Cop-and-gangster thriller Infernal Affairs was the biggest hit in Hong Kong's film market last year, both at the box office and with critics. The filmmakers are now trying to build on its success, shooting two pre-sequels back-to-back this year. With Infernal Affairs 2 to open in October, the third installment is set to start shooting in September. It could just be China's answer to the 007 series.
Cranking up the publicity machine, a big pre-shoot press conference for Infernal Affairs 3 was held in Hong Kong last weekend. The movie's six big names all turned up: Hong Kong's movie legends Tony Leung, Andy Lau, Leon Lai, best-supporting actors Anthony Wong, Eric Tseng and mainland TV big shot Chen Daoming. The strong lineup also features stars such as Gordon Lam and Li Bingbing.
Actor Chen Daoming said, "How to make a good movie is the only thing on my mind."
Actor Andy Lau said, "My wish for the third Infernal Affairs is that its reviews will be as good as the first's."
Actor Tony Leuny said, "All we can do is to do our best. For me, there's no pressure at all."
The Infernal Affairs series just gets bigger and bigger with more and more superstars wanting a piece of the action. With the six big shots competing on the screen, audiences are sure to be expecting a lot. Tony Leung's character dies in the first installment. The secret of his resurrection is sure to sell a lot of tickets.
(CCTV.com September 2, 2003)
