The "Infernal Affairs (Wujiandao)" trilogy has captured the public's imagination like few releases in the history of Chinese filmmaking.

Premiered at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on December 8 with unprecedented media coverage, "Infernal Affairs III," the final instalment in the trilogy, raked in at least 20 million yuan (US$2.41 million) on its first weekend following global release on December 12.

The box office score beat the Hollywood blockbuster "Matrix III" and has only been equalled in China by Zhang Yimou's "Hero."

Wujiandao in putonghua, or "mo-gaan-do" in Cantonese, refers to the Buddhist conception of the most horrific level of hell reserved for those who commit the most unforgivable sins and will be tormented ceaselessly by guilt, in which one can no longer tell the difference between good and evil.

The trilogy stars some of the best Hong Kong actors and actresses, including Tony Leung as Yan, the police undercover among the gangsters; Andy Lau as Ming, the triad mole who has risen to the rank of a police internal affairs officer; Kelly Chen as Yan's psychiatrist Dr Lee; Eric Tsang as the triad boss Sam; and Anthony Wong as the senior police officer.

For "Infernal Affairs III," Leon Lai, both a pop and a film star in Hong Kong, and veteran actor Chen Daoming from the Chinese mainland joined the cast.

Lai plays Wing, a notorious police officer with the security (former political) department. Chen plays Shen Cheng, who is a mainlander trying to carve out a niche in Hong Kong.

A good beginning

Billed by some as the Hong Kong version of Hollywood's "Godfather" crime epics, the trilogy starts with a deadly game of cat and mouse and wobbling in the inferno between living and dead, good and evil.

Created by rising writer-director Alan Mak, along with director Andrew Lau, "Infernal Affairs I" immediately gripped the hearts of the viewers.

As an action thriller, one of its major strengths is its relative lack of action - or at least, its lack of the gravity-defying, slow-motion, bullet-spraying gunfights that have filled many Hong Kong police/triad films.

The weapon of choice in "Infernal Affairs" is not the gun but the cell phone.

When a seedy deal goes awry, instead of checking their guns at the door the dealers, suspicious of the situation, check their cell phones. War is waged by phone, with crucially timed calls and rings doing just as much damage as a well-aimed bullet.

One of the movie's biggest draws is the pairing of Leung and Lau.

Leung's role as Yan is haggard and weary, a man who has lived as a criminal for so long that he's no longer sure if he's good or bad.

Lau's charm and charisma are undeniable, but he keeps them subtle and muted.He is able to constantly force viewers to reassess their opinion of Ming. At first, it's easy to see him as a hidden villain, but as the movie goes on, you'll want to rethink that again and again.

Supporting roles like Eric Tsang and Anthony Wong also deliver superb performances. Wong is especially great as the inspector who serves as Yan's anchor. His role gives Leung the fuel necessary to make one of the movie's most gutwrenching moments.

"Infernal Affairs I" has been so successful that it is widely considered, by ordinary audiences and critics alike, one of the best action films ever made in Hong Kong.

It won several of the most coveted Hong Kong Film Awards in April and was honoured at the 40th Taiwan Golden Horses Film Awards on December 13.

Riding on the success of "Infernal Affairs I," the crew quickly moved on to the sequel, "Infernal Affairs II." Released earlier this year, it tells of loyalties and betrayals of the protagonists in their early days in the roles of undercover/mole.

Offering an intriguing conclusion to the trilogy, "Infernal Affairs III" juxtaposes the events before and after the death of Yan.

While continuing the story of "Infernal Affairs I" to highlight the police search for the triad mole hidden in its rank, "Infernal Affairs III" further examines the relationship between occupation and morality.

"Infernal Affairs III" has maintained the minimalist tradition of the previous two films with no fat or gratuitous filler. The story keeps things moving, perfectly balancing intricate character development with tense action sequences and beautiful cinematography.

A market saviour?

As a huge success, the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy has pumped much-needed steam into local cinema.

Hong Kong dominated the film market in South East Asia for most of the 20th century. However, since the Asian financial crisis of 1997, the Hong Kong film industry's output has decreased dramatically.

For instance, between 1993 and 2001, the number of films produced in Hong Kong fell from 242 to 126, while box office sales dropped from US$227 million to US$103 million.

As a result, funding for new productions has dried up dramatically, while revenue-starved exhibitors are slashing the price of movie tickets.

The reasons for the crisis are many, including successive economic recessions, rampant piracy that makes first-run films available from street peddlers within days, and most importantly, mounting competition from foreign films, particularly those produced in Hollywood and South Korea.

Despite the picture of doom and gloom, there were already indications the Hong Kong film industry was seeing a gleam of hope. In 2001, Stephen Chow's "Shaolin Soccer" broke box office records.

First released in December of 2002, "Infernal Affairs" is the latest of the local filmmakers' efforts to boost Hong Kong cinema.

When the first instalment came out last year it was hailed by critics and industry insiders as a "market saviour." However, there is still a long way to go before the Hong Kong film industry can regain its glory as "Hollywood East," some other critics say.

Wei Junzi, a Beijing-based film critic, wrote: "There has been too heavy promotion for the high-budget 'Infernal Affair' films. This fact alone reveals that local filmmakers and investors still lack confidence."

Meanwhile, despite the applause, critics have not been forgiven about the specks they've tried to zoom in from the trilogy.

For example, critics say that despite the plots' twists and turns, the main story itself is still a bit thin. It draws upon the theme of the double gangster/policeman now familiar to audiences from John Woo's "Face/Off" (1997) and adds a more explicit and ironic take on this motif.

With a careful look at the film series one may still find goofs and loopholes in the details and plots, critics say.

Though well-crafted and perfectly shot, the jigsaw of fragmented bits of subplots past and present in "Infernal Affairs III" leave many viewers puzzled or a bit confused, said film critic Wang Lei.

The restrained chemistry between Yan and Dr Lee is also pitied by many audiences and fans of Chen and Leung.

One of the film's missteps also lies with the female characters.

Kelly Chen as Yan's psychiatrist Dr Lee and possible love interest, feels somewhat gratuitous.

Some critics even question the inclusion of actor Chen Daoming, arguing that his acting style is not so well attuned to that of his Hong Kong counterparts.

(China Daily  December 25, 2003)