Exiled

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.

If you favor your gun play elegantly crafted and choreographed-EXILED is the film for you. This Asian action pix could have worked just as easily as a western for Sergio Leone had it been set in the American old West. And, Hong Kong cult director, John Woo has covered this same ground in many of his films. EXILED is set on the territory of Macao just before the Communist takeover in late 1999. Two groups of hit-men meet up again for a few bloodthirsty and challenging capers, yet we more than suspect that no one will get out alive. Johnny To, the director, has consciously placed the action in the forefront at the expense of the storyline. However, in these types of action/adventure yarns it is not the tale, but the execution which is of prime concern. The narrative is glacially paced, rather than suspenseful, yet the 'pink mist' of the stylishly orchestrated gunfights more than make up for it. In the case of EXILED, 'Style' trumps 'Substance', and it works!

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 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.

Good luck trying to make any kind of sense out of "Exiled," a largely incoherent Chinese mob drama that at least boasts exquisite photography by Cheng Siu-Keung and uber-stylish direction by Johnnie To to hook and enthrall us. In fact, so riveting are the movie's visuals that you won't even mind that you can't tell who's who without a program or figure out how any of the characters are related to one another in the context of the narrative. It all has something to do with a gang of assassins trying to protect one of their own from the very mob boss who has sent them on a mission to take the man out - but I'll be damned if I can explain anything more that happens in the movie.

Suffice it to say that with its meticulously composed, wide screen framing, its stylized action scenes - kind of a cross between Quentin Tarentino and Robert Rodriguez - its visual correlatives, and its dark, velvety colors, the movie makes it hard for us to tear our eyes off the screen for a single second.

Almost a textbook case of style triumphing over substance, "Exiled" is a true cineaste's delight. And hang the story.