Infernal Affairs

PART 01 PART 02 PART 03 PART 04 PART 05 PART 06 PART 07 PART 08 PART 09 PART 10 PART 11 PART 12

Plot

Infernal Affairs is about a cop named Chan Wing-Yan, who goes deep undercover into the Triad, and Triad member Lau Kin-Ming, who infiltrates the police department. Each mole was planted by the rival organization to gain an advantage in intelligence over the other side. The more the moles become involved in their undercover lives, the more issues they have to cope with.

The film begins after Yan and Ming converse at a hi-fi store where Yan works, neither of them knowing who the other is. A deal between Triad boss Hon Sam and a Thai cocaine dealer is interrupted by Superintendent Wong and his team due to Yan's tip-off using Morse Code. However, Ming alerted Sam of the bust with enough time for Sam to order his minions to dispose of the cocaine so the police would not have any real evidence on their hands. Now Wong and Sam realize that they each have moles within their respective organizations, putting them in a race against time to root out the other mole.

Later, Sam converses with Ming at a Cinema with Yan watching them. As Sam and Ming leaves, Yan tries to follow Ming but unfortunately his phone rings and he is forced to back off, thus losing his chance to bring Ming into the police department.

At the same time, Yan and Ming are both struggling with their double identity. Yan was starting to lose faith in himself as a cop after being a gangster for ten years; while Ming, on the other hand, becomes more and more used to the life of a righteous police officer and wants to erase his criminal background.

Later Yan meets SP Wong a second time on the same rooftop unaware that Ming has CIB Inspector B and his team tracking him down. Sam sends Keung, Del Piero and a gang of henchmen to confront him. Inspector B informs Ming and sends an OCTB squad to attempt to save Wong. Yan eventually escapes the building by taking the crane but Wong is caught by Del Piero and thrown off the roof. As Yan is about to escape, he witnesses Wong fall to his death, and is stunned. As the police close in, Keung, unaware that Yan had a meeting with Wong, evacuates him while a shootout between the police and Triads breaks out, resulting in the death of 3 Triads, one of whom is Del Piero. As Keung drives away with Yan, he crashes the car, finding that he himself is wounded from the gun battle, and dies in Yan's arms.

Eventually, Ming retrieves Wong's old phone and makes contact with Yan, and together they foil a triad drug-deal and eventually kill Sam. Everything seems to work according to the plan: Yan could now return to his true identity as a police officer and Ming has successfully erased his criminal connections by eradicating Sam and his gangs. However, back at the police station, Yan discovers Ming was the mole, and leaves immediately. Ming realises what has happened, and erases Yan's identity from the police computer records. Yan spends an evening with his therapist, who he was falling in love with, and sends a compact disc to Ming's wife with a recording that Sam kept between himself and Ming. The two agree to meet on the rooftop of the building where Wong was murdered earlier. Yan manages to disarm Ming and holds a gun to his head. Another police officer arrives on the scene shortly afterwards and threatens Yan.

The film ends with Yan entering a lift backwards with Ming hostage, when he is suddenly shot in the head and killed by the other police officer as he moved his head from behind Ming. The other police officer who was Inspector B reveals that he was also a mole for the triads. He asks Ming for future protection and benefits since he is the only one who knows his true identity. As he and Ming enter the lift going down to the lobby, Ming shoots him dead thus ensuring his identity remains a secret.

The original ending climaxes with Ming identifying himself to the police as an officer, and paying homage to Yan at his funeral, where he is buried next to Superintendent Wong. A flashback reaffirms the point that Ming wished he had taken a different route in his life.

An alternate ending of Infernal Affairs was created for mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore. The alternate ending has Ming exit the lift to be informed that the police force have found evidence that he was a mole. He hands them his badge and is arrested without protest. This ending was meant to please mainland officials by affirming that crime does not pay. Versions of the DVD of the film may have one or both endings (from wikipedia).