EXILED (2006)

On the odd occasion when you come to review a movie, it can sometimes prove to be quite a challenge to convey a sense of how good it actually is. Sure, the reviewer can sit down and pen a string of superlatives about narratives, photography and onscreen performances from the talent, but sometimes it just isn't enough to articulate the sheer brilliance of the film in question. That, for me at least, is certainly the case with Exiled, the latest sublime offering from Hong Kong director Johnnie To, which rates as the best movie of any genre or country that this writer saw last year.

It’s the story of four hired guns who meet outside the home of Wo (Nick Cheung), a former gang land thug who has been marked for execution by his old boss. Two of the four, Blaze (Anthony Wong) and the portly Fat (Suet Lam) are present to kill their old 'colleague', whereas the other two, Tai (Francis Ng) and Cat (Roy Cheung), have been ordered to protect Wo at all costs. As they oil their weapons and prepare for war, an unsuspecting Wo arrives in their midst and greets them, mistaking the scene for an old pal's reunion, and invites them in to eat. In amiable talks across dinner, Blaze reveals to Wo and his wife Jin (superbly played by Josie Ho) that he will stop at nothing to fulfil his mission, and Tai responds that he will do anything he can to keep the marked man alive. The banter continues over drinks late into the night, until all hell finally breaks loose, as a gripping, dramatic gunfight is played out on the top floor of Wo's house.
Anthony Wong told me in a recent interview that, despite being a very good shot, he isn't fond of acting in gun battles, due to the extreme level of danger; when watching exchanges such as these it's easy to see why, with hundreds of rounds being swiftly expended in close quarters, not to mention the cordite and gunpowder pinging around on the set. As the smoke clears a ceasefire is agreed and, with Wo in tow despite the protestations of Jin, the five formulate a plan to eliminate Boss Fay (Simon Yam), the mobster who ordered Wo's death. A desperate battle in an upmarket restaurant follows but the hit is bungled, leaving Wo dead. The four survivors flee the city, with Fay’s death squads and vengeful widow Jin hot on their heels. After wandering in the wilderness pondering their futures, the quartet toss a coin to decide their fate; it decrees that they must intercept and steal a shipment of gold bullion that Fay also plans to procure...

Exiled is a pulsating, captivating and dynamic production, with a superb cast and excellent script. The subtle, often understated performances of Wong, Lam and Cheung allows the simplest of scenes to hold the interest effortlessly, and Ng balances out the cool, calculating intensity of Wong et al, playing a role akin to a human time bomb. Yam also puts in an entertaining immense display, hamming up the character of Lok, the Triad chairman he played in To's outstanding Election and Election 2. And Josie Ho, playing Wo's widow, proves the idiom that hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, or bereaved as in this case. Aesthetically, the film features the first rate action photography that would be expected from To, and he also employs a suitably Morricone-like soundtrack which really sets the tone for many of the sequences, especially during the wise guy face-off at the start.
Johnnie To has once again delivered the goods, with a superbly crafted film featuring stunning gunfights, as well as plenty of substance and even, at times, a subtle air of the absurd. At first glance, he seems to specialize in making movies involving gangsters, which might suggest a slightly one track approach to his style of filmmaking, but nothing could be further from the truth. For anyone who's seen even a few of his movies, it's obvious that he enjoys exploring the different flavours of the genre within his films, with, say, PTU offering a completely different experience to Full Time Killer, in a way that Martin Scourses' Mean Streets can't really be compared to Casino.

In various quarters, lazy journalism has prompted some to brand Exiled as a remake of To's The Mission, as it features virtually the same cast. However, on closer inspection (i.e. if you actually watch both movies), the contexts and themes in two movies flow in a very different direction, rendering this particular criticism as nonsense. Think Infernal Affairs meets The Wild Bunch, and you'll be on the way. In closing then, for what it's worth, that's my list of superlatives about this phenomenal film, and I'm sticking with them.