Infernal Affairs III (2003)

Let's be realistic.

Dreadfully Boring

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

You know how the 3rd installment in "The Godfather" trilogy is hands-down the lower rank installment compared to the previous 2? Well it's the same here, this is a very bland and boring sequel that tried to milk the story as much as it could. I thoroughly enjoyed the first "Infernal Affairs" and the second one was okay. But this third one just added in bunch of elements and characters to milk the story into a franchise. With the ending for the first one, I know it can be very difficult to expand the story. But they went for it anyways and the results are disastrous. So what this is, is a prequel and a sequel to the first one. So they can bring back some of the deceased character that don't have all that much to do within the screen time. Chen Wing-yan was one of my favorite character as the ballsy undercover cop. But in this he has almost nothing to do, so it focuses in on his relationship with his friends which was already settled. And more on the romance between him and his psychiatrist. And let me tell you, the romance between the two is boring to sit through and just seemed like a muddled mess. The psychiatrist is just there for plot device when it comes to the ending. I did like the cat and mouse game between Lau Kin-ming (the mole from the previous one) and Superintendent Yeung Kam-wing whole plays Lau's rival as his equal. When it comes to his methodical planning and clever ways to out think his opponents. I think they should have played more with this instead of skimming over it. Because it sort of reminded me of the confrontation between Walter White and Gus Fring. I wouldn't be surprised if "Breaking Bad" borrowed some of the cat and mouse elements from this film. However some of the dialogues are so corny despite the characters trying to deliver it in a cool fashion. Overall, this is a incoherent and boring finale to tie up loose ends.5/10

excerpt, more at my location - The first movie in the Infernal Affairs trilogy was so good, it helped win Martin Scorsese his long-awaited Oscar for another film. Its prequel follow-up established an epic urban grandeur the like of which had rarely been seen in Hong Kong cinema before. Box- office receipts were good, worldwide critical acclaim was high. Andrew Lau and Alan Mak visit the well one last time - has it, by now, run dry?At the conclusion of the film, which takes the viewer right up to the opening of a memorable early scene from the original movie, the viewer is in no doubt that a thrilling, memorable landmark trilogy has come to a close.

The last installment in the Infernal Affairs trilogy is surprisingly slow moving, but still has the high production values and intricate story of the first two, although as a whole it is slightly less engaging than the preceding films. There have been a lot of comparisons between this trilogy and The Godfather films, and the similarities in story-telling structure and the overall arc of the sequels are definitely there, although I have to admit that I think the Godfathers exist on an entirely different level as these films. The Infernal Affairs films are good, but they're not THAT good.There is a lot of work in bringing together the stories of the first two films and it definitely adds to them, but I found this one to be too slow moving, although the pace picked up by the third act and the final scene is definitely impressive.On the other hand, the trilogy ends on a serious downer - "Ksitigarbha Sutra - 'People of the like shall be cast into the Avinci Hell and will continue to suffer from Kalpas to Kalpas with no means of escape.'I may as well just admit that I don't know the meaning or source of this quote, but it sure seems like a depressing note to end the trilogy on. Nevertheless, despite being just a little bit of a let-down (like countless trilogy finales), Internal Affairs 3 is a necessary closure, and Asian cinema fans are sure to eat it up.

Infernal Affairs 3 builds cleverly on the plotline of the first movie, but with its complex story and frequent switches between past and present, is likely to seriously confuse anyone who comes to it without having seen Part 1 first to understand the two main characters. For those who have, this film brings out further details of the relationship between the two, superbly played again by Tony Leung and Andy Lau. With frequent flashbacks, the film focuses on extending the story of Triad mole Ming (Andy Lau), warping up the tension as the stresses of his double life become intolerable. Leon Lai's usual expressionless performance, which mars his other films, works well here as it leaves you few clues about his character's motivation until the climax.If you enjoyed Part 1, you will enjoy this. (I haven't seen Part 2 yet.)