Vijet Teng

Ms. Fujioka

ASAME Course

April 25, 2007

The Asian-American experience is not easily defined. Like people,

 this certain experience is misjudged, complex, and, without a doubt,

 unique. However, being bias is not correct. Every culture is 

unique – and to say one culture, like the Asian culture, is 

unique would indeed be thoroughly biased. But don’t get me 

wrong; I’m proud to be Asian. I’m also proud to be American. I 

was born and raised in America, but  my family comes from many 

Asian (and some European) heritages. Therefore, I am Asian and 

American. This experience can be conveyed through many forms 

of statements. The most powerful –- in my utmost opinion, 

since I am a student filmmaker -- form of statement is film.
 

     There have been many films. There have been many remakes. 

ONE stands out, when it comes to contrasting the Asian 

ethnicity and the American ethnicity in the gangster genre. Of 

course, I am speaking of Hong Kong cinema Infernal Affairs and 

the American remake of that particular film The Departed. And 

it is "Infernal," rather than "Internal," because the Chinese 

title refers to Avici, the lowest level of hell in Buddhism, 

and literally means "The Non-Stop Way". The reason for the 

remake? Well, the American film industry is profoundly 

influenced by the Asian film industry, to a certain 

extent. There remains a feeling that America can only stand so 

much. Asian male actors in Hollywood can kung-fu to the point 

of exhaustion - they still won't get the girl. "It just shows 

that racism can coexist within cultural assimilation," says 

SMU's Schneewind (Darling).

    But having seen both more than once, I have to admit that, 

while the concept were pretty much similar and The 

Departed was allegedly a remake, the two movies are very, very 

diverse. However, both approach the idea of confliction, 

devotion, and disloyalty very intensely. Infernal Affairs 

stars Andy Lau as Lau Ming and Tony Leung Chiu Wai as Chan 

Yang. The Departed stars Matt Damon as Colin Sullivan, 

Leonardo DiCaprio as Billy Costigan, and Jack Nicholson as 

Frank Costello. Both films have similar plots: a police 

officer is sent undercover as a mole in the local mafia. A 

mafia member infiltrates the police force. Both race against 

time to expose the mole within their midst and destroy him.

     Now even though I am a fan of Martin Scorsese (his movies are an 

inspiration to filmmakers who dare), I say this with pure honesty: 

The Departed was the better film. The more in-depth development of 

the characters; the more in-depth plots; the superior acting by the 

cast (and not just the main cast); the more gritty, deceptive, and 

dark style; the smooth and emotional editing; the perverse, but 

wholly compelling humor; the really cool soundtrack; the way scenes 

progressed and felt like it kept on constantly driving us toward 

something; and the VIOLENCE. Those are some of things I wanted to see 

in Infernal Affairs. But didn’t or, more specifically, didn’t see as 

well done. Maybe it was due to a smaller budget, a smaller time 

frame, or whatever – but that’s just how I perceived it. 

     But don’t get me wrong, without I.A., The Departed wouldn’t have

 had a foundation to begin with. I like both films. The unattractive 

thing about I.A., to me, was that it was a shorter film and the 

characters weren’t as deep as the characters in The Departed. They 

tried to be deep, I saw that, but there wasn’t enough emphasizing on 

that development, because it was much shorter and abrupt. For 

instance, in Scorsese’s film, we saw so much development for 

Costello, subtly, and he was far more interesting – there is even a 

somewhat fondness for his character. I know that’s damn good writing, 

acting, and direction if you can get an audience to enjoy watching 

this monster do his thing, even though, in their hearts, they know is 

wrong.

     And, another example, Colin Sullivan’s dilemma compared 

to Ming's dilemma of being a cop or a criminal (or, better, a RAT) – 

Colin has his lingering stares at Beacon Hill State House from time 

to time. Why? They never say so. But you know (or at least vaguely 

see), he is striving for justice and he knows he should do the right 

thing one day or it will catch up to him – which it did, but not 

before he decided to turn on Costello and be a cop. That happened in 

Infernal Affairs too, minus Beacon Hill. I think subconsciously 

telling the audience what a character is going through is far more 

entertaining, rather than just saying it. Personally, I think I.A. 

would’ve been better off as a long-running series, rather than a 

film. 

     It’s so interesting to see how one concept from Asia can work 

just as well or even better in America. It’s so interesting to see 

how one concept can work for more than one ethnic group. I think, as 

an Asian American, movies are a universal canvas and, if done 

properly, it can be really rewarding for any ethnic group. Movies are 

a way of experiencing other cultures as well, not just the Asian 

American experience. It can be attainable for people who do not have 

access to actually go to a certain destination, like an American who 

does not have the capable to see Asia anytime soon, but thanks to 

movies, he or she can at least feel a glimpse.

     In closing, the Asian American experience with The Departed and

Internal Affairs is this: the outrageously entertaining concept is 

not just exclusive for one certain ethnic group. Instead, it’s so 

good that it should be available to various groups, so it can be 

enjoyed, like how the American audience enjoyed what Hong Kong 

originally created with Infernal Affairs. And there’s nothing 

controversial about that. I would definitely recommend these two 

films to anyone who appreciates great filmmaking.  

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SOURCES:
Carry Darling, Knight Ridder Newspapers -- June 9, 2005(http://www.modelminority.com/article1036.html)

Rottentomatoes.com (for the Departed pics)

Yahoo.com (for the IA pics)

IMDB.com (for Chinese actor's official names)

TheDVDforums.com (for reason why its "Infernal" and not "Internal" Affairs.)