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Cat and mouse - times two
Feb. 6th, 2004 10:41 pmI slept through The Dead Zone last night. I don't mean that it was boring, I mean I fell asleep early and missed it. I must be off my game. At least I caught Witchblade the other day. I'm wondering why everyone's been so quiet about it lately. Where's all the Witchblade love? *poke poke*
Last Saturday was another Hayase session. I got there late because I was trawling the shops for new goodies, and once I did arrive I wasn't terribly productive. But still, it was cool just to hang out with everyone.
On the Sunday, I went to see Infernal Affairs at the Chauvel. It's been a while since I've watched a Hong Kong movie, and I've missed the experience. Infernal Affairs is a killer of a movie. See, you've got Andy Lau playing this Triad member who's infiltrated the police force, and Tony Leung playing an undercover cop who's infiltrated a Triad gang. Both of them are in long term assignments, having risen high in the ranks of their respective organisations while continuing to report to their real bosses in secret.
In Hong Kong movies, you often get stories where a cop goes undercover and eventually finds his loyalties in conflict - usually accompanied by loads of angst and intense male bonding. But here, everything is doubled. You have two men in parallel situations. They're on opposite sides - *and they're on opposite sides*.
There's one sequence with a big sting operation which is a beautifully choreographed dance of manoeuvre and countermanoeuvre. And then later, as the noose tightens, it becomes a question of who can unmask the other's identity first.
I'm not surprised this movie won the awards it did. It's a brilliant, gripping piece of cinema. Unfortunately, there's a down side to such success. One of the reviews said "See it before it gets remade", and sadly, this was not a throwaway line. Hollywood has bought the rights to do a remake, and the rumours are mentioning phrases like 'Brad Pitt'. My soul trembles.
Last Saturday was another Hayase session. I got there late because I was trawling the shops for new goodies, and once I did arrive I wasn't terribly productive. But still, it was cool just to hang out with everyone.
On the Sunday, I went to see Infernal Affairs at the Chauvel. It's been a while since I've watched a Hong Kong movie, and I've missed the experience. Infernal Affairs is a killer of a movie. See, you've got Andy Lau playing this Triad member who's infiltrated the police force, and Tony Leung playing an undercover cop who's infiltrated a Triad gang. Both of them are in long term assignments, having risen high in the ranks of their respective organisations while continuing to report to their real bosses in secret.
In Hong Kong movies, you often get stories where a cop goes undercover and eventually finds his loyalties in conflict - usually accompanied by loads of angst and intense male bonding. But here, everything is doubled. You have two men in parallel situations. They're on opposite sides - *and they're on opposite sides*.
There's one sequence with a big sting operation which is a beautifully choreographed dance of manoeuvre and countermanoeuvre. And then later, as the noose tightens, it becomes a question of who can unmask the other's identity first.
I'm not surprised this movie won the awards it did. It's a brilliant, gripping piece of cinema. Unfortunately, there's a down side to such success. One of the reviews said "See it before it gets remade", and sadly, this was not a throwaway line. Hollywood has bought the rights to do a remake, and the rumours are mentioning phrases like 'Brad Pitt'. My soul trembles.
