After Infernal Affairs basically revived Hong-Kong cinema single-handedly, the moviemakers announced that they would produce two more movies. Since the backstory involving the two moles was as fascinating as what they did in the “present”, Infernal Affairs 2 was drafted as a prequel. Infernal Affairs 3 details events following what happened in the first Infernal Affairs. Not only did these decisions provide a before-and-after appraisal of the characters’ lives, they also gave the characters a defining sense of closure. By the end of the trilogy, everyone related in some way to the two main undercover moles is either dead or has nothing left to do but mourn the dead. Perhaps the sense of finality is too pat and neat for some viewers, though the resolutions reflect the movies’ insistent references to Buddhist teachings about karma and fate.

You don’t need to have seen Infernal Affairs 2 to understand Infernal Affairs 3. However, you will be very lost if you don’t see Infernal Affairs 3 soon after seeing the first Infernal Affairs. The third movie is heavily dependent on a great degree of familiarity with the events in the first outing. As a whole, the series takes place out of order, with the “origin story” appearing as the second movie. Chronologically speaking, the events in Infernal Affairs 3 take place after the events in Infernal Affairs, but several sequences backtrack to when the story in the first movie was unfolding.

This may seem confusing, but after the initial shock wears off, part of the pleasure of watching this installment is figuring out where the pieces of the third movie fit into the overall narrative. As the movie shifts in time, we get to know other members of the police force, other moles, and various strategies used by all sides to emerge as the victors. The movie is a bit unfocused at times and also shares too much unnecessary information with the audience (for example, we learn that Tony Leung Chiu-wai’s character had a physical relationship with his psychiatrist), but Chen Daoming and Leon Lai make deep impressions as characters deeper in deception than even the two moles at the heart of this trilogy’s universe.

David McCoy