This blog post focuses on the genre characteristics of Hong Kong film noir as exemplified by the ‘Infernal Affairs’ series and their variations.

The Origins and Typical Characteristics of Film Noir

Film noir originated when French critics began using the term to describe low-budget “B-movies” produced in Hollywood after World War II that featured crime or thrillers with a dark atmosphere. The French word noir means “black,” and these films generally have a dark atmosphere, with crime and violence as their primary themes. Many scenes are shot at night, using the night as a backdrop, and the films are imbued with a sense of nihilism and decadence.
Another characteristic of film noir is that the protagonists are solitary and lonely figures who embody the bleak atmosphere of the era. A femme fatale appears to plunge the protagonist into crisis, and the settings are predominantly dark alleys or bars. Bloodshed and corpses appear throughout the films, and there are often instances that reveal a disregard for life.

The Emergence and Characteristics of Hong Kong Noir

Hong Kong noir became widely known in South Korea after the 1980s film ‘A Better Tomorrow’, directed by John Woo and starring Chow Yun-fat, gained immense popularity. At the time, critics dubbed these films “Hong Kong noir” based on their dark and gloomy atmosphere and their crime-driven plots.
Hong Kong noir possesses characteristics distinct from Hollywood noir. It incorporates a strong Eastern worldview, different from that of the West, which allows it to resonate with a broader audience. A defining feature is its portrayal of male-only friendships and loyalty. The story typically features not just one but several protagonists, most of whom are gangsters. Unlike Western noir, where the femme fatale plays a major role, women have a very limited presence in Hong Kong noir.
Because the focus is on male friendship, loyalty, and their inner struggles, the roles available to female characters are limited. Furthermore, in Hong Kong noir, the protagonists often die, leading to a nihilistic ending. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, Hong Kong noir enjoyed phenomenal popularity. However, after the mid-1990s, as key directors like John Woo moved to Hollywood and audience preferences shifted, the genre entered a slump as the number of films that merely replicated past formulas increased.

Infernal Affairs: The Revival of Hong Kong Noir

Released in 2002, ‘Infernal Affairs’, directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, made a spectacular debut, heralding the revival of Hong Kong noir. While ‘Infernal Affairs’ features gunfights like earlier Hong Kong noir films, it relied on a solid narrative structure and the actors’ performances rather than merely emphasizing style. The story is also very well-structured, unfolding around the inner turmoil and conflict of an undercover cop infiltrating the Triads and a gang spy infiltrating the police force.
Yang Zhaowei plays the undercover cop Jin Yingren, who graduated at the top of his class from the police academy but, facing the threat of his dream of becoming a police officer being dashed due to his identity as the son of a gang boss, infiltrates the organization with the help of Chief Huang. Working under his half-brother and the gang boss Han Chin to gather intelligence, he hopes to quickly dismantle the organization and return to his position as a regular police officer. However, his plans are complicated by another spy embedded in the organization, Yu Jianming, and Jin Young-in himself gradually becomes assimilated into the gang.
Yoo Geon-myeong, played by Andy Lau, lived as a thug under Han Chim’s wife, Mary, before entering the police academy; after Mary’s death, he began working under Han Chim. As his abilities are recognized and he is assigned an important police position, he begins to feel disillusioned with his double life. After Commissioner Hwang is murdered by Han Chim’s henchmen, Jin Young-in—who feels unacknowledged—and Yoo Geon-myeong—who wants to erase his past—join forces to take down the organization.
However, when Jin Young-in discovers that Yu Geon-myeong is the spy who had been threatening his life, the story once again descends into the “Infinite Hell.” Ultimately, Jin Young-in is killed by another undercover police officer, and Yu Geon-myeong kills that officer to erase his own past. In the third installment, Yang Geum-young exposes Yu Geon-myeong’s true identity, and he eventually takes his own life, plunging all the characters into the “Infinite Hell.”

