Infernal Affairs (request for dvd review)

[tinlunlau]

although, i have the 2 disc set dvd of this movie myself, i'd like to hear a more thorough review of the DVD. here's what i initially thought about the DVD.

Synopsis: Recruited at a young age, Ming (Andy Lau, "Drunken Master 2") has infiltrated the police force and has gained many accomplishments as a police officer. However, the fact remains is that he is a mole working for a crime boss named Sam Hong (Eric Tsang). On the other hand, Sam's most trusted henchmen, Yan (Tony Leung, "In The Mood For Love") is also a mole sent by the Hong Kong Police. When the 2 organization collide, they slow discover that there is a mole among them. Will Yan find the mole infiltrating the police first or will Ming find Yan?


Video: I don't have a good TV to view it on but i have tried it out on my friend's widescreen TV. it is truly anamorphic, 19:6. however, after comparing the VCD to the DVD on my regular 20 inch tv, i have noticed that the DVD has a little bit of pixels although not as bad as the VCD.

Audio: This offers a cantonese 5.1, a cantonese DTS track and a mandarin 5.1, with the addition of an audio commentary (not subtitled, sadly for english speaking viewers. the stereo sound is very good and does justice with the grim music and setting this movie provides. the commentary consists of sound clips from interviews (also provided in the making of presentation). the directors know very well of the emphasis of the movie and the morals they try to reach in the movie. the actors seem to only talk about their roles. however, it is most unfortunate that the directors didn't discuss the 2 endings.

Extras: disc 1 featured a commentary and an alternative ending which was filmed for the mainland china market and malaysian market. disc 2 features a text summary of the movie, cast & crew info, a photo gallery (of posters, and promotional products during the release of the movie), a making of presentation (unsubbed), the "confidential file" (an unnarrated video presentation with behind the scenes footage), 2 music videos, and trailers to "Infernal Affairs" and other coming attractions (including the french film "He loves me, he loves not" starring the actress from "Amelie". There is even a hidden easter egg in disc 2!

[harosa]

I picked this up also and loved the movie as I thought it approached the usual cop/mob story in a different and subdued way instead of reverting to the usual shootout. The DVD is great and i think its a nice trend for HK movies to start having Special Editions released as opposed to the usual bare bones discs that come out, just a shame that the special features are not subtitled but then agin these are HK editions so beggars cant be choosy. The Touch and Volcano High have nice 2 disc sets also.

[tinlunlau]

ugh.....i hated "the touch". i havne't checked out the DVD yet, tho, as i've just started my dvd collection up until recently. i can't wait for the upcoming "Infernal affairs" prequel and the Brad Pitt remake version (hard to say this but Brad Pitt's really not that bad as an actor). I'll probably end up buying the entire "Infernal Affairs" trilogy when they come on DVD. Good thing i speak cantonese and able to understand what the extras are talking about. but basically, the interviews just keep going on and on about their characters. i'm planning on a translation of the making of the movie soon. but don't expect me translating the commentary. that's like suicide for me! :P

"Golden Chicken" has a very good 2 disc set DVD. the colors are vibrant and the audio is very good. however, it's completely letterboxed. some of the words are missing too. (the scenes where they introduce a certain character with words on the screen) being able to read chinese, it does kinda distract me from enjoying it. i'm going to try watching that scene on my friend's widescreen TV and see if i can see those words perfectly with the anamorphic display and all..

[harosa]

The Touch was really bad, i know, just mentioning that it has a nice 2 disc set though, but the movie did really have some of the most horrid fx and i dont see Miramax releasing it over here, as is evident by them pushing the release date even further away.

[tinlunlau]

hahaha! i have doubts for a sequel for 'the touch' too!
can't wait to see the next batch of 2 disc dvd sets from hong kong.

[tofu]

The Touch sucked. I can't believe that I have this DVD

As for Internal Affairs, I thought that it was a great movie. I know that the good cop befriending bad guy theme has been done to death in HK movies, I still thought that the approach and the way that they handled the relationship between Ming and Yan was pretty interesting. I also thought that Sammi Cheng was very underused in the movie but then again, when it comes to Sammi, I'm a little biased. :D

I didn't know that they were thinking of remaking it with Brad Pitt? Is that in production right now?

I haven't gotten through all of the extras on the second disk but it's really nice to actually have an HK disc with real extras instead of just cast information.

[tinlunlau]

i honestly expected more easter eggs on the 2nd disc of "Infernal Affairs". yeah...seeing bloopers is great and seeing the actors space out for an entire minute can amuse at times...but 10 minutes worth of bloopers probably too much.. i woulda wanted to see Media Asia include deleted scenes.

btw, u know the guy who played Bob in "The Touch"? is that Party Guy from "Jackass"?

[tofu]

Originally posted by tinlunlau
btw, u know the guy who played Bob in "The Touch"? is that Party Guy from "Jackass"?
no, i don't think that's him. Party guy is Chris Pontius IIRC

[tinlunlau]

Originally posted by tofu
no, i don't think that's him. Party guy is Chris Pontius IIRC

then, who was Bob?

[gabegarwick]

Originally posted by tinlunlau
then, who was Bob?

Dane Cook (http://us.imdb.com/Name?Cook,%20Dane)
(IMDB knows all!) :p

[tinlunlau]

Originally posted by gabegarwick
Dane Cook (http://us.imdb.com/Name?Cook,%20Dane)
(IMDB knows all!) :p

:D

thanks...
btw, a little off-topic. but i'm trying to find a region code hack for a Yamaha DVD S795 so i can play "Hero" (HK Edko version) on his DVD player in DTS (although he told me that he doesn't have the set up for DTS-es). Do you know a site where i can search for the hack code?