The 2022 restoration cleans up the heavy grain and "muddiness" of older digital transfers while preserving the intentional sepia and cold blue hues that define the 1990s setting.

: The film trades the first movie's "polished blockbuster" look for a grittier, moodier aesthetic that fits its darker themes. Reception & Legacy Critical Standing

The remaster features a careful color correction that restores the palette intended by cinematographer Andrew Lau (who also co-directed). Expect cooler blues for police scenes and oppressive amber/red hues for the triad world. This chromatic contrast underscores the film’s core theme: the blurred line between law and crime.

Infernal Affairs II is not just a footnote to the original. It is a Shakespearean tragedy of loyalty, betrayal, and the brutal cost of power. The version finally gives Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s masterpiece the home video treatment it deserves.

Set in the early 1990s, Infernal Affairs II jumps back in time to explore the origins of the franchise’s central conflict. The story focuses on the power vacuum left by the murder of triad boss Hon Sam (Eric Tsang, in a career-defining role). His ambitious wife (Carina Lau) and his protégé, the young and ruthless Sam (Francis Ng), vie for control.