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"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
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
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