A prequel to the stylish cop thriller Infernal Affairs in which the seemingly endless struggles for supremacy between the police and the triads continues and two young men begin their carrers as moles in the rival organisations.

Somehow this film manages to be even more confusing than the first, which given that it is a prequel and so you therefore know roughly how things are going to end up is pretty impressive work. Admittedly the cinema failed to play the subtitle track for the first scene of the film which doesn't help enlighten those who have no knowledge of Chinese. (Nor would the cinema play back those cruicial first five minutes.) However I can still apprieciate that the first scene is masterfully handled, especially for those who have seen part one, it is just unfortunate that it sets up one of the key realationships in the film.

Despite the limitation of being a prequel the film is a success not just for replicating the slick storytelling and editing of the first, not just for keeping the stylish look of the actors and cinematography, but by providing the audience with pasts for the main characters that help to explain their motives and dilemas in the subsequent story. The film may be confusing with is numerous short scenes with unannounced characters (particularly at the start) but this gives the characters and their inter-relationships importance and focus. The ties of blood, love, loyalty and friendship that bind all the main players together make this a complex and rewarding film to watch.

The plot is looser than the first film which may be due to the screenwriter leaving alleyways to be explored for the third film. This is a shame as the carefully mounted tension of the first is therefore missing. However it still holds together and having the action set against the handover of Hong Kong from the British to the Chinese is a nice period touch.

The faults are minor however, I am looking forward to the third film to find out more about these ambiguous and involving characters. Then I'll be left to work out the dilema of which order they should be watched in by the uninitiated. And whether to bother with a remake by certain Hollywood actors.