My vote is for:
- James Bond over The Notebook
- To Kill a Mockingbird over The Departed
By the way, Infernal Affairs is a Hong Kong production starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung, not japanese. Infernal Affairs II traces their youth and is not as good. Infernal Affairs III ties up the story after I.
If you do like japanese movies, I recommend the "death note" live-action movies, though the anime is pretty good as well.