At the end of 2002, there were two blockbuster "myths" in the Chinese film industry. One was the myth of "Heroes" written by mainland director Zhang Yimou, and the other was the "hero" by Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Zeng Zhiwei, and Huang Qiusheng. " of the "super rescue movie" myth. "Infernal Affairs" was released in Hong Kong for a week, and the box office exceeded 20 million Hong Kong dollars, and the total box office in Hong Kong also exceeded 50 million Hong Kong dollars, which injected a boost to the then weak Hong Kong film industry. Hong Kong's "Economic Daily", "Ming Pao" and other media have commented, saying that it has found a new way for Hong Kong films.
Since the transformation of Hong Kong films in the second half of the 1960s, through the development of the 1970s and 1980s, it reached its peak in the first half of the 1990s. However, since then, Hong Kong films have been booming and declining, and they have been in a downward trend until the beginning of this century. The reasons for the landslide are of course multi-faceted, but the lack of creative innovation is the main factor behind the weakness of Hong Kong films. "Infernal Affairs" is an innovative work in this context.
The most innovative performance of this film is the deepening of Hong Kong-style humanistic concepts. Hong Kong films are unique with their star-based genre routes, extreme expression techniques, and "Hong Kong-style" entertainment aesthetics such as emphasis on details and fast rhythm, but the "Hong Kong-style humanistic concept" deeply hidden in entertainment is what makes Hong Kong film lengthy. The inner power of prosperity is also the core of "Hong Kong flavor" entertainment aesthetics. The film "Infernal Affairs" adheres to this fine tradition and develops the unique humanistic spirit of Hong Kong films to a new stage. The film seems to be telling a story of a policeman and a gangster fighting for wits and courage, but in fact it describes the inner world of contradictions, hesitation and helplessness between two undercover "undercover agents" with dislocated identities, deepening the expression of Hong Kong-style humanistic concepts to a new height.
The Hong Kong-style humanistic concept has gone through four periods of evolution. Before the mid-1960s, Hong Kong culture was superimposed on the traditional Central Plains culture, and its films also reflected this cultural feature, that is, emphasizing the awareness of carrying the Tao. Humanistic concern is more of "group concern". The characters in the film mostly appear in symbolic images, with the typical characteristics of a certain type of characters, reflecting a certain didactic meaning. For example, in the film "Dangerous Buildings and Spring Dawn" (1953), many neighbors work together to face the difficulties and hardships in life, which reflects the spiritual realm of Hong Kong people to help each other. Another example is "Parent Heart" (1960) and the typical traditional family relationship in the old "Once Upon a Time" series of films, all of which have the group symbol characteristics of humanistic care in this period. In the late 1960s, with the gradual establishment of Hong Kong's local culture, its films also began to transform into entertainment, and the humanistic concept transitioned from group attention to "individual care". The comedy and "Fu Xing" series of works all reflect the distinctive personal characteristics and ideological expression. From the mid-1980s to the late 1990s, "brotherhood" became the main artistic feature of Hong Kong-style humanistic care. It is worth noting that the previous male love films directed by Zhang Che, "Vengeance" (1970), "New One-Armed Swordsman" (1971), etc. have been cared for by brotherhood, but the brotherhood at this time was based on traditional moral values. The incarnation of the "image of justice" on the After entering the mid-1980s, "The True Color of Heroes" directed by John Woo and many subsequent "hero"-themed films made the description of brotherhood jump out of the stereotype of traditional morality and more directly focus on "personal individuality". "Starting with "human emotion" itself, it expands the depth of humanistic care to a new level.
"Infernal Affairs" and its subsequent films have entered a higher stage of Hong Kong-style humanistic care, that is, focusing on the more complex psychological description of "sandwich people", which makes the expression of Hong Kong-style humanistic concepts through images to a higher level. Such changes are also the result of social and cultural changes in Hong Kong. Since the 1980s, Hong Kong has gradually moved towards a modern society. The rapid economic development has made Hong Kong one of the "Four Asian Tigers", and Hong Kong people's sense of identity and superiority to their own identity and local culture has been enhanced. Awareness and sense of belonging in Hong Kong. On the other hand, the negotiation between China and the UK on the Hong Kong issue and the initial signing of relevant agreements have caused most Hong Kong people to suffer from serious "identity anxiety". Surviving in the cracks has become a problem that every Hong Konger has to face. "Infernal Affairs" focuses on the actual living conditions of Hong Kong people, alluding to the unique "sandwich man" complex of ordinary people in Hong Kong about the uncertainty of their own identity. Because of this, the film received a good response from both the box office and word of mouth once it was released.
