Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Infernal Affairs III Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 15, 2022

Alan Mak and Andrew Lau's "Infernal Affairs III" (2003) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival cast and crew interviews; making of featurette; original trailer; and more. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Infernal Affairs

Lau (Andy Lau, Running Out of Time), an ambitious Hong Kong cop, is ordered to track down a mole in his department who has been leaking crucial information to Sam (Eric Tsang, Bullet and Brain), an influential local gangster. Chan (Tony Leung, In the Mood for Love) is an undercover cop who has been with Sam for years. He reports to Wong (Anthony Wong, Vengeance), the only person in the entire Police Department who knows his true identity. Chan and Wong often meet to discuss various strategies.

After years of pretending to be a gangster, however, Chan is beginning to realize that he is slowly becoming one. Wong believes in Chan and has no doubts that he can complete his mission, but understands that there are powerful personal demons his man is struggling with.

Lau is Sam’s mole. Like Chan, he is beginning to feel that his life is changing. Because of Sam he has accomplished a lot but is now having second thoughts about the future of their relationship. Soon, Lau and Chan’s paths will cross.

Infernal Affairs II

A little over ten years earlier. The leader of the triads is assassinated. His son, Hau (Francis Ng, Juliet in Love), a soft-spoken and elegant man, immediately takes over his father’s empire. Mary (Carina Lau, Days of Being Wild), who is responsible for the death of Hau’s father, becomes upset that her husband, Sam (Eric Tsang), who has decided to remain loyal to Hau’s family.

Lau (Edison Chen, Sex and Beauties) and Chan (Shawn Yue, Dragon Tiger Gate) are recruited by Sam. After their training is completed, Lau enters the Police Academy and then begins working with Wong (Anthony Wong), while Chan becomes a cop because he is unable to fit in Sam's organization. Eventually, both men become moles.

Infernal Affairs III

Shortly before and after the events seen in Infernal Affairs. Lau is under investigation for his involvement in Chan’s death. Sam (Eric Tsang) is in the middle of a tricky business reorganization, partially directed by Shan (Chen Daoming, Aftershock), a cocky mainland gangster looking for a partner in Hong Kong. Yeung (Leon Lai, Fire of Conscience), a highly motivated superintendent, is on a secret mission. Despite respecting and admiring each other, Wong (Anthony Wong) and Sam realize that their relationship is doomed.

***

What makes the films in the Infernal Affairs trilogy so good is their ability to produce very diverse material with numerous outstanding characters. Though many of the key characters reappear in the second and third films, most have different roles, expanding their narratives in new directions.

The first film is a masterful character study overflowing with sizzling action. It has the polished look of a big-budget blockbuster but its narrative is uncharacteristically dark and gritty. This has been a popular concept amongst contemporary Hong Kong directors shooting action films, but Alan Mak and Felix Chong's work feels special.

The cast is loaded with stars. Lau and Leung are terrific as the two moles whose personal lives are slowly beginning to spin out of control. Wong delivers one of the very best performances of his career playing the tough but also emotionally brittle veteran cop.

The second film is even darker. It is also notably slower and moodier. Its action is toned down substantially but the depiction of the game of crime remains unchanged.

Hong Kong remains an important character as well. There are various observations about its upcoming historic transfer to China, its rapidly evolving corrupt political system, and the uncertainty everyone feels.

The third and final film is shockingly good. It looks as well polished and sleek as the first film, and the cast is simply fantastic. Key revelations from the first film, typically introduced as scattered flashbacks, are used to link various subplots and add plenty to important relationships that may have previously appeared exhausted. For example, there is a lot more to learn about Sam and Wong’s complex relationship, so familiarity with the first film is crucial. Many former secondary characters, such as Kelly Chen’s Dr. Lee, are also brought forward.

In 2003, Infernal Affairs won seven Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Film, Best Director (Andrew Lau and Alan Mak), and Best Actor (Tony Leung). The film also won Film of Merit and Best Actor Awards at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

In 2004, Infernal Affairs II won Hong Kong Film Award for Best Original Song (Beyond), and Best Film Award at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

In 2004, Infernal Affairs III won Film of Merit Award at the Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards.

Infernal Affairs III Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.38:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Infernal Affairs III arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"These 4K digital restorations (for the three films) were undertaken by Media Asia from the 35mm original camera negatives at L'Immagine Ritrovata's facilities in Bologna, Italy, and Hong Kong. The original 5.1 surround soundtracks were remastered from the digital audio master files.

Transfer supervision: L'Immagine Ritrovata, Asia, Hong Kong.
Color grading: One Cool Production."

The third film has the most convincing appearance. However, it is primarily because the stylization of the visuals does not consistently favor the greenish/softer yellowish tint that shapes the identity of the previous films. In the third film, there are still numerous sections that retain the tint, but there is plenty of silver and gray that routinely counters it. (These contrasts are present on the previous Region-B release of the Infernal Affairs trilogy that I have referenced). I think that the dynamic range of the visuals is convincing, but I would not describe it as perfect because in certain areas there are small brightness fluctuations that could have been avoided. How do we know that they are not native fluctuations? We do because the same softness that emerges in the first two films is retained here, which means that the color grade affects the native dynamic range of the visuals in the exact same manner (you can see examples in screencaptures #3 and 6). The rest looks great. Image stability is outstanding. Fluidity is very good as well. The entire film looks spotless. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Infernal Affairs III Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Cantonese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track is excellent. This isn't surprising because the lossless tracks that are provided for the first two films are equally impressive. I don't have any criticisms to share. I viewed the entire film during the day with the audio turned up quite a bit and thought that it reproduced the qualities of the soundtrack as well as it could have. The English translation is excellent.

Infernal Affairs III Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Infernal Affairs III. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (3 min).

• Interviews - presented here are clips from archival interviews with cast and crew members discussing their involvement with Infernal Affairs III, which were conducted by filmmaker Frederic Ambroisine in 2004. In Cantonese, with optional English subtitles. (17 min).

• Making of - this standard featurette contains raw footage from the shooting of Infernal Affairs III, as well as comments by various cast and crew members. (13 min).

• Booklet - 34-page illustrated booklet featuring Justing Chang's essay "Double Blind", details for each film, and technical credits.

Infernal Affairs III Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In the overwhelming majority of big commercial cinematic trilogies, the final film is usually quite weak. However, the final film in the Infernal Affairs trilogy is outstanding. In fact, I think that its characterizations, messaging -- about a wide range of subjects, from loyalty to the nature of modern politics in Hong Kong -- and even visual style are superior to those of the previous two films. After it was redone in 4K, it looks quite good, but it is not the solid visual stunner that it could have been. RECOMMENDED.