|
Posted on 04.23.07 by David @ 5:54 am
Johnnie To, the director of such Hong Kong classics as The Heroic Trio and The Mission, has been on a roll the last few years with a steady succession of masterful films, including Election (see review here), Election 2 (see capsule review here), PTU, Running on Karma, Breaking News, and Exiled (see review here). His Milkyway production company has become a sign of excellence and creativity in cinema.  In preparation for the US release of Election and Election 2 (retitled Triad Election) at the Film Forum in New York (see link here), and with Magnolia Pictures plans to do the same with Exiled, CSB’s David Austin had an opportunity to sit down with Mr. To (in a hotel courtyard so that Mr. To could enjoy his stogie) and discuss the Election films, along with some of his other recent work. CSB: One question I have to ask before we talk about the Election films – I heard Simon Yam says he wants to do some more PTU movies. Are you going to be involved? JT: Yes, it’s our company. It will be a four-part television feature shot in 35mm. The name is not PTU – it will be called Tactical Unit instead. Basically, the same characters from PTU return – Simon, Lam Suet, and Maggie Siu come back. I am the producer. Each of the four parts will be directed by good directors - next generation directors. For instance, Law Wing-cheong, who did “2 Become 1,” and Larry Lau [Lawrence Ah Mon], who did the recent Lau Ching-wan movie where he plays an actor who’s out of love with film [My Name is Fame], and he did “Spacked Out” for Milkyway, and “Gimme Gimme.” Universe financed it; it’s supposed to be something for the cable channel. Filed under: Movie News and Movie News: Hong Kong and Contributors: David and Movies: Election (2005) and People: Johnnie To and Movie News: Interviews and Movies: Election 2 (2006) and Movies: Exiled (2006) Comments: 1 Comment |
|
Posted on 10.15.06 by David @ 4:17 pm
AKA: Fong Juk Review By: David Austin  Exiled is not a true sequel to Johnnie To’s 1999 fan favorite, The Mission, but it is a follow-up in spirit. To reunites the primary cast of the earlier film, Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Roy Cheung and Lam Suet (though Jackie Lui has been replaced by current To fave, Nick Cheung), and sets them in action like dominos. However, The Mission, in which the men are hired to work as bodyguards for a criminal boss, was as much (if not more) about teamwork as it was about male bonding – one of the great pleasures of that film was watching the members of the group perform like a well-oiled machine. Exiled clearly sets its sights in the other direction. Every frame of the film drips with camaraderie and brotherhood, and To constantly returns us to a sepia photograph of the leads – loyalties run very deep indeed. The only female characters, Josie Ho and Ellen Chan, are total outsiders in this all-boys-club. Exiled starts quietly as Blaze (Wong) and his sidekick Fat (Suet) shows up one morning at the Macau home of disgraced gang member Wo (Nick Cheung). Wo isn’t home, but his wife Jin (Ho) and infant son are, and she clearly knows things are not good. Blaze is joined in his wait by Tai (Ng) and Cat (Roy Cheung). These men and Wo are all old friends, but Blaze has been sent by Boss Fay (Simon Yam) to kill Wo for a past attempt on Fay’s life. Not one man among them really wants to fight, but they find themselves in an impossible position. Eventually they come to the only solution, the proverbial “one last job.” Filed under: Movie Reviews and Movie Reviews: Hong Kong and Contributors: David and Rating: Good ★★★ and People: Johnnie To and People: Simon Yam and Studios: Milkyway Image and Movies: Exiled (2006) Comments: 1 Comment |
* 
