Infernal Affairs - Abstieg in die achte Hölle

The directors mentioned that the reason behind making 'Mou gaan dou II' (aka 'Infernal Affairs II') was that they wanted to provide some background information and history on the first movie so that the viewers understand the situations better. However, having seen the first movie, I don't see why there was a need for a film about what happened before. Why does everything need to be explained? 'Mou gaan dou' was quite straightforward and as a stand alone it's an excellent action thriller. The prequel is a different genre. It's more a crime drama and it lacks the slickness, steady pace and coherency of the first film, not to forget Lau and Leung's strong performances. Most of the first hour painfully drags on. While 'Mou gaan dou' centred around Yan and Ming, 'Mou gaan dou II' is mainly about Sam, Wong and Hau (who play their leaders in the first film). Here Yan and Ming are merely supporting characters. Unlike in 'Mou gaan dou', here most of the performances are passable rather than great. Wong and Tsang do a fine job in the leading roles. In addition Ng does a brilliant job too. Lau's Mary appears to be too sketchy but she does well. Yet, even with the flaws, 'Mou gaan dou II' is not a bad film but rather an okay film because there are some noteworthy sequences especially towards the end where Hau meets his fate and Mary's murder.