Alan Mak Siu-Fai makes the effort of looking trustworthy feel dangerous. We rate his precise crime storytelling highly, with Infernal Affairs the clearest case for it, though the script sometimes makes its parallels too tidy.
Fi1m perspective
In Infernal Affairs (2002), getting information to the right person can be as dangerous as obtaining it. A policeman inside a criminal organisation and a criminal inside the police must each be helpful without giving themselves away. Alan Mak Siu-Fai and co-director Andrew Lau Wai-Keung keep us watching the effort that takes, rather than treating concealment as a convenient premise. We held our breath during the exchanges of information because every successful message risked exposing its sender.
Mak's screenplay with Felix Chong Man-Keung ties the two men's jobs together: a gain for one puts the other in trouble. Danny Pang Phat and Curran Pang's editing keeps those competing efforts clear without making the next move obvious. The directors give Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai room to make the strain personal. Occasionally the parallels are too tidy, and we become aware of how carefully the two lives have been matched. The performances keep that tidiness from draining away the fear.
That film was the breakthrough after Mak's directing debut, Nude Fear (1998), and the Infernal Affairs trilogy (2002–2003) established his reputation. The continuing partnerships with Lau and Chong matter to how we understand the work: this is shared filmmaking, and its precision cannot sensibly be credited to one man. The manga adaptation Initial D (2005) took him beyond crime stories. Confession of Pain (2006) brought the core Infernal Affairs team back together with Tony Leung.
Overheard (2009) began a series of financial-crime thrillers with Chong, running to 2014. Later directing work includes Extraordinary Mission (2017), Integrity (2019) and The Procurator (2023). For us, another complicated plot is only worth the trouble if the actors have something to do beyond keeping its secrets. Begin with Infernal Affairs; the rest of the trilogy can wait for another evening.
Biography
Alan Mak Siu-fai, also credited as Alan Mak or 麥兆輝, is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter, actor and producer. Born on 1 January 1965 in Hong Kong, he studied at the School of Drama of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts from 1986 and graduated in 1990. He began his career as an assistant director before making his feature directorial debut with Nude Fear (1998).
Mak is best known for his frequent collaborations with director Andrew Lau and screenwriter Felix Chong. He co-directed and co-wrote the Infernal Affairs trilogy (2002–2003), winning Hong Kong Film Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay for the first film. Other credits include co-directing Initial D (2005), the Overheard series (2009–2014) and The Lost Bladesman (2011). He has also received a Hong Kong Film Award for Best Screenplay for Overheard 3 (2014).
