Exiled

I had the fortunate opportunity to see this at the Toronto International Film Festival. Johnnie To and actress Josie Ho came to the first screening at TIFF to present the film. I am afraid To is more comfortably vocal in the interviews on his DVDs.

To begin, the film is not a sequel to The Mission. It is the same general cast with a new actors telling a completely different story with different characters. It is however, in very much in the spirit of The Mission. The good news however is that Exiled rocks. The film starts with a hand knocking on the door. A baby is crying in the background and a woman opens the door. Two men ask for a man named Wo. The woman claims she has never heard of him. The two men, who are assigned to protect Wo, leave. The door is knocking again and another pair of men ask for Wo. The woman claims she has never heard of him once again and shuts the door. The two men have been assigned to kill Wo. The four men meet and wait. Wo pulls in on the street in a truck. The film is done in such dramatic simplicity it does not need translation. And that's a sample of what Exiled is all about. The tension is on for shot one and things move only with a purpose.

These actors all are the character actors of Hong Kong; they usually don't' get lead roles and play supporting roles or lead villains. To uses them to their potential in this. Even though you wouldn't classify any of them as being a star or physically good-looking it is astonishing how much presence each of these actors take up on the screen. There's a part in the film where a police car pulls up to a conflict between the hit men in the film, two of these actors turn around and look at the police car and it gave me goosebumps. Beneath each of these five men who are cold-blooded killers underlies a deep sentimentality and it is felt throughout the film. Between these men, actions speak more than words. Anthony Wong, Lam Suet, Nick Cheung Ka Fai and Roy Cheung play their roles with an underplayed subtle intensity. Francis Ng is between explosive and withheld intensity. The five actors play well together, in the film's dramatic and comedic moments. It's nice to see Simon Yam play a clumsy over-the-top gangster boss after the two Electionfilms. Something to note amongst the actors is Josie Ho as Nick Cheung's wife with a baby which works as the driving force for the entire film. Ho's performance feels real. It is also a surprise because To's films usually are about men and women rarely take a stand but it's nice to see that change now finally. A question asked to the cast at the Venice Film Festival if it was possible that any of the cast members be nominated for acting awards, to which the cast reminded the press that they are an ensemble cast. Each member is just a part of the team and they are working together to reach the same goal. Each member of the team are very good actors in their own right but sadly that makes it harder for each of them to be nominated individually for an award. However in Exiled's case, they do succeed as an ensemble.

The gunfights are phenomenal. I truly believe that even though everyone else have recently caught up; Hong Kong still leads the trend in action film-making. I do not mean that in terms of scale but rather the innovation and effort that goes into these action sequences. What really comes out in the gunfights in Exiled is how closequarters the gunfights actually are. These are multiple gun men in Mexican standoffs shooting at each other closequarters in claustrophobic Macau spaces. At Venice, one of the actors conversed with an American reporter and asked him how gunfights would be set up in Hollywood. The reporter looked back and said, "They wouldn't. There wouldn't set it up like this." I have to say I believe that is true as you literally see the gunpowder flying into the actor's faces.

The film is a film designed to garner more international attention for To it seems but there is nothing wrong with that. If anything, Johnnie To has earned all this; being one of the most consistent HK directors and one of the major reminders of what Hong Kong films are all about. Exiled is not new territory for Johnnie To. It is a combination of all the good elements from Johnnie To films, which include underplayed acting, dormant action set-pieces, empty night spaces, well-fleshed characters, boyish immaturity ^^ and a dark quirky sense of humor. It'll be familiar to fans, but again, Johnnie To has given us enough good films to make this. Exiled hits all those notes but some may say that the film does stray in the second act. I say, it's all in good fun. Hell, it's better.

So stylish was Exiled that the Italians must be jealous, with Sergio Leone buzzing in his grave. A simple story set in Macau, the restrained dialog and general lack of facial expressions cannot diminish the loyalty that these men have towards each other, even when they have been ordered to act otherwise. Between wonderfully orchestrated concerts of claustrophobic bullet symphonies are beautifully drawn out scenes utilizing the mundane aspects of life to help further the bonds of ancient friendships. And all of this, action and drama alike, drawn forth by the devils of fate, where one can either choose his fate or be torn apart through lack of choice. The acting was great for what this was, with the wickedly beautiful Josie Ho acting as the mostly silent, secret force that foments the deadly events to come. Johnny To's direction was phenomenal in his ability to allow things to come together almost by fate. Everything about this film oozes a style reminiscent of John Woo though a step ahead of even this master of action.

With this tile Johnny To has succeeded in having an original perspective on the action / crime genre. He seems to be playing around with his gangsters in his movies. Have them act slightly different from what you expect. Perhaps making a little fun of them with their code and ethics. Or he genuinely thinks the world of them.

Anyway the gangsters in this movie are on a mission to kill an ex member who was exiled. After a intense shootout they clean up the place, cook and eat dinner. As they were all friends once they offer "Wo" the exiled one a favour. He wants do a last job in order to provide enough income for his wife and baby. The way things play out is a bit abstract and not much is said. Through the dynamics of the main characters it is obvious though that they share a bond. And that is all you need to know. Of course matters don't go like they planned which makes events rather compelling. All of the main characters are marvelous but in particular Anthony Wong. (Come to think of it, I don't think I ever seen him do poorly.) They show emotion without having much of a expression. As always Simon Yam is wonderful as the bad guy. Something about his look and charm that makes his characters even more evil than they already are. It is like second nature to him. Let's face it if it weren't for these actors this movie wouldn't work. It would have been average, dull even. The pace of the movie on the whole is moderate but when the action begins the pace is real fast. The action scenes are beautiful as they are stylish and intense. The finale is short but a real treat. Heroic bloodshed with a lot of blood.(Only this blood isn't fluid but some sort of red powder. Very nice effect nonetheless. Clearly CGI, but not bothersome.) Overall Exiled is an excellent crime drama with high tense action that I can truly recommend.

