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Andrew Lau

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description Andrew Lau Overview

Andrew Lau is a Hong Kong film director, producer, and cinematographer associated with commercially oriented crime and action cinema. He co-directed the 2002 crime thriller Infernal Affairs with Alan Mak; its central premise was later adapted by Martin Scorsese as The Departed. Lau also directed entries in the Young and Dangerous series and worked as cinematographer on numerous Hong Kong productions before becoming widely known as a director.

help Andrew Lau FAQ

What is the double-undercover setup in Infernal Affairs?

Infernal Affairs, released in 2002, follows Yan, an undercover police officer inside a criminal gang, and Ming, a gang member planted inside the police. Their hidden identities create a race to discover the mole on the other side. ([Film at Lincoln Center](https://www.filmlinc.org/films/infernal-affairs/))

Which Hollywood film was adapted from Andrew Lau's Infernal Affairs?

Martin Scorsese's The Departed, released in 2006, adapted the central undercover premise of Infernal Affairs. Lau co-directed the Hong Kong original with Alan Mak. ([Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/pe-event-2020-7-1-3.html))

What is Andrew Lau's connection to Young and Dangerous?

Lau directed Young and Dangerous in 1996, adapting a popular comic into a Hong Kong crime film about triad-linked young men. The film helped establish his commercially focused crime and action style. ([Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/documents/6.-Research-and-Publication/06-02-Filmmakers-Search/English/Andrew-LAU_e.pdf))

How did Andrew Lau's cinematography work connect him to Wong Kar-wai?

Before becoming widely known as a director, Lau worked as a cinematographer on Hong Kong films and collaborated with filmmakers including Wong Kar-wai and Ringo Lam. That background helps explain the handheld movement and strong visual control in films such as Infernal Affairs. ([Hong Kong Film Archive](https://www.filmarchive.gov.hk/en/web/hkfa/2026/andrew-lau-wai-keung/pe-event-2026-andrew-lau-wai-keung.html))