How to watch
Infernal Affairs Movie Watch Order in the correct order
How to watch the Infernal Affairs movies in order
Last updated: October 4 2026
Written by: ChronoBob
Infernal Affairs is the gripping Hong Kong crime trilogy about a cop embedded in the triads and a triad mole inside the police β the saga that inspired The Departed. Here's how to watch it in order.
A landmark of Hong Kong cinema, Infernal Affairs pits an undercover officer against a police officer secretly working for the triads, each desperate to expose the other. Its taut tension and moral ambiguity made it a global sensation and the basis for Martin Scorsese's The Departed. The trilogy uses prequel and sequel storytelling, so order matters.
π Release Order
Release order is how audiences first experienced the trilogy, with the sequels filling in the backstory and aftermath.
- Infernal Affairs (2002)
- Infernal Affairs II (2003)
- Infernal Affairs III (2003)
There's a catch: the second film is a prequel, while the third weaves between before and after the original, so the chronology differs from release.
π Story Chronology
In story order, Infernal Affairs II comes first, establishing the characters years earlier, before the events of the original film and its follow-up.
- Infernal Affairs II (2003) β the prequel, set years earlier
- Infernal Affairs (2002) β the central cat-and-mouse story
- Infernal Affairs III (2003) β the aftermath, with flashbacks
Which Order Should You Choose?
First-time viewers should watch in release order, starting with the original Infernal Affairs β it's the masterpiece, and experiencing its twists without prior context is essential. Then watch II and III to enrich the backstory and resolve lingering threads. Save the chronological order (II, I, III) for a rewatch, when seeing the characters' origins first adds tragic weight to the original's events.
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