In order to further reflect the psychological state of the "sandwich man", the film shifts the focus from the description of the underworld events to the inner world of the undercover characters. Chen Yongren and Liu Jianming could not choose their fate from beginning to end. As undercover agents, they could only obtain information step by step according to the requirements of their superiors, and struggle to survive in the cracks. Their outstanding work ability and resolute behavior have been recognized by their superiors. Chen Yongren became the right-hand man of Han Chen, the triad leader of the triad organization within three years, and Liu Jianming was also promoted to sheriff within seven years of graduating from the police academy. Just imagine that if the two did not shoulder the mission of "sandwich people", they were classmates and friends of the police academy from the beginning, and maybe they could become their ideal figures in the future. But the creations make people, just as the title of the film "Infernal Affairs" says, they can only stick to their original destiny and promise, go on without hesitation, bear the pain and depression brought by the loss of identity alone, and can't turn back. Liu Jianming's fiancée once said that she wanted to create a male protagonist with 28 personalities in her new novel. She would act with herself every morning when she woke up, and she couldn't tell whether she was a good person or a bad person in the end. This is actually what Liu Jianming wanted to be an undercover agent at the police station. Due to his special status, he can always obtain reliable information on criminals in advance during his tenure, and has made a lot of credit for the police. Liu Jianming was exhausted by his repeated identity dislocations. He really wanted to get rid of this bottomless life status quo, destroy everything in the past, and choose to be a good policeman again. Chen Yongren's ten-year undercover career in the underworld has even tasted the hardships of life. He is often taken to the police station for questioning, attacked by gangsters on the street, and even his boss, Police Officer Ye, was unable to come to see him off at the funeral. He longed for the re-confirmation of police identity and the return of normal life, but the death of Officer Huang meant that no one knew of Chen Yongren's police identity. His resulting despair, chaos, and negative attitude forced him to choose to cooperate with Liu Jianming. , as long as he can get confirmation of his identity, he is willing to take risks. The film's description of the psychology of the two undercover agents is delicate and true. The contradiction between perseverance and fragility in Chen Yongren's character is expressed in details, which makes the character break away from the heroic righteousness and look very vivid; Liu Jianming's selfishness, ruthlessness and resourcefulness, through his choice The psychological transformation from the standpoint of good and evil is fully revealed, and his choice is not only a rebellion against the underworld and a yearning for justice, but a choice that is most beneficial to him from a rational perspective. More importantly, the situation of the two as "undercover" is very similar to that of the Hong Kong people at that time. Ordinary Hong Kong people live in daily life. Although there is no fear of life in life, the intense pace of life and work, the sense of loss of identity between traditional culture and foreign culture, and the social atmosphere full of competitive pressure have already made Hong Kong people exhausted. At this time, they are more eager for the care and tolerance from their mothers, get psychological relief, and then get rid of the long-term and inexplicable fear caused by work, life, and social pressure. Therefore, in the process of advancing the story, the film leaves the living conditions of the "sandwich man" to the audience's own experience, and through the encounters of the characters in the film externalizes the deep psychological states such as the "lost identity" shared by Hong Kong people at that time, which resonates. .
