Exiled (2006)
Exiled (2006) 8/10
Johnnie To is on a winning streak these days. After the excellent Election 2, To gives us Exiled, a ’sequel’ to his critically acclaimed 1999 film The Mission.
Exiled is sort of a sequel to the Mission, and those familiar with the Mission’s plotline will better understand it. But watching the Mission is not a prerequisite to understanding the Exiled. Johnnie To goes overboard to give a stylishly executed tale of the triad that explores familiar themes and hearkens back to good old days of the 90s when the HK film industry was at its peak.
The strength of the film clearly comes from the superlative performance of its cast. Anthony Wong and Francis Ng are the bedrock of the film, and even Simon Yam’s somewhat over the top role is endearing. Only Richie Ren seems out of place as a sharpshooting corrupt cop.
Actionwise, it plays like a ballet of bullets. One brilliant scene in a makeshift illegal clinic plays out flawlessly, including a superbly edited long shot that tracks down a flight of stairs. It is these kinds of virtuoso shots that drive home the point that Johnnie To is really, really good.
Of course, there are big holes in the plot and the film emphasizes mood and the fellowship of the men at the expense of believability and character development. The action scenes are fluidly done but suffers from the rambo syndrome where the bullets magically never hit our protagonists. Plus the plot seems to be a rehash of older films and does not offer anything new.
Still for all its little flaws, The Exiled is good old HK film making with a big dose of style and a solid performance by its cast.
