Infernal Affairs II Exceeds Expectations in Audio and Video (Blu-ray Review)

June 22nd, 2008 Blu-ray-au Posted in Blu-ray Movie Reviews | Comments Off

Infernal Affairs II Exceeds Expectations in Audio and Video (Blu-ray Review)

The sequel to Hong Kong’s greatest film is a treat for the ears and eyes on BD, but a letdown
overall.

Sequels don’t live up to expectations. That rule holds true for the second film in the Infernal
Affairs saga. The original
won seven Hong Kong film awards, compared to only one award–best song–for the sequel.
Infernal Affairs II is actually a prequel, set 11 years earlier than the events of the first
film, although it
is separated into distinct “acts” that come at different times. Both
actors who gav…

Video

As much as director Andrew Lau fails to reconcile elements of the plot, he succeeds in his
trademark
visuals, which are paid off gorgeously on the Blu-ray. Scads of detail, deep black level and
dramatic
contrast drench the screen. The video postproduction yielded a more modern look than the film’s
predecessor, even though the story took place years earlier. Part of this cutting edge look lay in
the
gently subdued color palette that stylized the movie, rendering skin tones a bit pal…

Audio

The best feature of Infernal Affairs II is its audio performance. The quality and attention
to
detail that went into the audio production started long before the
6.1 DTS-
HD MA encode of the BD. In both Infernal Affairs
and Infernal Affairs II, the commitment to audio excellence is apparent right from the
start,
as
the opening scenes of each take place in an audio boutique shop, with high-end…

Supplements

The special features are fairly mundane and summed up in four parts:

1. Audio Commentary

2. Trailers

3. Making Of

4. Confidential File

Each of these is what you’d expect. The audio commentary is handled by Anthony Wong, and his
comments are not very interesting to put it kindly. The “Making Of” featurette is the best
supplementary material. At more than 20 minutes, it covers interviews with much of the cast
and production team. The “Co…

Final Words

As enjoyable as the picture and sound are of the Infernal Affairs II Blu-ray disc, I can not
recommend this title. The original is a work of sheer brilliance with excellent acting, pacing and
character/plot development. Compared to the first film, Infernal Affairs II is a train wreck.
The relationship between Hon Sam and Wong Chi Shing is, at times, interesting. But it is not
explored in a meaningful or fresh way, and the supporting actors and plot devices make a mess of
……

Read full review: Blu-ray.com