Fong juk

Mainstream Asian cinema owes as much to Hollywood as mainstream cinema anywhere in the world. Hollywood perfected cinematic storytelling in the 30's and 40's and its influence is still present in practically everything we watch. The transition from Hong Kong to Hollywood has elevated (or destroyed, depending who you ask) the careers of many directors and actors: Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, John Woo and Tsui Hark to name a few. To his credit, one director has avoided the calling of the West and remained in Hong Kong not only to buoy HK cinema, but also to redefine himself as perhaps the most interesting of all mainstream Asian filmmakers.

Johnny To may be the only HK filmmaker who possibly owes as much to Jean-Luc Godard as he does to Hollywood. As such, the similarities between To's films and Tarantino's are impossible to disregard and, like Tarantino, To elevates the tired clichés and conventions of genre pics (the same traits John Woo is (sac)religiously married to) into revisionist works of art. But To's influences don't begin and end with Godard and Exiled hammers this home since it is crammed full of references to Leone's famous Spaghetti Westerns and also to the classic John Ford Westerns that made John Wayne a household name. Make no mistake about it, Exiled is a Western and even though it masquerades as a HK triad shoot em' up, every single detail on the screen is cherry picked from Westerns.Exiled is a good example of how a film can, at first, smack of familiarity before taking off on a fresh, uncharted flight of fiction. Despite a few clunky sequences and some thin writing, Exiled will not only be hailed by To fans as one of his best films, it will also find converts thanks to its Triad trimmings (and those in search of a post-modern Western).

In Exiled, the premise of a typical gangland hit evolves into a blossoming character study of five friends whose pasts unfold in increments alongside the growing chaos of present circumstances. While gun play cracks throughout, To's style is nothing like Woo's, where, instead of making the action the proud centerpiece, To uses it sparingly as an infrequent catalyst to propel our protagonists story arc from one escalating situation to the next. That's not to say the action isn't palpable, but the action is merely a flash of style that's deliberately trumped by the predominant substance throughout. Exiled makes a strong case that if John Woo were to permanently abandon the West for his homeland, he'd have some catching up to do with the current king of Kong.

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I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival. Among lovers of Hong Kong cinema, Johnnie To is legendary. He had three films showing in this year's festival (Election (2005) and Election 2 (2006) screened together, as well as this film) and this was my first experience seeing one of his films. I'll be seeking out some others. Exiled is an incredibly well- constructed film. It's like a Swiss watch, with every scene precisely set up and choreographed and nothing wasted. To has created a self-contained world and set his characters loose in it. Set just around the time of Macau's reversion to the Chinese government, it concerns a group of hit men who come together when their boss orders a hit on one of them. Two pairs of men arrive at the target's new home. The first to warn him, the second to kill him. After a kinetic set piece involving three shooters, precisely 18 bullets, and the target's wife and infant son, the group ends up helping still-alive Wo move furniture into his new place, before settling down to eat.

The mixture of action, comedy, and sentiment is probably a staple of Hong Kong gangster films, but I found it fresh. The plot continues when the assassins agree to give Wo some time to carry out one last job to make some cash for his soon to be widowed wife and orphaned child. Things don't go as planned, however, and the film bumps along from set piece to set piece until an inevitable but satisfying end. Each choreographed set piece is set up in such a way as to heighten the anticipation, and you almost don't mind that none of these trained killers seems to be a very good shot. It's enough that they're all ludicrously macho, swilling scotch from the bottle and smoking as they fire bullets at each other.

Seeing this one on the big screen is a must, just for the sound. The musical score, by Canadian Guy Zerafa, veered between James Bond and spaghetti westerns, with a bit of mournful harmonica thrown in. It worked perfectly, as did the fact that the viewer can hear every single shell casing hit the ground throughout the film. Even the gunshots themselves seemed different from those in American films, with less blast and more metallic sounds. It certainly helped create atmosphere. While this and the choreographed gunplay never let you forget you're watching a created thing rather than any semblance of reality, that actually made me more appreciative of the creator. He's certainly created another Johnnie To fan.

