Exiled

Infobox Film
name = Exiled


caption = Exiled movie poster
director = Johnnie To
producer = Johnnie To
writer = Szeto Kam-Yuen
Yip Tin-Shing
Milkyway Creative Team
starring = Anthony Wong
Nick Cheung
Francis Ng
Simon Yam
Roy Cheung
Lam Suet
music = Dave Klotz
Guy Zerafa
cinematography = Cheng Siu-Keung
editing = David Richardson
distributor = flagicon|Hong Kong Media Asia Distribution Ltd.
flagicon|USA Magnolia Pictures
released = flagicon|Italy September 6, 2006 (Venice Film Festival)
flagicon|USA October 19, 2006
flagicon|France April 4, 2007
flagicon|Norway April 12, 2007
flagicon|US August 31st, 2007 (limited)
runtime = 100 min.
country = Hong Kong
language = Cantonese
budget = HKD 35,000,000 (estimate)
website = http://www.exiledthemovie.com
amg_id = 1:357172
imdb_id = 0796212

Infobox movie certificates
Argentina =
Australia =
Austria =
Belgium =
Brazil =
Bulgaria =
Canada =
Canada (Alberta) =
Canada (BC/SK) =
Canada (Ontario) =
Canada (Manitoba) =
Canada (Maritime) =
Canada (Quebec) =
Canada (Home Video) =
Chile =
Colombia =
Cyprus =
Czech_Republic =
Denmark =
Finland =
France =
Germany =
Greece =
Hong_Kong = III (uncut)
IIB (cut)
Hungary =
Iceland =
India =
Indonesia =
Ireland =
Israel =
Italy =
Japan =
Luxembourg =
Malaysia =
Malta =
Mexico =
Netherlands =
New_Zealand =
Norway =
Peru =
Philippines =
Poland =
Portugal =
Puerto_Rico =
Romania =
Singapore =
Slovakia =
South_Africa =
South_Korea =
Spain =
Sweden =
Switzerland =
Taiwan =
Thailand =
United_Kingdom =
United_States = R
Uruguay =

"Exiled" (zh-tcy|t=放‧逐|cy="Fong‧juk") is a 2006 Hong Kong action crime drama film produced and directed by Johnnie To, and starring Anthony Wong, Nick Cheung, Francis Ng, and Simon Yam. The action takes place in contemporary Macau.

Plot

In 1998 Macau, former mobster Wo (Nick Cheung) lives quietly with his wife, Jin (Josie Ho), and his newborn child in a nondescript apartment, having turned over a new leaf. But vengeful mob boss Fay (Simon Yam)-- who Wo once tried to assassinate--has dispatched a pair of aging hitmen to cut that peaceful existence short. Once arrived, killers Blaze (Anthony Wong) and Fat (Lam Suet) finds a second pair of hitmen, Tai (Francis Ng) and Cat (Roy Cheung) who are determined to protect Wo. After a brief showdown, the whole group lays their weapons down and bonds over dinner--after all, these men grew up together in the same gang. Reunited and hungry for another score, they plot a gold heist while a furious Fay adds the defiant clique to his hit list.

Cast

* Anthony Wong Chau Sang - Blaze
* Francis Ng - Tai
* Nick Cheung - Wo
* Roy Cheung - Cat
* Lam Suet - Fat
* Josie Ho - Jin, Wo's wife
* Simon Yam - Boss Fay
* Richie Ren - Sergeant Chen
* Ellen Chan - Hooker
* Cheung Siu-Fai - Jeff
* Hui Shiu Hung - Sergeant Shan
* Lam Ka-Tung - Boss Keung
* Tam Ping-Man - Uncle Fortune
* Wong Chi-Wai - Darkie

Reception

Festivals

"Exiled" was shown in Competition at the 2006 Venice Film Festival. It was also shown at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival, the 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival, 2007 8th Jeonju International Film Festival and the 2007 Seattle International Film Festival.

Category III Rating

The film was awarded a Category III rating (18+ restriction), particularly for one scene showing Simon Yam's character shaking hands with another gangster with their left hands turned around, making a triads agreement handshake. The scene is present on the Mega-Star uncut Limited Edition DVD. However, only the Category IIB cut version was released in Hong Kong theatrically.

Box Office

"Exiled" was released in Hong Kong on October 19. The film, on opening weekend, grossed a total of HK$47,533. The film's total HK box-office take was $687,434.

It was later released in the United States with an R-rating by the MPAA "for strong violence and some sexual content." Following its limited released in the United States, "Exiled" grossed US$20,351 on opening weekend. The film's total gross was $49,413.

Distribution

Magnolia Pictures acquired the North American rights of "Exiled" and the film was given a limited release as of August 31, 2007. The North American DVD version of the film was released on January 11, 2008.

Critical Reception

"Exiled" received fairly good reviews in the United States. The film is currently one of the highest-rated limited-release films of 2006 on Rotten Tomatoes at 81%. Critics often made comparisons to the early spaghetti western pictures made by filmmakers such as Sergio Leone and Sam Peckinpah, hailing the film for its action sequences and dark humour. Newsweek Magazine even awarded the film at number 4 as one of 2007's "Best Action Movie Scenes" [ [http://www.newsweek.com/id/77766 Best Movie Action Scenes | Newsweek Movies | Newsweek.com ] ]

Some critics, however, were less enthusiastic by the film. Film critic Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times", awarded the film a 2.5 star rating, writing: [ [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070906/REVIEWS/709060301 :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: reviews (xhtml) ] ]

Remake

Hong Kong film distributor Media Asia Group has announced a remake of "Exiled". The company brokered a deal with film producer Samuel Hadida, who is attached as a producer. [ [http://www.cinemastrikesback.com/?cat=4 Cinema Strikes Back - Covering the World of Film » Movie News: Hong Kong ] ]

Awards

Hong Kong Film Awards
* Nominated: Best Director (Johnnie To)
* Nominated: Best Film Editing (David Richardson)
* Nominated: Best Cinematography (Cheng Siu-Keung)
* Nominated: Best Picture (Johnnie To)

Golden Bauhinia Awards
* Won: Best Director (Johnnie To)
* Won: Best Picture (Johnnie To)

Golden Horse Film Festival
* Won: Best Action Choreography

Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
* Won: Best Director (Johnnie To)

Catalonian International Film Festival
* Won: Best Director (Johnnie To)

ee also

* List of Hong Kong films
* List of films set in Macau

References

External links

* [http://www.exiledmovie.com/ Official website]