Infernal Affairs III

Where Scorsese's recent version of Infernal Affairs all the loose ends pretty much got tied up during the film whereas with the original we were left with an open (but much more emotionally impacting) conclusion. The first sequel was a prequel so part III was left to pick up afterwards while also going back over the original film and filling in more detail. In doing this it marks itself out as one that is aimed at the fans rather than being just out for money. The downside of this is of course that if you are not a fan you might find this hard to follow along with (and if you have not seen the first film then just forget it totally). Personally I thought the first film was an enjoyable cop thriller but I didn't think it was brilliant or developed characters that well but the tension was great. With the third film the focus was very much on the characters rather than the tension – with the fate of Ming being the modern thread that holds the film together.

If you are into the characters and the parallels with the original film then it is worth seeing because it does do it pretty well. It does ask you to pay attention but it rewards you if you do and have been. There is action but mostly it is the Ming's ongoing struggle with who he is that the film pays most attention to. I quite liked this but must confess that this film still didn't do a great job of bringing out the characters that well and it is more the events and revelations that kept me interested rather than an emotional buy-in with the characters. Lau is perhaps partly to blame for this because I thought he was buttoned a bit too tight – it was understandable in some regards but the third film should have been the point where he shows more of a breakdown (which he does, but again it is events rather than emotion). Leung is good again but his scenes don't seem as relevant or as interesting within this film – again it is probably to do with the lack of emotional buy-in I felt with his character; his performance is natural and engaging though. Outside of these two the rest of the cast are pretty good. Again I didn't think much of the use of Chen but Wong and Tsang are both solid in their small returns.

Overall then an effective and enjoyable film if you love the series and the characters; an interesting one if you have seen the first two films and a pointless one if you are looking to join in at the last minute. Tying up the loose ends of the series, the film isn't tense enough or emotionally impacting enough to be worth a look unless you are really already into the characters but it is an interesting way to bring things to an end – with restraint and tragedy rather than excess.

My infernal 'Infernal Affairs' marathon concludes with the third part of this epic saga. This time we're closing in on another mole in the Police force. The trouble is, we keep slipping back into the past so we can see how this guy ties in with it all. To be honest it's a bit of a mess but here's a brief summary while I can still remember it (summary haters, and those that don't wish to know about the plot, take some bad guys out while I write the next paragraph).

Lau Kin Ming has now been cleared of any wrongdoing in the death of the undercover cop, Chan Wing Yan. He can now concentrate on finding other moles in the Police force. His attention is drawn to SP Yeung Kam Wing who seems to be keeping his cards very close to his chest. Another candidate is Shen Chen, a man who, at one time, was Hon Sam's partner. Not everybody is who they seem to be and add to this a lot of flashing backwards and forwards in time, it makes for a rather confusing plot… Think I'll leave it there, I'm getting confused.

It's pretty well made, but it seems very cobbled together and has little coherence. The plot is very hard to follow and a bit of a mess of a screenplay doesn't really help. Performance wise; Tony Leung Chiu Wai was pretty good as Chan Wing Yan, as was Andy Lau as Lau Kin Ming. Of the rest, Leon Lai did a decent job as the enigmatic SP Yeung Kam Wing and Daoming Chen was pretty good as Shen Chen.

The first two films were really good and so I found it hard to believe this one could be so bad. It almost feels like it was rushed out too quickly after the success of the first two and suffered greatly for it. It certainly lacks the punch of the first two and as such is a rather disappointing conclusion to the trilogy. NOT recommended.

My Score: 4.6/10

While this is a great film with an incomparable score and outstanding cinematography, it leaves a lot to be desired.

It is really not necessary as the first two films really give us all we need. It is light on action and heavy on psychological trauma. Andy Lau as Inspector Lau has taken care of all the moles - or he thinks he has. he is not sure and wants to be clear there is nothing tying him to Sam so he can be the good cop he wants to be. SP Leung is a creepy fellow and we are never sure just what he is. Is he a mole, or just a crooked cop. It is never clear.