Through mature film language, the film aims the camera at the psychological state of the "sandwich man" from the aspects of picture, rhythm, sound effects, etc., and guides the audience to appreciate the spiritual complexity of the characters through the external viewing experience. A scene of confrontation on the rooftop reflects the unique oriental aesthetics in the visual effects of the film. Liu Jianming came to negotiate with Chen Yongren as a policeman. The camera did not point directly at Liu Jianming. On the screen was a distorted image of Liu Jianming on the glass on the opposite roof. The roof was hot and the characters were anxious. Immediately after, a long-range shot not only made most of the rooftops into the painting, but also gave an unobstructed view of the distant port and the buildings on the opposite mountain, showing the insignificance and loneliness of the characters. From the long shot and the middle shot to the close-up of the characters' facial expressions, Liu Jianming's tension and struggle are shown with great tension in the four shots. Then, a close-up with a gun in his hand introduced Chen Yongren, resulting in a confrontation between the two heroes. Since then, the camera has stayed on the close-up or close-up of the confrontation between the two. When Chen Yongren took off Liu Jianming's gun and handcuffed his hands, Liu Jianming's expression became more relaxed. He began to use psychological tactics that he was very good at, trying to make Chen Yongren give him a chance to reform. The two most exciting dialogues of the characters appear here. Chen Yongren couldn't accept Liu Jianming's conditions and said to him: "I'm sorry, I'm a policeman." Liu Jianming immediately answered: "Who knows?" The previous panoramic shot with a much larger perspective not only integrated the rooftop into the painting, but also a glimpse of Hong Kong, the Lion Rock behind the city, the port ships and the gray sky. It is almost difficult to find the position of the characters in the picture. . This shot presents Chen Yongren's state of despair, loneliness, contradiction and almost collapsed mentality to the audience with a unique "blank" oriental aesthetic technique, and at the same time shows the film's emotional care for the characters in "Identity Lost". Expressed incisively and vividly with depth. From the soundtrack, the film skillfully integrates a variety of musical styles, and the opening music with a strong Buddhist atmosphere arouses the audience's thinking about fate, reincarnation and the meaning of "infinity"; The love song not only subtly intersects the life trajectories of the characters, but also becomes an indispensable means for the smooth narrative of the film; "Amazing Grace" played when Officer Huang and Chen Yongren died, implanted the propositions of redemption and original sin in Christianity. in the film. The many silent settings in the film also make the rhythm of the film more distinct, and the musical transformation from the external rhythm to the character's inner monologue makes the character's inner world fuller. In terms of editing, the viewpoints of the two characters are clear and lively, which is convenient for the audience to understand the film and the emotional changes of the characters.
In addition, the innovation of "Infernal Affairs" lies in the reintegration of genre elements. The film’s narrative incorporates many classic genre elements from Hong Kong movies, including genre elements from gangster hero films like The True Color of Heroes (1986) and Dragon Tiger (1987), as well as those from The Lame Man (1987). 1991), "God of Gamblers" (1989) and other "heroic films", more like "Dark War" (1999), "Gunfire" (1999) and other genre elements in the film based on gunfights, There are also genre elements in "Young and Dangerous" movies such as "Young and Dangerous Men in Jianghu" (1996) and "Mong Kok" (1996). However, the film does not stop at the simple repetition and patchwork of the above-mentioned types, and chooses to reintegrate these elements, which is a comprehensive innovation.
Liu Weiqiang, one of the film directors, started his career as a photographer and has made outstanding Hong Kong films such as "Dragon Tiger" (1987), "Mong Kok Carmen" (1988), "The Legend of 500 Million Inspector Lei Luo I: Thunder Tiger" (1991). . He began directing films independently in the early 1990s, and took on the task of saving the market with the "Young and Dangerous" series of films in the second half of the 1990s. Since then, Liu Weiqiang has filmed a number of ancient costume martial arts films adapted from comics, including "Wind and Cloud: Domination of the World" (1998), "Chinese Heroes" (1999), "Decisive Battle at the Top of the Forbidden City" (2000) and so on. The "Infernal Affairs" series and subsequent films such as "The Wounded City" (2006), which he directed, focus on the deep expression of the characters' inner worlds, reflecting Liu Weiqiang's shift from purely commercial to aesthetics that takes into account both humanities and art. Another director of the film, Mak Siu-fai, who is also one of the screenwriters of the film, and another screenwriter, Zhuang Wenqiang, can be regarded as the golden partners of Hong Kong police and bandit films, and they are still the backbone of the Hong Kong film industry. After the "Infernal Affairs" series, they co-wrote "The Wounded City" (2006), "Eavesdropping" (2009) and other films. The creative techniques and film styles are influenced by "Infernal Affairs", and they dig deeper with black and cold brushstrokes. The spiritual world of the characters is full of humanistic care with unique Hong Kong-style characteristics.
The last two parts of the "Infernal Affairs" series, "Infernal Affairs II" and "Infernal Affairs III Ultimate Infernal Affairs", maintain the humanistic depth of the first part, and focus on the relationship between human psychology and emotion in a specific modern social environment. Hesitant and lost, to inspire everyone to think about propositions such as money, status and truth. The series is also dedicated to the exploration and integration of genre aesthetics, introducing many genre elements from modern Hong Kong action films such as gunfights, heroes, police and bandits, and has the aesthetic characteristics and entertainment value of composite genre films. In addition, many excellent works such as "Crouching Tiger" (2006), "Disciple" (2007), "Eavesdropping on the Wind and Cloud" appeared after this series of films, and the perspective of humanistic care has also been placed more on "sandwich man" and "sandwich man". In the psychological exploration of "undercover", he has achieved good artistic and commercial achievements, which are inseparable from the successful experience of the "Infernal Affairs" series of films.
View more about Infernal Affairs reviews
