Does in 101 minutes what took The Departed took 151. Pacing is crucial to a thriller and Infernal Affairs gets it spot on, the Departed is saggy by comparison. I prefer this versions ending as well.

Without this film, there would be no "The Departed": thank you! Well executed.

An excellent well-paced thriller. Much better than the Scorsese remark, "The Departed."

What "The Departed" is based off of, and fails to do justice to.

In this particular case, the original is nowhere near as good as the remake. Infernal Affairs is interesting and action-packed, but has very average writing and acting and a conservative style. It is valuable mainly for the spark that Scorsese saw here which inspired him to make the superior The Departed.

Solid and original plot which served as the foundation for Scorsese's remake. The characters in this are all complexly written and pretty well acted. It also requires the audience to pay attention to the small details inherent in the film such as the Buddhist iconography and character quirks. There are a few inconsequential weak points and the soundtrack wasn't all that great but overall it's still one of the best crime dramas to come out of Hong Kong.

For me it didn't live up to its hype. I found the narrative structure unnecessarily confusing, mostly because of very fast pacing. Story, however is interesting and original. Both Hollywood and Bollywood made their own versions of this film, so that's something. Besides pacing and structure that I didn't exactly loved, technical side of this film is very good. Most of the best Hong Kong movie industry individuals were involved in the making of this film, and that shows.

Extremly stylish, fast paced and intense. Gets a little confusing in the beginning as it throws you right into the action but holds the suspense from start to finish.

Very Good. A tense game of treachery and loyalty between two pawns at opposite ends of the law. This is signature great Korean cinema with a unique plot and positively refreshing execution. The inspiration for Scorcese's "The Departed", it makes you wonder why the much inferior remake won the Oscar. Even if you've seen the remake, watch this because there's no substitute for an original idea. Highly Recommended.

Saw this after seeing the Departed and have to say this is without a doubt the better film. Is very tight and doesn't have the bloat that Scorcese tacked on. More importantly, several dramatic scenes work here that end up being hilarious in the Departed. Great cop film here, very much worth seeing whether or not you've seen its American counterpart.

It is almost impossible to talk about this movie without mentioning The Departed (Scorsese), which is not a masterpiece, but it's a very great movie, and is better directed, less confusing and mostly have stronger characters and better developed than this one. Still, this movie is fun and worth a look.