Sep

9

2007

Exiled (Fong juk)

Posted by luna6

exiledposter.jpg
Movie : Exiled / Fong Juk
Release Date : October 19, 2006
Country : Hong Kong
Director : Johnny To
Starring : Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Nick Cheung, Simon Yam
Runtime : 110 min
Editor Rating : 8.0
Users Rating: 8.48 1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars6 Stars7 Stars8 Stars9 Stars10 Stars (23 votes)

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Movie Review : “Exiled” pays homage to the days gone by when men were beholden to others by honor alone. Whether those days belonged to gangsters, gunslingers or samurai, this romanticized notion of a man being beholden by his convictions is the mystique that Hong Kong director Johnny To pays tribute to with “Exiled”. Appropriately enough, Johnny To infuses “Exiled” with the flavor of Sergio Leone Spaghetti Westerns all throughout his film. This is all the more appropriate as the Spaghetti Westerns of the 60’s often borrowed from Asian themes - most notably the Samurai films of the 50’s-60’s. The underlying connection between these different genres would be the convictions held by all the heroes in the films - something the Hong Kong crime genre is very familiar with.

exiled-main.jpgThe film is set within Macau of 1998, a few days before its transfer back to China. A forner mobster by the name of Wo has relocated to Macau with his wife and newborn baby. Before they have even moved into their new Spanish flavored villa trouble is brewing all around. Two different groups of hitmen, Blaze (Anthony Wong) and Fat (Suet Lam) on one side and Tai (Francis Ng) and Cat (Roy Cheung) on the other side, take turns knocking on Wo’s front door. Each time Wo’s wife opens the door and tells the men that they have the wrong house and look somewhere else. The hitmen are aware that they have the right address and wait patiently for Wo outside… all within eyesight of each other. Showdown at the Macau coral indeed!

Complicating matters even more would be that Wo and the hitmen have been lifelong friends. It just so happened that Wo and Tai attempted to assassinate their Hong Kong crime boss (Fay) with Wo taking the blame and fleeing to Macau. Now Tai has arrived in Macau to defend his friend, as Blaze and Fat await for Wo’s arrival on orders from their boss Fay. When Wo does finally arrive guns are quickly drawn and within the tiny confines of his small apartment all hell breaks loose.

The mayhem ends from the cries of Wo’s baby and eventually the hitmen gather together for an impromptu reunion over dinner and alcohol. The men reminiscence about their past and soon decide to work together again. The group decides to undertake one last lucrative mission which could reap them millions or end with their deaths.

From there the movie flows along confidently veering between the men having fun together and getting in plenty of gunfights. A few unexpected twists turns up the suspense factor exponentially, while scattered comedic moments worked well to reinforce the strong bond between these men. The soundtrack also is one of the better scores I have had the pleasure to hear in a film, alternating between Spanish flavored sounds and intense rock music. Thankfully none of the violins heard in the recent art house Hong Kong flicks or the all to common Infernal Affairs type of contemporary music existed in Exiled. The twists and turns, particularly in the underground hospital and Buddha mountain were unexpected and thrilling to the core. The gun battles were well orchestrated often using slow motion, with a kick of a can into the air working as a timer to the action. The familiar Hong Kong actors featured in “Exiled” were all consistently good, seeming to have more fun with their roles as the minutes passed by.

While there are plenty of gunfights to entertain the action film aficionados, the real star of the film for me would have been the unique cinematic style set within “Exiled”. Yes its unrealistic or naive to believe criminals would unload bullets to equalize a gun battle or leave millions behind to protect a partner in trouble but that’s the mystique or lore of such films from the past and “Exiled” shows how compelling those ideas can be today.

buy Exiled from YesAsia

Cast:
Anthony Wong Chau-Sang - Blaze
Francis Ng - Tai
Nick Cheung - Wo
Simon Yam - Boss Fay
Richie Ren - Sergeant Chen
Roy Cheung - Cat
Josie Ho - Jin
Suet Lam - Fat
Ka Tung Lam - Boss Keung
Siu-Fai Cheung - Jeff
Ellen Chan - Hooker
Ping-Man Tam - Uncle Fortune
Shiu Hung Hui - Sergeant Shan
Ronald Yan
Wah Wo Wong - Darkie

If you like this movie you may enjoy : Sukiyaki Western Djano, The Good The Bad The Weird


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2006 Movie Reviews, Chinese Movies, Movie Reviews |

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4 Comments so far

  1. 4 elvyse Says: September 12, 2007

    Hmm I’m not sure I would use Exiled to introduce people to HK movies. In fact I think I’d avoid it. It’s a movie that’s clearly targetted towards To’s fans, and thus it’s definitly not the most accessible of his films for a neophyte. The Mission would be a much better candidate, don’t you think?

    Thanks for mentioning The Longest Nite. I have not seen it, and after reading a couple of reviews, I’m really looking forward to it. :-)

  2. 3 LifeFirst Says: September 11, 2007

    I had a feeling you would like this one…if you watch Asian films. This is one of those movies that you would enjoy. Hell, I think this would be the film that I would introduce to people, it’s what I think Hong Kong cinema should be about. They certainly have the ideas, the ability to make films like this, but they don’t. They always go for some lame comedy stuff.

    Have you seen The Longest Nite?? I think you will like that one too. It’s produced by Johnnie To I think, directed by Patrick Yau. And it has Tony Leung being a complete bad-ass throughout the entire film.

  3. 2 luna6 Says: September 10, 2007

    “comment peut-il être ?” :)

    I watched this from the recommendation of LifeFirst in the “Eye In The SKy” review/comments section. I did really enjoy this film and thought it was a blast.

    You know I didn’t really think about it much until you mentioned it. I was kind of annoyed by Anthony Wong’s persona with the sunglasses and all initially, but by the second half it became more second nature. The other characters I didn’t notice as much but you’re right that they all portrayed an ultra-cool pose or under-control image. I really think this goes back toSpaghetti Westerns and the way characters in those films did that as well. I really loved the spaghetti western aspect thrown in Exiled…I found the move a lot more tense and FUN because of it. Would agree with you Elvyse that it was great. Cheers…

  4. 1 elvyse Says: September 10, 2007

    Haha, for once I get to see a movie before you! :D
    Unless you’ve written this review more than two months ago… :P

    Anyways I certainly enjoyed this film. The production values were incredible: casting, directing, music, action, etc… It was like being in a candy store with an unlimited wallet.

    But what really sets it apart is the tone. I’d be curious to know how Johnnie To justifies it. Because as far as I’m concerned the film is either an hommage seen through glossy glasses or a parody (or both). I honestly can’t make my mind between the two options. The twists and turns you’re talking about are thrilling yes, but they can also be seen as absurb (like most of the scenario really). But the real thing that makes me wonder is that the characters are ALWAYS taking a pose no matter what they do, be it gunning, repairing a door, driving a car, eating, etc… What’s To’s reasoning behind it? Taking the spaghetti style to the extreme? Or what? I dunno but either way it was a great movie!