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Very rarely is the third installment in a trilogy considered the strongest entry, and judging by the initial reaction to Infernal Affairs III, I was fully expecting a Godfather III-style suck-a-thon. Andrew Lau was said to have had a tough time writing and directing this film, and it seemed to have reflected that onscreen, based on the tepid local box office take and reviews. Thankfully, though -- even if it's not as good as the first two films -- Infernal Affairs III is still a solid crime drama, even though it does depend too much on having the viewer seeing the previous movies, the first film in particular.

The events here take place after the first part, as Triad-turned-cop Andy Lau has been cleared of corruption charges resulting from the events in IA1. However, a seemingly dirty officer played by Leon Lai still has his doubts -- as does Lau. A series of flashbacks, which highlight the relationship cop-turned-Triad Tony Leung had with his psychiatrist (Kelly Chan) help fill in the details, which leads up to the final clash between Triads and cops -- but who is on which side?

Flashbacks can be a powerful tool, but frankly, I think they are overused here. The story becomes much too convoluted and hard to follow, even for those who have seen the other movies -- those who are diving into the Infernal Affairs saga with this picture are more than a little likely to be totally bewildered as to exactly what the hell's going on. The film-makers seem to know this, as they have to throw a label on-screen every time there is a time shift.

The flashback gimmick should be something natural and free-flowing within a movie, but it seems forced in Infernal Affairs III. Really, even though I enjoyed Tony Leung's work, the picture probably could have gotten away with not using his character for the most part. The Lau/Lai conflict was interesting enough. Adding Leung in just put too many flavors in the broth, and the whole cinematic stew seemed too diluted as a result. The characters are nicely portrayed (I even enjoyed Chapman To's turn here), but there's just too many people and too many sub-plots -- and, as such, it's hard to develop any real interest in any of them.

Still, I did enjoy Infernal Affairs III. The actors all do a good job (with the exception of Kelly Chan, who seems to be going into more of a "jade vase" mode with each new role), Andrew Lau's trademark visual style is as always nice to look at, and the score is great. It's just that overall, Infernal Affairs III feels like a great boxing match that goes on for ten rounds and then ends by a sucker punch -- it's great to watch, but leaves a bit of a sour taste in your mouth after it's over.

RATING: 7

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