Customer Reviews

Exiled (Blu-Ray)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

EXILED is directed by Johnnie To (Full Time Killer, Election, Breaking News), one of the most acclaimed directors of Hong Kong. Johnnie To is the epitome of hard-boiled cool, his films are fresh, visually inventive and have that cinematic magic. The cast of Johnnie To's hit "The Mission" has been reunited for this film. No, this is not a sequel, although it does have very similar characters. Exiled won numerous awards in Hong Kong, including `Best Director'.

PLOT synopsis loosely derived from the DVD back cover:
The time is 1998. The setting is Macau. Every living soul jumps at every chance to make quick money before the Portuguese colony ushers in a new era under the Chinese rule. For the jaded hit men, they wonder where this journey will end.
Against this background of fin-de-siècle malaise come two hit men from Hong Kong sent to take out a renegade member trying to turn over a new leaf with his wife and newborn baby. They soon find themselves in the throes of a dilemma when two of their former associates also show up, intent on thwarting them at every cost. Once there, all 5 men must find a way to resolve the situation. But can they, without getting anyone killed in the process?

At first look, one may take `Exiled' a buddy flick. But believe me; the movie succeeds in side-stepping that impression. Johnnie To is back! This is the type of film his fans loved him for, this is purely a testosterone-driven, bloody heroic violence. The term "epic violence" may apply to this film. This is a guy's film, not to say chicks won't dig it, but males will truly appreciate it more. This is not a sappy, funny comedy.

One of the best things about "Exiled" is the INVENTIVE action sequences. Long distance gunfights are a bit low-key, subtle but extremely intense. Close quarters gun battles have the usual "BULLET BALLET" reminiscent of Chow Yun Fat. Johnnie To made the right decision dividing the segments of the stylized gun battles, low-key or "bullet ballet", To's talent shines through. The gun battles are very FRESH with his usual signature style.

Another great thing with this film is the cast. Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Lam Suet, Roy & Nick Cheung, Josie Ho, Richie Ren and Simon Yam, they are ALMOST in the majority of To's films. The chemistry of the cast meshes very well considering they worked together in most of Johnnie's films. That is one of the magic of To's film making, he always find the right actors for his films.
Nice touches, such as two dueling hitmen having a drink and having friendly "small talk" , they know they will eventually end up trying to kill each other. The group enjoying a home-cooked meal (cooked by 2 of them) and reminiscing about their past after the gunfight in the 1st act of the film, adds depth to its characters in a subtle way, at the same time emphasizes a sense of `honor' while setting the film's moody, noirish atmosphere.

I have the UNCUT 2-disc region-3 release from Megastar. (Hong Kong official release)
Note: The MEGASTAR release has the triad handshake, which was cut from theaters to make it category II (rated-R). The uncut version restores the handshake that has a category III rating (NC-17). I'm not sure if Magnolia pictures didn't cut it out.
VIDEO/AUDIO: 2.40 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN. The transfer is excellent. Colors are vibrant but lean towards a darker contrast. Clean transfer with a few enhancements but not distracting. 6.1 Dolby Ex/6.1 DTS-ES IN Cantonese and Mandarin language. If you're equipped, utilize the DTS track since it is more powerful and crisp. The gunshots do come to life. English Subs are excellent.

Final thoughts:
Johnnie To deserves to continue making movies the way he likes to without any outside influence. While "EXILED" did contain similarities to his previous film; The Mission...so what? "Exiled" is Johnnie's gift to all his fans and is a welcome return to the genre he excels in. Personally, I'm just happy he's back doing what he does best!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! (4 ½ stars)

So my wife sees this trailer on one of her Asian horror flicks and rents it for us. Probably one of the best things she has ever done for me. It opened me to the world's new and improved John Woo; one of the coolest directors ever, Johnny To. I quickly added all To's films to my queue and let the Hong Kong buttkicking commence. Then I went straight to Amazon and bought Exiled!

Exiled is still my favorite film by To. It's about a guy who returns to a gang infested town with a bad past with all factions. So of course they send some goons to kill him. Well when the killers show up they have a show down that ends in a meal and sleep over. Reason being, they don't kill him yet because they want to help him do some jobs to get money for his soon to be widow and bastard child. The film is filled with this Confucian sense of duty, which makes these men's brotherhood top notch.

