Johnny To's 'Exiled': Review
Exiled (Fong juk) (2006) Director - Johnny To Reviewed by: Darren Cenerini When one thinks of Asian crime films, one of the first things that will pop into mind are the Yakuza. Countless films have been made about the Japanese mafia, both true to the real goings on of the crime syndicate (Kitano's "Brother") and of course completely blown out of proportion (any Miike film). In recent years however, the Triads, or the Chinese mafia, have been getting their fare share of international screen time thanks to ambitious director Johnny To. What started with his "Election" series culminates into "Exiled", which is somewhat of a spiritual successor in some ways to To's landmark series. Set in the Portuguese colony of Macau, Exiled begins with two Triad assassins being given the order to kill an inactive member named Wo. Boss Fay, who has put out the hit, seems convinced that Wo's inactivity suggests he is betraying the Triads in some sense. When the two assassins arrive at Wo's house, they are greeted by another two assassins who truly believe that Wo does not deserve to be killed so unjustly. What ensues is a large, highly stylized shootout between Wo and the two men ordered to kill him. So as not to spoil the outcome of the firefight, the victor then rejoins the other two men and together they embark on a mission to contract as many high paying jobs as possible before the Chinese rule is carried out and they can no longer find work as hitmen. What seems to be a fairly straightforward plot is actually more of a sub plot, as the true theme and story in Exiled centers around the bond created within the group of assassins. The way they interact with each other, whether it be enjoying themselves and joking around, or engaging in petty bantering, you can't help but like the group despite their being cold blooded killers. Male-bonding is a theme which To has explored before in his earlier films, but it's never been better than in Exiled which boasts an accomplished cast who are all capable of emoting their intense situation to us perfectly. Complimenting the great story and performances are the overly stylish shootouts, fitting soundtrack and the cinematography. All three are never more prominent than the story itself, a rare feat in most of today's films, and actually serve as characters of their own, giving each scene its own personality and flavour. The somewhat blurred, dreamlike colors used throughout the film capture the beauty of Macau perfectly and serve as a perfect backdrop for the action unfolding before us. The score ranges from typical high octane action music during the shootouts, to almost vaudevillian stabs and melodies during the comedic breaks, but it all works perfectly. The actions scenes themselves are what you'd expect from a Hong Kong action film, which is to say they are quite bad ass, for lack of better words. While it doesn't reinvent the genre or even offer anything fresh, it never fails to entertain. An interesting thing I noticed was the blood in the film. It wasn't gratuitous or even used to amplify the impact of the violence, but like everything else in the film was used as an art form, employing the sort of confetti like red dust previously used in the Battle Royale films. It's incredibly difficult to talk about Exiled without spoiling too much of the film. It's a film that has to be seen to be appreciated, and hopefully with the R2 release coming shortly it will gain as much popularity as the Election series did. Johnny To has once again delivered a film with great action sequences, great directing and a great cast, all of which easily make it one of the best films I've seen in a long time, and I have literally nothing bad to say about it. My only concern is that it will lose its charm upon repeated viewings, but the same can be said of most films. It's just never the same after the first viewing, but I digress, if you consider yourself a supporter of great cinema this is a must buy to add to your list, and I anxiously await the next project from Mr. To and company. Bravo!
Exiled (Fong juk) (2006) Director - Johnny To Reviewed by: Darren Cenerini When one thinks of Asian crime films, one of the first things that will pop into mind are the Yakuza. Countless films have been made about the Japanese mafia, both true to the real goings on of the crime syndicate (Kitano's "Brother") and of course completely blown out of proportion (any Miike film). In recent years however, the Triads, or the Chinese mafia, have been getting their fare share of international screen time thanks to ambitious director Johnny To. What started with his "Election" series culminates into "Exiled", which is somewhat of a spiritual successor in some ways to To's landmark series. Set in the Portuguese colony of Macau, Exiled begins with two Triad assassins being given the order to kill an inactive member named Wo. Boss Fay, who has put out the hit, seems convinced that Wo's inactivity suggests he is betraying the Triads in some sense. When the two assassins arrive at Wo's house, they are greeted by another two assassins who truly believe that Wo does not deserve to be killed so unjustly. What ensues is a large, highly stylized shootout between Wo and the two men ordered to kill him. So as not to spoil the outcome of the firefight, the victor then rejoins the other two men and together they embark on a mission to contract as many high paying jobs as possible before the Chinese rule is carried out and they can no longer find work as hitmen. What seems to be a fairly straightforward plot is actually more of a sub plot, as the true theme and story in Exiled centers around the bond created within the group of assassins. The way they interact with each other, whether it be enjoying themselves and joking around, or engaging in petty bantering, you can't help but like the group despite their being cold blooded killers. Male-bonding is a theme which To has explored before in his earlier films, but it's never been better than in Exiled which boasts an accomplished cast who are all capable of emoting their intense situation to us perfectly. Complimenting the great story and performances are the overly stylish shootouts, fitting soundtrack and the cinematography. All three are never more prominent than the story itself, a rare feat in most of today's films, and actually serve as characters of their own, giving each scene its own personality and flavour. The somewhat blurred, dreamlike colors used throughout the film capture the beauty of Macau perfectly and serve as a perfect backdrop for the action unfolding before us. The score ranges from typical high octane action music during the shootouts, to almost vaudevillian stabs and melodies during the comedic breaks, but it all works perfectly. The actions scenes themselves are what you'd expect from a Hong Kong action film, which is to say they are quite bad ass, for lack of better words. While it doesn't reinvent the genre or even offer anything fresh, it never fails to entertain. An interesting thing I noticed was the blood in the film. It wasn't gratuitous or even used to amplify the impact of the violence, but like everything else in the film was used as an art form, employing the sort of confetti like red dust previously used in the Battle Royale films. It's incredibly difficult to talk about Exiled without spoiling too much of the film. It's a film that has to be seen to be appreciated, and hopefully with the R2 release coming shortly it will gain as much popularity as the Election series did. Johnny To has once again delivered a film with great action sequences, great directing and a great cast, all of which easily make it one of the best films I've seen in a long time, and I have literally nothing bad to say about it. My only concern is that it will lose its charm upon repeated viewings, but the same can be said of most films. It's just never the same after the first viewing, but I digress, if you consider yourself a supporter of great cinema this is a must buy to add to your list, and I anxiously await the next project from Mr. To and company. Bravo!