Infernal Affairs: Let's get the possible crap out of the way. Martin Scorcese is doing an American remake of this film with Matt Damon & Leonardo DiCaprio. I'm not sure why.

On to the good stuff. This Hong Kong flick is a fascinating exploration of duality. Tony Leung plays an undercover cop who has been infiltrating the triads for 10 years. Andy Lau is an up & coming officer with dreams & aspirations. Lau is also a mole for 1 of Hong Kong's most notorious bosses. The Police Superintendent & triad boss sends Leung & Lau, respectively, to
find the double agent in each organization.

With a dynamic that is similar to Robert Deniro & Al Pacino in Heat, Andy Lau & Tony Leung get intense with minimal gunplay. The clues they follow & the lies they have to tell bring their lives around them like a falling house of cards.

Ordinary Decent Criminal: This film, which is based on a true story, should appeal to fans of heist movies like Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels & Ocean's 11. Kevin Spacey stars as Michael Lynch, a bigamist thief who has managed to beat the rap on numerous occasions. He never appears unmasked outside & he always manages to make Ireland's cops look foolish. That's why a new agent begins to use as many underhanded tactics against Lynch's gang
in an attempt to bring him down. Add opposition from the IRA against Lynch & things get rather hectic, but Spacey's character glides through the film with a smile on his face throughout the film.

Featuring a supporting cast which includes Collin Farrell, Linda Fiorentino & Helen Baxendale as Lynch's 2 wives; Ordinary Decent criminal is 1 of those movies where you want the robber to bamboozle the cops. Spacey excels at this. He was Keyser Soze after all.

R

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