Infernal Affairs v. The Departed, Round 2

Opening note - tired and need to get to bed, so this will be brief.

Infernal Affairs was better than I remembered it. It's much shorter, so it grows on you with repeated viewings. The characters don't get quite as much development, but the acting gets the same amount done as the American all-star cast, with less lines to work with. Lau and Leung are even better on repeat viewing, and I like their interpretations of the characters better than the re-make's interpretation. I was right about Lau's character vs. Damon's - Lau turns on his boss after the cop takes the roof dive - there's nothing about Feds. Lau wants to be a real cop - as is drummed home by I.A.'s ending, which is a nice repetition of one of its beginning scenes.
Final Score - Infernal Affairs has better acting, better story in a shorter time, better themes, better framing and shot selection. The Departed is funnier, develops more characters, has slightly better music, and better editing. Infernal Affairs is the clear winner, even before you factor the whole "it's the original" factor. Its only real weaknesses are its short run time (under 2 hours) and the fact that the editor likes to splice in flashbacks at key moments so you remember why these moments are important. Other than that, it's a better film by far. I still like The Departed, but I don't think there's a real comparison.
G'night and good luck.