Just Fucking Awesome - Johnnie To's EXILED

One of the absolute must-see films of last year’s AFM for me was Johnnie To’s EXILED, which opened in Hong Kong only a few weeks earlier after premiering in competition in Venice, supposedly just weeks after shooting wrapped (or so the story goes). That kind of thing usually does not bode well, but with such excellent films as PTU, RUNNING ON KARMA, BREAKING NEWS and the ELECTION films in recent years To is obviously in a rhythm right now and it’s important not to stop him. EXILED, as it turns out, is another terrific To work, one that will delight not only his fans (i.e. me) but anyone who has ever loved Hong Kong cinema. Something of a companion film to To’s 1999 film THE MISSION (starring the same cast as different characters), EXILED is, in a way, a sort of clever “greatest hits” of Hong Kong cinema, filled with all the elements that made those films so wonderful, from the distinctly Chinese characterizations (criminals who are also men of honor) to the plot, which plays like a contemporary Western. These kinds of things can either fail miserably, making the director look like a poser fanboy, or succeed beautifully and I wouldn’t be writing about this one if it didn’t. EXILED is one of those films that mixes the style and themes of other classic filmmakers (primarily Peckinpah in this case) but then becomes its own thing and what a beautiful thing it is. Watching EXILED is like seeing an old friend who you haven’t seen in a long time after you’ve both been through a lot and while you’ve both changed some, you haven’t lost that love and respect for one another. EXILED is a return to the great feeling you used to have from watching Hong Kong films, but it’s also got that happy feeling you get from watching top-notch directors in their element.

This may not be as heavy as the ELECTION pictures or PTU, but there’s certainly no question that To’s heart is very much in this, and it shows. EXILED is not one of To’s quickie commercial jobs (like the snoozer YESTERDAY ONCE MORE or LOVE ON A DIET), but one that’s more from the heart, a tribute to a genre of films and style of storytelling that many of the great directors have embraced throughout the years, from Kurosawa to (John) Sturges to Hawkes, Carpenter, Leone, Woo and others, the guys on a mission movie. Take a small group of violent professionals and give them a reason to fight outnumbered against a small army and watch them be brilliant. This kind of movie, when it works, is an ass-kicker of a genre and EXILED is probably the best example of this genre since… jeez, I can’t remember. It also has some truly bravura action sequences (the apartment shootout is a classic) and is so beautifully shot that theatrical screenings are a must. Our pals at Magnolia have picked this up for the U.S., but the Hong Kong DVD is already out, so it will probably be all over the bootleg market ASAP, which is too bad, because I have no doubt that seeing this in a theater with a big crowd would no doubt be a lot of fun. It’s screening tonight at the Film Comment Selects series at Lincoln Center, but it’s just the one screening, oddly enough, although it’s set to open theatrically in June (we’ll see). No matter which way you do, see EXILED and thank me later.