TIFF Report: Exiled Review

Several years ago, Wo (Nick Cheung) tried to assassinate the leader of his gang, Boss Fay (Simon Yam). The attempt was unsuccessful, and Wo has been on the run ever since. However, he’s now married, has a newborn baby, and returns home looking to settle down. Unfortunately, Fay hasn’t forgiven or forgotten Wo, and has dispatched two hitmen (Anthony Wong, Lam Suet) to take him out. Two other hitmen (Francis Ng, Roy Cheung), both indebted to Wo, also come, hoping to stop the other hitmen.

However, it’s clear that Wo’s going to end up dead sooner or later, and seems resigned to his fate. However, before he goes out, he implores the other hitmen—all childhood friends—to help him perform one last job to provide money for his wife and child. Unfortunately, Boss Fay is growing impatient and begins making plans of his own to deal with traitor while also working to solidify his position in the Macau underworld. Inevitably, paths are going to cross and trainwrecks will ensue.

Given the above synopses, it should be pretty obvious that themes of honor and loyalty are going to pop up quite a bit throughout Exiled. All of the hitmen, even those trying to kill Wo, feel a sense of loyalty to him due to their past. Meanwhile, Fay’s ruthless ambition constantly challenges his assassins’ allegiances. It’s the sort of heroic bloodshed stuff that Hong Kong cinema has done so well in the past, and Johnnie To has never pulled it off better than here.

It’s a Johnnie To film, so needless to say, it looks fantastic. Everything, from the hitmens’ ultra-cool chic and stoic expressions (especially Anthony Wong’s) to the smokily lit interiors to the lush tropical exteriors, is carefully positioned to look as good as possible. As for the action scenes, there are at least four standout sequences that never let up the intensity. The strongest is a rather lengthy one that moves through a doctor’s office, out the backdoor, down a long stairwell, and into the alley, and does so with the sort of grace and intensity that only few directors can manage (Michael Mann immediately leaps to mind).

But such scenes are not there simply to inject Exiled with the expected mayhem and adrenaline, but actually do much to give us vital information about the characters, their personalities, and their affiliations. I found myself as interested with the way the hitmen all work together, becoming a unit and complementing eachothers’ abilities as I was by the slick cinematography and kinetic editing.

Acting is solid throughout the film. Of course, it helps when you’ve got such a strong cast full of HK luminaries. And even the humorous aspects, which has always been one of To’s weakest links, work here. From the deadpan way in which the hitmen intimidate the local police, to the sight of heavily-armed assassins who, five minutes ago, were trying to kill eachother moving furniture and cooking dinner, it all works.

Well, not all of it works. There is a stretch, near the end of the film, where To seems to be up to his old shenanigans, going off on a rabbit trail involving gold bullion and a brand new character who adds very little to the film despite being at the center of one of the film’s best scenes. Meanwhile, the characters themselves start becoming goofy parodies of themselves, especially Simon Yam’s Boss Fay (though, in his defense, he does get shot in the balls).

Indeed, I feared for Exiled ever getting back on tracks because everything that had happened before was so very strong, and there were several plot threads that just demanded to be resolved. Though the film does wander a bit, Johnnie To does bring everything back full circle, ending the film on a note that has the requisite melodrama and sappiness, but leaves you smiling—even with all of the bodies lying on the floor.