Desertman84 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.

thisissubtitledmovies 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.

Michael DeZubiria 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.

gazebo MINOR SPOILERSOne has to see the first "Infernal Affairs" before seeing this movie otherwise it would just be too confusing.This sequel to "IA" is about Ming, the undercover triad member who becomes a cop to infiltrate the police force. Throughout the movie, Ming's state of mind is disintegrating into fear and paranoia because he feels guilty for causing the death of Yan, who is the undercover cop sent to infiltrate the mob (triad). Ming tries so hard to make up for what he has done, his bad past (spying on the police) and for Yan, whom he still feels a special bond.Ming is losing his mind, that poor fool, and hard as he tries to redeem himself, well, it's not gonna happen.There are a lot of flashbacks in this movie, which I warn the viewer, is a little confusing at first. One has to pay utmost attention to this movie in order to understand everything. This movie also talks about Yan's life, before his death. Yan is being treated like crap by his mob boss, and the only thing that saves him from mentally falling apart is the unwavering support of the police chief and the pretty police psychologist who kinda has a crush on him. Andy Lau is disturbingly brilliant as Ming. Watching this man's mental state falling apart is not easy. At one point, he even develops a split personality. Tony Leung as Yan is sympathetic, amusing and he has some rare funny scenes with the psychologist.The rest of the actors in this movie give outstanding performances. The twist in the end of the movie is terrific and ..... sad.After viewing the first movie, I can't help but feel bad that these two men (Ming and Yan) were caught up in their bad circumstances and were totally used by their bosses. They were screwed over real bad.This last "IA" movie continues the theme of two men unable to live their true lives but are trapped in their "masks" (undercover) forever.The "IA" movies, both first and third, are great psychological thrillers. There's not a lot of violence and it's more of a character study. I recommend all viewers to see "IA 1" and "IA 3" (I didn't see IA 3 so I can't recommend it). They are the most memorable Chinese gangster/cop film I've seen in a long time.I give "IA 3" a sold B+++