BIG MOVIE FREAK - Exiled (Fong juk)

E X I L E D ( F O N G J U K )

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Despite the similarities, Exiled stayed closer to its roots while Life experimented with “arthouse” elements (e.g. ponderous sequences of characters performing everyday mundane tasks). If you’re not impressed by the unconventional diversions or even the rather fantastical genre itself, at least Exiled delivers more excitingly choreographed shootouts than the underwhelming Life, which not only pays tribute to Woo, but even Sergio Leone as well. In fact, there is quite a number of Leone references, harmonicas and all, especially one sequence blatantly taken from For A Few Dollars More. Director Johnnie To Kei-Fung sure knows his Once Upon a Time in the West.

And that only explains the first ten minutes of the movie. Exiled reminds me of Korean flick A Bittersweet Life, another John Woo homage that manages to be both generic and offbeat at the same time. Not that Exiled or Life are twist-laden movies, just that the two often detour into amusing subplots or mildly surprising developments before getting back to the basics of their well-worn male fantasy genre – heroic blood-shedding, brotherly love, and slow-motion gunplay.

For a few patacas more
Hearing news of Wo’s (Nick Cheung Ka-Fai) return to Macau, Boss Fay (Simon Yam Tat-Wah) instructs Blaze (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang) and Fat (Lam Suet) to hunt down and eliminate the man who tried to assassinate him. Despite being childhood friends of Wo's, Blaze and Fat are bound by a code of honour to fulfill their task. Standing in their way are fellow assassins Tai (Francis Ng Chun-Yu) and Cat (Roy Cheung Yiu-Yeung), who are out to protect Wo.

I was hoping for something deeper out of Boss Fay instead of a cardboard cut-out villain, while Gordon Lam Ka-Tung’s (from Election) wasted playing the pointless Boss Keung role. Eddie Cheung Siu-Fai (also from Election) plays against type here with a character that’s “quieter” than his typically verbose gangster roles, but all I can say about his quirky performance is that you’ll either like it or hate it.

All in all, I definitely enjoyed Exiled. It may be a while before we see another badass To, Wong, Yam, Ng, Lam and (Roy) Cheung collaboration (they’ve previously ganged up in the surprisingly impressive The Mission). I also have a soft spot for Leone homage (see The Punisher) and unrealistically fun ballistic battles. And Richie Ren (from To’s Breaking News) turns up for a cameo that’s just too badass to describe.

Special, special thanks to Pitye for this excellent Christmas present. - BMF