I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival. Among lovers of Hong Kong cinema, Johnnie To is legendary. He had three films showing in this year's festival (Election (2005) and Election 2 (2006) screened together, as well as this film) and this was my first experience seeing one of his films. I'll be seeking out some others. Exiled is an incredibly well- constructed film. It's like a Swiss watch, with every scene precisely set up and choreographed and nothing wasted. To has created a self-contained world and set his characters loose in it. Set just around the time of Macau's reversion to the Chinese government, it concerns a group of hit men who come together when their boss orders a hit on one of them. Two pairs of men arrive at the target's new home. The first to warn him, the second to kill him. After a kinetic set piece involving three shooters, precisely 18 bullets, and the target's wife and infant son, the group ends up helping still-alive Wo move furniture into his new place, before settling down to eat.

The mixture of action, comedy, and sentiment is probably a staple of Hong Kong gangster films, but I found it fresh. The plot continues when the assassins agree to give Wo some time to carry out one last job to make some cash for his soon to be widowed wife and orphaned child. Things don't go as planned, however, and the film bumps along from set piece to set piece until an inevitable but satisfying end. Each choreographed set piece is set up in such a way as to heighten the anticipation, and you almost don't mind that none of these trained killers seems to be a very good shot. It's enough that they're all ludicrously macho, swilling scotch from the bottle and smoking as they fire bullets at each other.

Seeing this one on the big screen is a must, just for the sound. The musical score, by Canadian Guy Zerafa, veered between James Bond and spaghetti westerns, with a bit of mournful harmonica thrown in. It worked perfectly, as did the fact that the viewer can hear every single shell casing hit the ground throughout the film. Even the gunshots themselves seemed different from those in American films, with less blast and more metallic sounds. It certainly helped create atmosphere. While this and the choreographed gunplay never let you forget you're watching a created thing rather than any semblance of reality, that actually made me more appreciative of the creator. He's certainly created another Johnnie To fan.

Johnny To has returned with yet another HK gangland movie following his Election movies, and with the casting of the usual suspects in lead roles, it might, to some, become quite tiresome after a while. Not that the actors are bad in their roles, but perhaps with too much familiarity too soon, it may become difficult to tell one apart from the other, or at least character wise.

Nick Cheung plays Wo, a man exiled for his misdeed against Boss Fay (Simon Yam), and who has returned and settled down in Macau with is wife (Josie Ho) and infant child. Sent to finish Wo off is Anthony Wong's Blaze, and Fat (Suet Lam). However, standing in their way is Tai (Francis Ng) and Cat (Roy Cheung), who will not let their buddy go down without a fight. In truth, all of them were buddies once, and having some sent on a mission to finish off another, this broke down their relationship, becoming a decision of forsaking personal friendship for the call of duty.

And it is precisely the themes of brotherhood, loyalty and honour that make this film a worthwhile watch, despite its clichés in characters and familiar actors taking on the roles. You can probably think of no better other. Would you defy orders and give up your mission, thus transforming from hunter to prey, or would you seek a compromise in order to save your own skin? Triad life is always black and white - if you're not with somebody, then you're against him. Told in two distinct acts, it's almost like watching a Japanese "ronin" movie, given how the storyline developed, and the issues and dilemma faced by our merry men.

The film is quite 80-ish in presentation and storyline, and filled with plenty of beautifully choreographed poetic violence and gunplay, reminiscent of how John Woo would do his, but minus the doves and nursery rhymes and music. There are enough tension filled moments with its numerous Mexican standoffs, which to me are the highlights of the movie. The excellent stringed soundtrack playing in the background building tension during the calm moments, before erupting into a free-for-all, all-man-for-himself, who-shot-first pumping of lead into the air, keeping you guessing who will emerge unscathed. The pace is deliberately slow most times, in order to build up to the chaotic crescendos of blazing guns. And to some it might be a tad frustrating with many "poser" moments where the ensemble cast stand around, shades on, with a gun in one hand and a cigarette in the other, for good measure. They make good posters, but to the impatient, they'll scream to have things move on.

There are plenty of supporting characters like Cheung Siu-Fai as a middleman broker, Gordon Lam as an upcoming gangland boss, and Ritchie Ren's take as a sharpshooting cop. Again their familiar faces lend some weight to their roles, it doesn't add more depth as compared to the leads. Simon Yam is again the crazed and charismatic leader of the mob, with Francis Ng taking on a more subdued role together with Anthony Wong, who actually had the best role amongst the offering as the man faced with the colossal task of deciding where his loyalties lie.

Unlike Election with its political undertones, Exiled in my opinion steered quite clear and is what it is, a good old fashioned HK triad picture with heavy focus on friendship and brotherhood. Perhaps the only observatory comment made is the ineffectiveness of the police, more due to cowardice rather than corruption.