--- title: "Infernal Affairs: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs" critics_score: 82 critics_reviews: 17 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Infernal Affairs (2002): what the critics said Critics' score 82 from 17 reviews: 16 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. With only 4 reviews in so far, the consensus is uniformly positive, with praise centred on the dual-mole plot, controlled suspense and performances, particularly Tony Leung’s. The reviews find substance beneath the polished surfaces: careful writing and rich characterisation give the thriller’s intricate plotting emotional weight. Energetic camerawork and sharp editing also draw approval, supporting the tension rather than merely decorating it. There is little disagreement or explicit reservation in this sample; the main difference is emphasis, with some critics drawn to its youthful energy and others to its psychological depth. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 23 December 2004. The film excels due to the emotional complexity and inner turmoil of its two leads living double lives as moles. The critic highlights the ironic, sad confrontation with their true identities and the performances that convey this tension. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/infernal-affairs-2004) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 February 2003. A smart, cleverly written and energetically directed Hong Kong action thriller with twists that should travel well internationally; superbly shot and edited with ideal leads in Andy Lau and Tony Leung and a skilful script full of parallels and tension. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/infernal-affairs/4012260.article) ## Sight and Sound — Tony Rayns Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2004. The film is a sophisticated, densely plotted high-gloss thriller with moral and psychological complexity far beyond standard Hong Kong fare, featuring strong performances especially from Tony Leung and Andy Lau and a sleek, steely visual style. [Read the review](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/29) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 6 December 2004. The critic calls the film brilliantly executed and highlights its focus on the psychological toll of undercover work and deception rather than action. It notes the directors' skill at building paranoid tension through editing and atmosphere while keeping viewers in the dark. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/infernal-affairs-1798200226) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 February 2004. The critic calls it a gripping thriller with grandstanding drama, muscle-clenching suspense and two great leads. He singles out its combination of exhilarating action with liquid-nitrogen existential cool and the complex cat-and-mouse paranoia. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/feb/27/dvdreviews.shopping1) ## The New York Times — Elvis Mitchell Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 27 March 2003. Festival review. The film is a beautifully shot stripped-down noir about two detectives leading undercover lives whose intricate story of loyalty and betrayal is well-told and tense. It signals a new era for Hong Kong filmmaking with its mean-streets crispness and vibrating terseness. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/27/movies/27AFFA.html) ## Time Out — TR Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. This huge domestic hit improves on prior HK undercover-cop films by twinning the moles and generating genuine suspense through careful plotting and rich characterisations, with standout work from Leung as a man on the edge and sleek mise-en-scène. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/infernal-affairs) ## Variety Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 16 January 2003. This high-concept riveting police drama holds the audience in a vice-like grip with its dark claustrophobic narrative and emotionally powerful climax, excelling at script and performance levels with character taking precedence over action. It is easily the most powerful movie from the territory in a long while and superbly honed. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/infernal-affairs-1200544065/) ## Evening Standard — Antonia Quirke Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic praises the film's rapid, vulnerable and youthful energy that makes it feel epic, along with Tony Leung's magnificent lead performance. It is described as more than a typical triad film with an arty sheen. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/no-time-to-blink-7437922.html) ## Empire — Miles Fielder Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). The critic finds this super-stylish Asian crime thriller has gloss as well as depth and should reach beyond arthouse audiences. The film's complex dual-mole plot and energetic camerawork are highlighted as strengths. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/infernal-affairs-review/) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 3 March 2023. The critic describes the film's intricate mole-on-mole plot involving undercover cops and praises its visual emphasis on Hong Kong as a setting rife with betrayal and double-crossing. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/infernal-affairs) ## The Times — Wendy Ide Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 26 February 2004. The critic describes Infernal Affairs as a superior Hong Kong action movie driven by throbbing urban energy and references to ancient Chinese philosophy. They single out the yin-and-yang premise of the two moles for praise while noting that excessive slow motion and flashbacks slightly let it down. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/asia-travel/hong-kong/infernal-affairs-7zzfxkh68h6) ## Los Angeles Times — Kevin Crust Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2004. The taut crime thriller glides along like a buffed-out muscle car with sleek surfaces and neon highlights, relying on psychology and performances by Tony Leung and Andy Lau rather than action to create tension. It is a solid, twist-filled 70s-style thriller whose success rides on the leads internalizing the good-cop bad-cop ethos. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-07-et-infernal7-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Ed Gonzalez Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 10 June 2004. The review praises the first film's restless camerawork, editing, and tense sequences built around gadgets and communication rather than character drama. It finds the sequels overstuffed, melodramatic, and unnecessary by comparison. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/infernal-affairs-i-ii-and-iii/) ## Collider — Andre Dellamorte Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 December 2011. The film realizes its brilliant premise of a cop pretending to be a criminal and a criminal pretending to be a cop facing off. It is expertly staged and directed with a great ending, building on a lightning quick genre sensibility where claustrophobia is key. [Read the review](https://collider.com/cop-land-confessions-dangerous-mind-infernal-affairs-blu-ray-review/) ## Eye for Film — David Haviland Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 2 February 2004. The critic praises this lean, gripping psychological thriller about two moles (one police, one triad) as an instant classic of the genre and the most exciting policier in years. They single out the complex characters, difficult choices, fine writing, and the cast's performances for particular praise. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/infernal-affairs-film-review-by-david-haviland) ## Den of Geek — Joseph Ewens Rating 4/5. 19 January 2011. The critic views the original 2002 film as a modern classic with a snappier, more coherent story than its Hollywood remake, highlighting its gripping premise of undercover moles and profound moral questions about corruption and identity. Excellent lead performances by Andy Lau and Tony Leung are singled out for praise, with the sequels deemed solid but lesser. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/infernal-affairs-trilogy-blu-ray-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/infernal-affairs.md