Exiled Review

Exiled
A former gangster hides out in late 90s Portugal with his family, but some old comrades out for blood aren’t far behind.

by Kat Brown |
Published on
Release Date:

15 Jun 2007

Running Time:

109 minutes

Certificate:

15

Original Title:

Exiled

Johnny To’s wistful effort wins points playing contemporary with the Western format. He’s reunited his cast from 1999’s The Mission, with Nick Cheung as a former gangster who is pursued to his new home in Portugal by old colleagues. To brings in a Morricone-style soundtrack but goes slightly overboard on the sour-faced Eastwood misery.

Some beautifully choreographed fight sequences emphasise his control over the format but it’s let down by the tone, which couldn’t be more self-consciously downbeat if you set it to a Smiths soundtrack. It just doesn’t have sufficient reason to end in a high-octane romp that goes for style over substance but doesn’t deliver on either.

With not enough balls to be fun, and not enough brain to be cerebral, there’s not much going on behind those pained Western expressions to entertain.
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