film wastes no time in setting up its premise. Indeed, the first scene shows Tsang’s crime lord Hon Sam in the gilded calm of a Buddhist temple wishing his new gang members (including young Lau, played by Edison Chen Koon-hei ) luck in the police force. From here, the set pieces come thick and fast, with both leads trying to maintain their cover and stay alive while dealing with double lives, dodgy technology and their own metaphysical angst. Mostly, this involves standing on rooftops shouting and shooting people in lifts, although the scene in which our two heroes meet in a stereo shop is, by contrast, surprisingly chilled. While not without its cheesy moments, what Infernal Affairs captures so well is the jittery energy of a divided city, where everyone lives a double life or works two jobs just to get by. At the 2003 Hong Kong Film Awards, the film won seven out of its 16 nominations, and was followed by a prequel and a sequel (both 2003). Neither, however, upped the ante the way Martin Scorsese’s 2006 remake would. Transplanted to Boston, a US city of deep class anxieties and even deeper Catholic guilt, The Departed stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan (the equivalent to Tony Leung’s undercover policeman) and Matt Damon as Colin Sullivan (stepping into the shoes of Andy Lau’s dirty cop). Besides providing Damon with a rare villainous role, William Monahan’s knotty script invests much more time in its secondary characters, who bring a larger-than-life, almost cartoony aspect to the proceedings. As Irish mob boss Frank Costello, Jack Nicholson is an enormous presence: perpetually amused, profane and so in control of the narrative that he even gets the opening voice-over: “I don’t want to be a product of my environment. I want my environment to be a product of me,” he boasts. Yet this isn’t really a film about determinism, it’s a dick-swinging contest between some of the best actors in the business. Nicholson’s character is so hyper-masculine he wields a huge black dildo, Sullivan is impotent and Costigan is asked, “What, do you got your period?” when he orders a cranberry juice at the bar. Somehow, Mark Wahlberg’s perpetually furious Sergeant Dignam (sample dialogue: “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe f**k yourself.”) almost walks off with the film. Full credit to Vera Farmiga for holding her own as the police psychiatrist torn between sensible but distant Sullivan and sexy but damaged Costigan. The only other women featured are nuns and prostitutes – perhaps Scorsese/Monahan should tell that to their therapists. When The Departed won four Academy Awards, including Scorsese’s first ever best director Oscar, it came as something of a shock because Oscars best pictures aren’t usually this much fun. But if The Departed has one major flaw, it’s that it only ever feels like a movie, albeit an excellent one. Infernal Affairs , despite its flaws, always feels real. It is almost unheard of that two equally good films spring from the same source, complementing and commenting on each other, yet that’s what has happened here. One’s small and intimate, the other brash and expansive. Watch Infernal Affairs and The Departed back to back, and you have the perfect double bill. In this monthly feature series exploring Asia’s impact on international cinema, we examine how the continent’s directors have fared in Hollywood, whether its most popular films survived the remake process – and at what cost. Want more articles like this? Follow SCMP Film on Facebook