Her roles as Hon Sam's wife in the two "Infernal Affairs" sequels and an android in Wong Kar-wai's "2046" (2004) further increased Lau's international recognition. Lau then stepped in the shoes of Sarah Jessica Parker for the Hong Kong version of "Sex and the City", named "Sex and the Beauties" (2004). She won rave reviews for her performances as unhappily-married Rose in the low-budget thriller "Curiosity Kills the Cat" (2006) and as Wu Zetian in the blockbuster "Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame" (2010). She received a Best Actress nomination at the Cannes Film Festival for her role as a rich housewife abandoned by her husband in "Bends" (2013).