Review of Exiled (1998) by Ken J — 13 Oct 2008

For many people, movies with little dialogue seem boring and lame. But in some movies, (2001 A Space Odyssey for example) make great use of it. Exiled has more dialogue in it and more action, but what it does really well is making the characters interesting, while also using making use of unique camera angles previously seen in Breaking News to elevate the action to extreme heights.

Johnnie To, my favorite HK director since John Woo, does a brilliant job at setting the whole film up. From the odd, yet stylish opening gun fight in the apartment, to the uplifting and silent car rides, To establishes his characters sense of lost and guilt to brilliant levels, and the final third of the movie will have you sad and intrigued all at once.

This is what you might call a HK style Western, one in which characters are seen as shallow and empty, but as the movie progresses, you start to understand them better. While its not To's best work, it still stands as a clear sign that he is still the reigning action director in HK.