Infernal Affairs III (2003)

Since the second Infernal Affairs is practically a prequel; this is the official sequel of the first Infernal Affairs. Some would call it stretching but I raher consider it taking the story from different angles.

The first film felt complete but that didn’t stop producers from creating back stories as well as future presumptions and inserting other characters in both Infernal Affairs II and III to make everything sound finalized and perfectionist. Maybe that’s overdoing it but I still wouldn’t consider it wrong.

Infernal Affairs III picks up after the first movie; it shows the life of the remaining character after the last outcome of Infernal Affairs but that doesn’t deny the fact that the first movie’s characters were back in flashbacks to tell a different back story that felt more spiritual than twisted. What makes the matter more complicated that the search for moles inside the police isn’t over yet. This time around, it’s two cops tailing each other in the most twisted suspenseful way.

The screenwriting didn’t lose its touch; it managed to bring great Suspense/Thriller moments even with flashbacks and past moments. Of course, the flashbacks I am talking about aren’t extracted from the two previous movies; they’re specifically made for Infernal Affairs III to give it more depth and a proper back story for the few new characters introduced in this movie. The plot was interesting to follow even if it wasn’t twisty as the first two movies.

As Tony Leung, Andy Lau came back to lead this movie (unlike the second Infernal Affairs), the acting department felt extremely satisfying and with the addition of Lai Leon, it felt like perfection when watching those three around. Of course, Anthony Wong and Eric Tsang are like pepper and salt for the Infernal Affairs trilogy.

The characters’ development was quite appreciated; Ming was really twisted with a pretty convincing turns in here; I was quite surprised by the last twist for his character. The new characters added a great taste to this movie especially Yeung who made me suspect him and sympathize with him at the same time. I think that’s the strength point of both Infernal Affairs II and III; the screenwriters added intriguing characters who don’t allow you to complain about the pacing and characters’ conflict after the outcome of the first Infernal Affairs. What I didn’t appreciate was the somewhat forced addition of Yeung’s character in the past stories when it’s obvious that he wasn’t even mentioned once in the past two movies. Also giving Dr. Lee a bigger role in this movie was unnecessary in my opinion.

Infernal Affairs III is worth the watch if you saw the other two but you can also watch it right after the first movie without looking into the second one since the latter isn’t related to this film’s plot in any way.

Watching the Infernal Affairs trilogy back to back as I did was one of the best things to do when you want to watch all the sequels but watching Infernal Affairs only like many others did isn’t the wrong thing to do but you will be missing two of the better characters’ addition: Hau and Yeung. That’s why I still recommend it as a trilogy.

Leia Mais

"Everything will be okay after tomorrow"

Infernal Affairs 3 finished the trilogy in an effort to tie up loose ends and weave another story into the two previous films. Honestly, I thought the original film was perfect enough. The prequel didn’t do much for me and this third installment felt like it could have been wrapped up in a few scenes at the end of the original. It was still interesting but far less cohesive than the other two installments.

Lau Kin Ming has been cleared of all charges in relation to the events of the original story. He is now on the trail of other moles installed in the police department. His prime suspect is the Security Wing head, Yeung Kam Wing. A new criminal suspect, Shen Ching also enters the picture. Along the way he makes use of Dr. Lee who had seen Chan Wing Yan as a patient. As Ming continues his investigation, reality and hallucinations begin to blur as he sees Yan’s reflection in his mirror.

In trying to build suspense and weave or rather jackhammer, a new story to fit into the other two films, IA3 copiously made use of flashbacks, dreams, and delusions. The back and forth, up and down, constant traveling through time and alternate realities was whiplash inducing. It began to feel less like an engrossing story and more a lament about killing off one of the most interesting characters. The overuse of Dr. Lee, one of the least captivating characters of the three films didn’t help. A few minor mysteries were answered, yet IA3 created a bigger one. Where was Yan’s “Broken Sword” (Hero 2002) facial hair in the flashbacks? Tony Leung’s face was conspicuously smooth.

Leon Lai’s enigmatic Yeung and Chen Dao Ming’s (another Hero alum!) too cool for school and shadowy Shen Ching were compelling, if unnecessary additions to the continuation of Yan’s story. The production values were still on point, but the point of the writing exercise eluded me. The original Infernal Affairs is still one of the best Triad vs Police films out there and like Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way. These other films trying to pad the stories with extraneous characters and motivations didn’t make the story any deeper or better. While they were entertaining in their own way, the original was strong enough to stand on its own.

16 February 2025

Leia Mais