The archetypal Hong Kong action film has been around for decades, but innovators such as veteran auteur Johnnie To (Election and Triad Election)—called the Jerry Bruckheimer of Asian crime—are keeping the genre fresh and inventive. Exiled offers a twisted take on Westerns, as a reformed gangster (Nick Cheung) befriends a hitman (Anthony Wong) sent to kill him. Together with a few additional ex-mob members, the pair plan a daring armored car robbery before ending up facing off in a small town saloon. Amidst all the honor among thieves, ammunition operatics, and mandatory double-crosses, director To artistically fetishizes each firefight in a film that obviously owes a debt to Spaghetti western maestro Sergio Leone. Highly recommended. (B. Gibron)
Exiled
Magnolia, 109 min., in Cantonese w/English subtitles, R, DVD: $26.98, Dec. 4 Volume 23, Issue 1
Exiled
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