Infernal Affairs III

"The Ultimate Showdown."

2003 1h 58m CN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 384

CrimeDramaAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Triad gangster turned corrupt cop Lau Kin-ming goes to dangerous lengths to avoid detection.

“The Ultimate Showdown.”

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Cast

Tony Leung Chiu-wai
Chan Wing-yan
Andy Lau
Senior Inspector Lau Kin-ming
Leon Lai Ming
Superintendent Yeung Kam-wing
Chen Daoming
Shadow Shen Cheng
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang
Superintendent Wong Chi-shing
Eric Tsang
Hon Sam
Kelly Chen Hui-Lin
Dr. Lee Sum-yee
Sammi Cheng Sau-Man
Mary

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Andrew Lau Wai-Keung
Writers: Felix Chong Man-Keung, Alan Mak Siu-Fai
Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin
Countries: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $4M — a 17.9× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Infernal Affairs Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, shot by Ng Man-Ching. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Comfort Chan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Andrew Lau Wai-Keung directs. Ng Man-Ching behind the camera. Comfort Chan scores. Danny Pang cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan. Dialogue in Cantonese, Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $0.3M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $4M — a 17.9× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
3Released 23 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: Cantonese, Mandarin.
5International production across 3 countries: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan.
6Part of the "Infernal Affairs Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
7Directed by Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, shot by Ng Man-Ching. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
8Original score by Comfort Chan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
9Editor Danny Pang shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
10Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Andy Lau and Leon Lai Ming carry the top of the cast.
11Marketing tagline: "The Ultimate Showdown.".
12IMDB entry: tt0374339 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
13Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ng Man-Ching
Original score: Comfort Chan
Editing: Danny Pang
Costume design: Silver Cheung
Makeup / hair: Simon Chan Kwok-Hong
VFX supervisor: Eddy Wong Wang-Hin
Sound: Kinson Tsang King-Cheung
Stunt coordinator: Wong Wai-Fai
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $250,000
Box office: $4,468,597
Return: 1787% of budget
Original language: CN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Infernal Affairs III (2003)

Part of

Infernal Affairs Collection

The setting is the never-ending war between the police and the Triads of Hong Kong. Chan is a cop who's been assigned to undercover work inside the Triads for so long that he's been able to rise through the ranks to a position of some authority. Lau, meanwhile, is a secret member of the Triads who has infiltrated the police force with an equal level of success. As they feed their bosses information on the plans and counter-plans of the organizations they pretend to serve, they both begin to feel the stresses of their double lives as they become torn between the oppressive obligations they owe to their superiors and the growing camaraderie they share with the foot soldiers around them. As the two organizations become increasingly aware of the moles in their midsts, the race is on for Chan and Lau to try and get out of the game alive.