I was glad that Kelly Chen got a much bigger role as Dr. lee, but it would have been even better if we saw a relationship with Yan. It was obvious that she had love for him, but it never blossomed on screen. Yes, I know that would be a violation of the doctor-patient relationship, but it was there under the surface. Why didn't it come out.

We got to see quite a bit of Tony Leung in this film, and that is always a good thing.

It was very distracting the way the film jumped back and forth through time. It was trying to tie up the loose ends, but it was disconcerting.

It could have been an outstanding film, but it'll just have to be great to see the actors and enjoy their performance.

Internal Affairs III is the final film in the trilogy, this film is like the prequel (the second installment) directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, the former being the one who directed the original. This third film serves as both a prequel and sequel to the first film, as it continues after the events of the first film and before those events. Andy Lau and Tony Leung reprise their roles from the first film as Senior Inspector Lau Kin-Ming, an ex-Triad spy in the Hong Kong Police Force who tries to cover his criminal past and remain as a cop. Tony Leung as Chan Wing-Yan, an undercover Hong Kong Police Force officer in the Triad. He was killed by Inspector B in the first film, but returns in the prequel aspect of the film. Kelly Chen, Anthony Wong, Eric Tsang and Chapman To also reprise their roles again, joined by new cast members Leon Lai and Chen Daoming. Andy Lau actually won the award for Best Actor in the Golden Horse Awards, well deserved I must say. The film was nominated for a lot of other different awards. Andy Lau's acting is superb. Being one of the new cast members, I think Leon Lai is one of those standout performances in the film as Superintendent Yeung Kam-Wing who's Lau's rival in the police force. Chen Daoming is too quite great as "Shadow" Shen Cheng, two good additions to the trilogy.

Months after the events of the original film, Ming suspects a police superintendent as being a new mole for the triads, while years earlier, Yan embarks on his first mission.

So I bought the whole trilogy on Criterion and I got the director's cut of the movie, more than I knew before buying as I had only heard about the first film. I thought this version of the film was a good viewing, a crime story worth telling, with great themes. Will Lau survive the infernal agonies of fear, paranoia, and lack of trust? Watch and you'll find out. It contains many satisfying answers to questions that have lingered after the first two installments. I've seen the question is it unnecessary? It depends on how much you like the story and characters, I don't think this film was wanted, but it was needed and it's because of the story and how much depth it has. The questions you might have, are answered here. The first film ended perfectly and the second installment was a great prequel that gave more context and just more, this film struggles but ends up being a fine addition. Also a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy, I think the pacing could have been better and some of the writing too. Yet, it's solid, tying up loose ends and brings the character arcs to a satisfying conclusion. Especially Lau's character arc. I think the ending was fitting. The trilogy could have worked as one film, but how the writers and directors expanded the story and characters, into something memorable. This was a terrific trilogy. Internal Affairs III was a good crime drama, perhaps a bit unnecessary, but good.

Having now watched the entire INFERNAL AFFAIRS trilogy, I've concluded that only the original film was necessary. The first sequel took the form of a prequel, an entirely extraneous piece of back story that adding nothing to the original and would have worked better as a stand alone movie. This, the second sequel, is even worse, a muddled attempt at tying together both prequel and sequel, adding in lots of entirely superfluous stuff and additional characters that are all entirely necessary.

Tony Leung returns to the movie series, but his scenes amount to nothing more than padding; his character was so carefully delineated in the first movie, there's entirely nothing to add. Andy Lau has the most interesting role in a sub-plot that follows on directly from the first film's, and this section of the film was the most entertaining. But it's still rather unnecessary, and would have been much better had it been tied up at the end of the first film, as Scorsese did when he remade the series as THE DEPARTED.

Overall, INFERNAL AFFAIRS 3 feels confused and muddled. The constant jumping between past and present happens so much that it's ridiculous, and it becomes overwhelming clear that this was only rushed out to make a quick buck or two after the success of the original film.