The Tragedy and Mood of the ‘Infernal Affairs’ Trilogy

Over the course of the three films, the ‘Infernal Affairs’ series pushes all of its main characters into a living hell. Just as noir protagonists meet tragic deaths and face hollow endings, central figures such as Director Hwang, Han Chim, Jin Young-in, Yoo Geon-myeong, Mary, Ye Young-hyo, and Yang Geum-young all meet hollow and gruesome ends. A-gang, Chief Hwang’s fellow police officers, Ye Young-hyo’s family, and even the crime bosses who attempted to betray him meet their deaths with almost no exceptions.
Each death is depicted in a highly realistic manner, amplifying the sense of tragedy. The characters each carry their own personal anguish and inner conflicts. Examples of their unique bonds of friendship, loyalty, and trust are revealed in scenes such as the one in Part 1 where Tony Leung gazes at the scene of Chief Hwang’s death—falling from a building—as a flashback overlays the present; in Part 2, where Ye Young-hyo continues to trust the spy Jin Young-in until the very end; and in Part 3, during a brief conversation between Jin Young-in, Yang Geum-young, and another secret police officer—reveal their unique bonds of friendship, loyalty, and trust.
Although there are relatively more female characters compared to other noir films, their role in the overall narrative remains limited. Characters such as the female doctor, Yu Jianming’s wife, and the woman raising Jin Young-in’s daughter on her own play certain roles in the film but remain largely peripheral. At the same time, the Buddhist concept of “Avici Hell,” incorporated at the beginning and end of the film, strongly conveys an Eastern sensibility.

Genre Transformation: Balancing Gunfire and Drama

‘Infernal Affairs’ preserved the archetypes of Hong Kong noir while, paradoxically, attempting a genre transformation. Learning from the failures of many Hong Kong noir films that had stagnated in self-replication since the 1990s, it reinvented itself. First, it minimized the endless gunfights typical of earlier noir films and imbued every single bullet with meaning.
Rather than depicting a battlefield rife with gunfire, ‘Infernal Affairs’ drives the narrative with a single gunshot used at just the right moment, conserving even that single bullet throughout the film. This restraint actually heightens tension and draws the audience’s attention. Furthermore, compared to earlier noir films where the visual spectacle was limited to gunfights, the overall scale has expanded, making the film more spectacular in some respects.
The overall structure shifts from action to drama and thriller, resulting in a more solid plot; while the adrenaline rush may be reduced, the tension is maintained until the very end, leading to the conclusion. While maintaining a somber atmosphere, the film attempts to create variation by incorporating bright settings, such as a building rooftop in broad daylight, and the actors’ performances, which reveal the depths of inner turmoil, convey a profound resonance distinct from the superficial noir films of the past.

Comparison with ‘The Departed’: Personal Impressions

Many ‘Infernal Affairs’ fans were disappointed by Martin Scorsese’s remake, ‘The Departed’, because it came across as a run-of-the-mill gangster movie where the depth of anguish and conflict had vanished, leaving only endless gunfire. In ‘The Departed’, the characters—including Tony Leung and Andy Lau—who each carry their own inner turmoil while trying to escape the endless hell of ‘Infernal Affairs’ were portrayed in a hollow manner, vanishing with a single gunshot, and the thriller elements of ‘Infernal Affairs’ were also simplified into run-of-the-mill action.
‘Infernal Affairs’ retained the original framework while boldly discarding what was unnecessary, presenting a Hong Kong noir suited to the modern era through new creative approaches. It ushered in a new era of Hong Kong noir—a blend of drama and thriller that highlights Eastern sensibilities and places male friendship, loyalty, and personal anguish and conflict at the forefront.
Personally, I prefer Hong Kong noir to Western noir. This is because I enjoy the lingering tension that persists long after the film ends more than the adrenaline rush experienced while watching it. That is why I particularly love ‘Infernal Affairs’, which heralded a new era for Hong Kong noir, and I hope that more films in this genre will continue to be produced in the future, led by directors like Yau Wai-keung and Mak Cho-fai and actors like Tony Leung.