Infernal Affairs Iii Apr 2026

The non-linear editing is ambitious. The film jumps between three time periods without hand-holding. For attentive viewers, this reveals clever parallels and tragic ironies. For casual viewers, it can feel frustratingly opaque. The film assumes you have the first two movies memorized. It rewards rewatching but punishes distraction.

The biggest flaw, however, is the underutilization of the supporting cast. Anthony Wong’s SP Wong appears only in flashbacks, and while his scenes are poignant, they lack the weight of his presence in the first two films. Kelly Chen’s character is reduced to a near-cameo. Infernal Affairs III

Leon Lai’s addition as Yeung is also a high point. He brings a quiet, unnerving stillness that perfectly counterpoints Lau’s frayed nerves. Is he internal affairs? A triad plant? A guardian angel? The ambiguity is the point, and Lai plays it with surgical precision. The non-linear editing is ambitious

If you want more of the first film’s brilliant cat-and-mouse game, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to see a masterful actor (Andy Lau) chart a man’s complete psychological collapse, and if you appreciate ambitious, if messy, storytelling, this is a solid and essential conclusion. It’s the Godfather Part III of the trilogy: flawed, overstuffed, and occasionally baffling, but unforgettable in its final, haunting moments. For casual viewers, it can feel frustratingly opaque

Picking up almost immediately after the shattering ending of the first film, we follow Inspector Lau Kin-ming (Andy Lau). Haunted by guilt and paranoia, he is now lauded as a hero for dismantling the triads, but he is living a lie. The story interweaves two timelines: the present day (roughly 2003) where Lau tries to bury his past as a mole, and a flashback to 1991, showing the uneasy partnership between Lau and the late gang boss Sam (Eric Tsang), as well as his first, chilling encounters with the unstable Superintendent Yeung (Leon Lai).

A must-watch for fans of the trilogy. Skip it if you haven’t seen the first two. Watch it for Andy Lau’s career-best performance.