So stylish was Exiled that the Italians must be jealous, with Sergio Leone buzzing in his grave. A simple story set in Macau, the restrained dialog and general lack of facial expressions cannot diminish the loyalty that these men have towards each other, even when they have been ordered to act otherwise. Between wonderfully orchestrated concerts of claustrophobic bullet symphonies are beautifully drawn out scenes utilizing the mundane aspects of life to help further the bonds of ancient friendships. And all of this, action and drama alike, drawn forth by the devils of fate, where one can either choose his fate or be torn apart through lack of choice. The acting was great for what this was, with the wickedly beautiful Josie Ho acting as the mostly silent, secret force that foments the deadly events to come. Johnny To's direction was phenomenal in his ability to allow things to come together almost by fate. Everything about this film oozes a style reminiscent of John Woo though a step ahead of even this master of action.

Johnny To has returned with yet another HK gangland movie following his Election movies, and with the casting of the usual suspects in lead roles, it might, to some, become quite tiresome after a while. Not that the actors are bad in their roles, but perhaps with too much familiarity too soon, it may become difficult to tell one apart from the other, or at least character wise.

Nick Cheung plays Wo, a man exiled for his misdeed against Boss Fay (Simon Yam), and who has returned and settled down in Macau with is wife (Josie Ho) and infant child. Sent to finish Wo off is Anthony Wong's Blaze, and Fat (Suet Lam). However, standing in their way is Tai (Francis Ng) and Cat (Roy Cheung), who will not let their buddy go down without a fight. In truth, all of them were buddies once, and having some sent on a mission to finish off another, this broke down their relationship, becoming a decision of forsaking personal friendship for the call of duty.

And it is precisely the themes of brotherhood, loyalty and honour that make this film a worthwhile watch, despite its clichés in characters and familiar actors taking on the roles. You can probably think of no better other. Would you defy orders and give up your mission, thus transforming from hunter to prey, or would you seek a compromise in order to save your own skin? Triad life is always black and white - if you're not with somebody, then you're against him. Told in two distinct acts, it's almost like watching a Japanese "ronin" movie, given how the storyline developed, and the issues and dilemma faced by our merry men.

The film is quite 80-ish in presentation and storyline, and filled with plenty of beautifully choreographed poetic violence and gunplay, reminiscent of how John Woo would do his, but minus the doves and nursery rhymes and music. There are enough tension filled moments with its numerous Mexican standoffs, which to me are the highlights of the movie. The excellent stringed soundtrack playing in the background building tension during the calm moments, before erupting into a free-for-all, all-man-for-himself, who-shot-first pumping of lead into the air, keeping you guessing who will emerge unscathed. The pace is deliberately slow most times, in order to build up to the chaotic crescendos of blazing guns. And to some it might be a tad frustrating with many "poser" moments where the ensemble cast stand around, shades on, with a gun in one hand and a cigarette in the other, for good measure. They make good posters, but to the impatient, they'll scream to have things move on.

There are plenty of supporting characters like Cheung Siu-Fai as a middleman broker, Gordon Lam as an upcoming gangland boss, and Ritchie Ren's take as a sharpshooting cop. Again their familiar faces lend some weight to their roles, it doesn't add more depth as compared to the leads. Simon Yam is again the crazed and charismatic leader of the mob, with Francis Ng taking on a more subdued role together with Anthony Wong, who actually had the best role amongst the offering as the man faced with the colossal task of deciding where his loyalties lie.

Unlike Election with its political undertones, Exiled in my opinion steered quite clear and is what it is, a good old fashioned HK triad picture with heavy focus on friendship and brotherhood. Perhaps the only observatory comment made is the ineffectiveness of the police, more due to cowardice rather than corruption.

If you favor your gun play elegantly crafted and choreographed-EXILED is the film for you. This Asian action pix could have worked just as easily as a western for Sergio Leone had it been set in the American old West. And, Hong Kong cult director, John Woo has covered this same ground in many of his films. EXILED is set on the territory of Macao just before the Communist takeover in late 1999. Two groups of hit-men meet up again for a few bloodthirsty and challenging capers, yet we more than suspect that no one will get out alive. Johnny To, the director, has consciously placed the action in the forefront at the expense of the storyline. However, in these types of action/adventure yarns it is not the tale, but the execution which is of prime concern. The narrative is glacially paced, rather than suspenseful, yet the 'pink mist' of the stylishly orchestrated gunfights more than make up for it. In the case of EXILED, 'Style' trumps 'Substance', and it works!