Review of Exiled (2006) by Gianlorenzo L — 12 Jun 2008

[font=Century Gothic]In "Exiled," Wo(Nick Cheung) is a former gangster who has returned to his hometown of Macau with his new family. With his return, a price has been placed on his head by Boss Fay(Simon Yam) who is still sore about Wo trying to kill him which his old comrades are hesitant to claim. Instead, they want to help Wo leave town and to do that, they need funds quickly. So, they go to Jeff(Cheung Siu Fai) who offers several possible jobs, the most appealing of which is the assassination of Boss Fay's rival, Boss Keung(Lam Ka Tung).[/font].

[font=Century Gothic]"Exiled" is a gloriously stylish crime thriller with a surprising amount of substance in its exploration of male friendship and destiny. Whereas Wo has a direction to his life, his old friends do not, even relying on the flip of a coin. As people who rely on violence everyday to perform their jobs, the gangsters may think they only have one fate before them but Wo feels differently, as he starts to think beyond himself and towards his family. But on more than one occasion, they step back from violence to talk things out. So, maybe there is a better way...[/font].