The best part of To's Exiled is how its shot. It's not like half the franticly handheld crap that comes out of America in our current "action realism" age. No this film has finesse. Beautiful dolly moves and steadycam work that could make a first year film student rethink shooting his action scene handheld. This guy is a solid filmmaker. He's not quite the Asian version of James Cameron yet, but he is on his way.

The Bad: Asian gang stereotypes! Yes that's right there is a dude they call Boss and he's the bad guy. He actually doesn't come off as that bad of a guy, just a guy who wants to get stuff done.

The Beautiful: There is a scene in a blackmarket hospital, which explodes into a Mexican standoff at point blank. To works the scene perfectly and it is one of the most beautiful dances of death I've ever seen. Slowmo dolly shots with 12 guns blaring as a room full of curtains dance to the hail of bullets.

The MANDOM: This guy here is a complete badass. He gave me that feeling I got when Chow Yun-Fat slides down the banister with two pistols and a tooth pick in his mouth in Hard Boiled. It's that HOLY CRAP AM I REALLY SEEING THIS? feelin. Basically the guy has a sniper rifle, aviators, and a cigarette. I don't want to ruin how incredibly cool this dude is and what he does, but you have to see it.

It's a must see.

i've seen The Mission and Full time Killer and have generally been pleased with Johnnie To's work.

the acting was great, the story/writing/characters were good, but lighting some of the action sequences (the shootout in the restaurant, followed almost immediately by the shootout in the doctor's office) were almost impossible to follow because of his choice of angles and lighting. now, i have a region 1 disc, so if there is a better version out there, get it.

this was a really good movie that, in terms of acting, writing, and directing; is on par with anything that john Woo has done.

Though Johnnie To is often associated with Hong Kong gangster films, the prolific director has actually tried other genres of film like supernatural or romantic ones. Still, the fact remains that the respected veteran is at his best when making films about the underground world with stylish visuals, and "Exiled" once again proves his expertise with his great camera and skills to tell a powerful story of brotherhood.

In the opening scene that reminds us of old Italian-made Western films, two gangsters visit an old house in Macau, where they think someone named Wo (Nick Cheung) is living. Wo's wife Jin (Josie Ho) answers the door and says no, shutting the door on their face. Then another two gangsters arrive, quietly asking the same question. Obviously those four men have some business to do, but their motives will not be revealed until one highly-stylized shoot-out begins.

"Exiled," which was filmed without script, is made of a series of set-pieces or vignettes mainly involving the friendship between the five male characters - Blaze (Anthony Wong), Tai (Francis Ng), Cat (Roy Cheung), Fat (Lam Suet) and Wo. There is a ruthless triad boss Fay (Simon Yam with over-the-top acting) who has unfinished business with Wo, whose only wish is to leave money to his wife and child.

Johnnie To has shown his great talent as director here with his wonderful camera work in the several shoot-out scenes that are impressive. But as in some of his previous films (like fantastic "The Mission") "Exiled" is not just about actions, but is about camaraderie between these male characters. There isn't much dialogue because these men don't need them, and the chain of events in "Exiled" which includes incredible coincidences about robbery and subplots about Wo's strong-willed wife, always stresses their relationship. Those characters may look stereotyped, but with the terrific acting from the entire cast, their story of friendship is a genuine one.

Step up from the dvd image quality. That's really the only reason to go with blu-ray, aside from the scratch resistance.
As with most movies, it's a matter of personal preference. It's not as good as 'The Killer', but it's a respectible Hong Kong movie.

***1/2

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 even for a single second.

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

Exiled isn't as good as Johnny To's previous effort, Election 2, although still stands head and shoulders among most recent action movies despite its flaws. The protracted opening sequence tends to feel a bit too much like posing until it really gets going and despite usually being at his best in To's films, unfortunately Simon Yam goes all Jack Nicholson this time out as the gang boss whose impatience causes all the problems. There are some nice moments of humanity, like the widow continually squeezing the trigger of a gun long after she's emptied it, but the riffing on The Wild Bunch starts to feel awfully self-conscious at times. Still, Red Bull must be pleased as punch to have the classiest bit of product placement in recent years, and "There's no furniture" may just be my favorite line of dialogue all year.

Gangsters of Hong Kong try to destroy gangsters of Macao for an unclear reason the gloomy future under oncoming gangsters of China unified to bring.

Technically staged and involving handsome actors, this horror-police-drama-piff-puff movie of male bonds and their ascendants oncoming is easily followed by liking motion rather than elementary sense and context of the screened.