Available at Amazon.com
Directed by
Wai Keung Lau
Siu Fai Mak
Cast:
Andy Lau … Inspector Lau Kin Ming
Tony Leung Chiu Wai … Chan Wing Yan
Leon Lai … Inspector/SP Yeung Kam Wing
Kelly Chen … Dr. Lee Sum Yee
Daoming Chen … Shen
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang … SP Wong Chi Shing
Eric Tsang … Hon Sam
Chapman To … Tsui Wai-keung
Ting Yip Ng … Inspector Cheung
With the first two installments of the Infernal Affairs Trilogy already having established themselves as some of the best films ever to come out of Hong Kong, it’s probably a safe bet that Infernal Affairs 3 was going to be a hit regardless of its quality. All the film had to do was skate by on the laurels of the first two pictures and bring the movies to aa satisfying a conclusion as possible, and everyone would go home happy. Fortunately for us, while the film makers behind Infernal Affairs 3 certainly do give this series the closure it deserves, the final chapter in this great Hong Kong crime trilogy does more that just phone in this last go round.
Filmed back to back with Infernal Affairs 2, this last go round with Yan (once again played by the brilliant Tony Leung), the undercover cop who’s in too deep with the Hong Kong Triads, and Ming (Andy Lau) the cop who’s really a mole for the Hong Kong underworld, takes much of its structure from another great sequel The Godfather, Part II. Taking place both six months before and ten months after the events of the first Infernal Affairs, this fractured storyline feels a bit more “tacked on” than that of the first sequel, but is still ends up a very entertaining character study and allows the entire cast to return once more.
Both storylines involve two new characters; Inspector Yeung (Leon Lai), a cop that may have some skeletons in his closet and that may actually be another mole amongst the Hong Kong police, and Shen (Daoming Chen), a mysterious arms dealer from mainland China, who apparently has a lot of fingers in a lot of dirty pies. In both storylines, the men are involved with our principle characters, as Yeung seems to want to take down both men in each storyline, which Shen prefers to not let his cards be shown to either of them. This makes for a plot that is admittedly confusing at times, but is no less enthralling.
Much of the film’s success is due to the return of the two principles, who were not in Infernal Affairs 2 because it was a prequel. Tony Leung and Andy Lau are both triumphant in their returns, as their stories tend to parallel each other, with Yan trying to prove that he’s not getting too attached to his life as a gangster and Ming trying to prove to himself that he’s actually a good person after the first film’s tragic conclusion. Leung is especially good, managing to keep his role upbeat and playful, trying to go away from the cliché of being a tortured informant. Lau also does brave work as a man that is barely holding on to his sanity, as the pressures of keeping up his charade are getting to him far worse than he realizes.
After two films, you would think that Directors Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak would be out of tricks, but this is not the case. Intense sequences are constant throughout this movie in both storylines. A shootout on a boat ends up the film’s best action sequence, but many Hong Kong-style standoffs occur throughout. There isn’t a truly brilliant sequence like the ritual executions that play out in Infernal Affairs 2, but fans will hardly be disappointed with the way things turnout.
Where the film is weaker than the other two, is that there isn’t as much new ground covered with these characters as there is in the previous films. Also Superintendent Wong (Anthony Wong) and Gang leader Sam (Eric Tsang) , who had been so prevalent in the second film, are relegated to background characters this time out. Still, Leung and Lau do such strong work that the film is still a wonderful success, but not as much as the first two films.
It would be hard to find a more satisfying series in all of Hong Kong cinema. The Inferanl Affairs Trilogy is an amazing experience and 3 finally gives these characters the finish weve wanted from them. While not being able to reach the highs of its predecessors, this is still a great artistic success and a courageous effort made by the film makers and cast.
The Video
This is another great transfer from Dragon Dynasty, but not quite up the level of the print on Inferal Affairs 2. The image is not quite as crisp at time, but the majority of the print is still very well done. The film is presented in Anamorphic Widescreen with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1
The Audio
The Audio track is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and is fantastic throughout. The sound here is probably better than the picture is, as theres no problems hearing anything going on within the dialogue or action.
SPECIAL FEATURES:Featurette, Trailer
The Making of Infernal Affairs 3 – This goes about 12 minutes and is much better than most of these types of Featurettes usually are. Each of the cast members show up to talk about their motivations and work done. All the while, this Featurette remains quite interesting throughout.
Trailers – You get three trailers for this movie, as well as other Dragon Dynasty releases, such as The Protector and others.
The Inside Pulse
Infernal Affairs 3 is a satisfying conclusion to this epic trilogy. It’s amazing to see the original cast all come back here, and they pull in really incredible work. The disc is a bit of disapointment comepared to the last sequel, but the Featurette on it is quite good.
