By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Siu Fai Mak | Wai Keung Lau
Starring: Andy Lau | Anthony Chau-Sang Wong | Carina Lau | Daoming Chen | Edison Chen | Eric Tsang | Kelly Chen | Leon Lai | Sammi Cheng | Shawn Yue | Tony Leung
Original language title: Mou gaan dou III: Jung gik mou gaan
Country: china, hong_kong
Year: 2004
Running time: 118
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374339/combined
Bruce says: “IA3 is comprised of what is left over from the first two films in the INFERNAL AFFAIRS trilogy. It is somewhat of a Hong Kong MULHOLLAND DR. which is both curse and compliment.
“As complicated as the first two films were, they were not difficult to follow because they were so well constructed. IA3 darts forward and backward so many times it is nearly impossible to follow even with visual clues on the screen like ‘seven months later,’ ‘two years earlier,’ ‘one year later,’ ‘six months earlier’ etc. Suddenly I found myself watching a math puzzle.
“Tony Leung and Andy Lau are back. This time there is a humorous sequence involving Yan (Leung) and Dr. Lee, a psychiatrist to whom he has been sent for his rage problems. We know Dr. Lee from the first film and we get to see more of her this time around. Yan is having problems being a cop but behaving like a criminal. Ming (Lau) is having marital problems and is at a crossroads as to finding a way to distance himself from the triads. He is feeling the pressure of living a double life and is unraveling before our eyes. Both men are pawns in a game much larger than they had envisioned. Both men are caught unawares, never fully anticipating the emotional price they would have to pay for their actions.
“IA3 gets involved with the interworkings of the Hong Kong police much as IA2 did with the Thai and mainland China mobsters. Inspector Yeung (Leon Lai) is a prominent player in part three. Who is he? Another mole? A conscientious cop?
“Music plays a lesser role in this film than it did in the first two. Visually, the film is wonderful. As in the first two, the supporting
cast is superb. The editing is what disturbs me about IA3; it may not be a problem that could have been solved without altering IA and IA2. If that be the case, I’ll gladly settle for 2 ‘perfects’ and one ‘off the mark.’ I am really curious to know whether the
trilogy was envisioned as such from the beginning of the project or whether it followed more of a KILL BILL path, being more commercially feasible to chop up the product. 4 cats”