Who payed the critics

Very well executed

Very Cool!!!

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Infernal Affairs III is a movie about what happened before and after the highly successful film,Infernal Affairs.It tells us the story of how Yan infiltrated Sam's group as an undercover police;the extent of the relationship between Yan and his psychologist; and finally,the pains,trials and tragedies that Ming has to go through after he finally became a real cop now that he no longer works for the Triad mob.I think that this was better than Infernal Affairs II,a film that tells about the story of the youngsters Yan and Ming in their lives in the police academy BUT it could never surpass the greatness of the first Infernal Affairs,a cat-and-mouse chase between Yan and Ming while working for the Police and Triad mob respectively.The third Infernal Affairs was a good movie to tie the gaps on what happened before the cat-and-mouse chase between Yan and Ming. But it wasn't as great as the first one in terms of the suspense and thriller that it brought.Aside from that,one has to know what happened in the first film to fully appreciate this film. One cannot watch independently as one has to know fully well what happened in the first film unlike installment movies like Superman,Spiderman or Mission Impossible. Indeed,one should have a clear understanding of the story of Infernal Affairs unlike Infernal Affairs II,a film that could possible stand on its own.The acting was still excellent in the film.Andy Lau and Tony Leung provides honesty to their portrayal of Ming and Yan respectively.Eric Tsang and Francis Wong delivered as they reprise their role as Sam and Inspector Wong respectively.But special mention should be given to Leon Lai,who portrayed the enigmatic police officer,Yeung. Although the first movie was flawless,this third installment of Infernal Affairs was somewhat slow especially in telling the story of Ming after Yan was killed. Some scenes seemed forced. Although,this movie tried its best to be a psychological thriller rather than a suspense action thriller to distinguish itself in the first two Infernal Affairs film.But nevertheless,I still find this film a great view despite of falling short as a great and classic film like the first one.A 10/10 rating is justifiable.Highly recommended and it provides great entertainment.

After the first two instalments of this trilogy I wondered if we'd be getting another prequel or a sequel to the first film; as it turns out this film is both! We follow Chan Wing-yan in his undercover role working for Sam in the run up to a major deal and we also observe Inspector Lau as he works to make sure nobody can connect him with Sam, his erstwhile employer, so he can become an honest police officer. The problem for him is that his boss Yeung is also searching for any of Sam's moles left in the force. Doctor Lee takes a much greater role in this film as Chan Wing-yan is ordered to see her after assaulting a Triad member in a restaurant and Lau sees her to learn more about Chan Wing-yan's activities.While I think this was probably the weakest of the three films it was still pretty good and anybody who enjoyed the first two films really should watch this as it neatly wraps up the story. Having missed the second film Tony Leung and Andy Lau are back as Chan Wing-yan and Lau and once again they put in fine performances; other notable stars are Leon Lai as Yeung and Kelly Chen as Doctor Lee the psychiatrist. The earlier parts of the film are mostly action free but there are some good action scenes later on, there are also some nicely humorous scenes as Chan Wing-yan tries to avoid being hypnotised by Doctor Lee.

This time around, we have the returning Tony Leung, Andy Lau, and the new comer Leon Lai to light up the screen for Infernal Affairs III. The three are arguably the biggest pop stars in Hong Kong since the 80's. Does it make the movie any better, I don't think so. These superstars just act like superstar actors (essentially playing their cool selves on screen) and I don't think they are great in this one. They have better performances in other movies. The cool monotone blackish production design doesn't necessarily make the movie cool and modern, not even the computer, gadgets, GPS..., in fact it comes across as rather pretentious and boring. How does it compare to the original Infernal Affairs? I like the first one better, at least it has some good story telling there, not necessarily original: undercover cop, mole, I don't think it's all that original, but you don't necessarily to be original to be good. This sequel rehash the basic premise of the first one, do some more plot twisting and psychological drama there, which I somehow find totally unnecessary other than let's make another sequel to cash in from the first one. It's not a good sequel and definitely not a very good movie either.

I must admit I was surprised. And pleasantly so.The first two instalments of the series were, in most respects, well-done cop-and-robbers fare, with the first sequel explaining a piece of history in the story, while making some nice adaptations from Godfather. This second sequel, however, in fact requires some thought as the story unfolded.*** Spoilers Ahead ***I will try to reveal as little as possible, since my own enjoyment was partially ruined by having read a review which gave the plot away.On the surface level, the story weaves together the past and present, showing the fall of the main character. Some would criticize the introduction of too many seemingly commercial elements. While the use of Leon Lai may be so, his character is IMO an outsider necessary to unravel the mess that plagues the police department, namely the many moles inserted by Han. The introduction of a mainland Chinese element ties in nicely with the second sequel, again highlighting the fact that the affairs of Hong Kong is no longer merely its own. Han was indeed getting to be one of the biggest fishes in the pond, and has attracted the attention of powers higher than just the Hong Kong Police. Although his untimely demise, at the hands of one of his protege, put an end to his mainland ambition, the point is by and large neither here nor there in so far as the story behind this particular instalment is concerned.I am uncertain as to the true intentions of the directors, but, having seen the whole story knitted together so tightly, I must conclude that the first half of the film was designed to mislead the audience in emphasizing the characters who turn out to be in fact subsidiary. The story does indeed focus on Lau as he sinks deeper and deeper into his personal hell. Personally, I dislike schizophrenia as a dramatic device, but I can accept it in this case since the previous instalments alluded to Lau's desire to turn himself clean.The actions of Han also explained the gaping hole in the first sequel, namely his taking on the son of the former triad boss who tried to kill him and was, in the process, killed by Han. That is simply a supreme piece of human resource management we so often see in the real, corporate world. And, in having watched all three films in the series, I must commend the writers/directors on how Han's character has been fully developed, and I would say his is the most fleshed out of all, barring perhaps Chan Wing Yan.I would even go so far as to argue that the plot is a cut above any other Hong Kong director/writer has produced so far, both in terms of the plot consistency and its style. One can not avoid comparing with Johnnie To who has regrettably floundered of late.*** Spoilers End ***There are, however, minor details that I have contention with:1. In both sequels, the writers still think, as evidenced by the dialogue, it is the Department of Justice which sentences people.2. In the first sequel, the flag on Wong Sir's desk on the even of the Handover was an Australian flag.