Exiled

A humorous and exciting story about wordly wise gangsters by a wordly wise gangster director. Because of the casinos and because Hong Kong became too hot for them to handle, several gangsters have moved to the former Portuguese island of Macau. Just as westerns often moved to Mexico for the exotic locations, this film moves to this old-fashioned, European-looking former colonial island.
Exiled is an occasionally hard and virtuoso gun film, yet always filled with irony. Former gangster Wo thinks he has turned his back on gangster life for a life with wife and child. Two gangsters have however been sent after him to kill him. Two other gangsters have also been sent but these two are to protect him. This coincidence turns into a massive shootout in Wo’s small apartment, a gun battle with a surprising end: a joint meal. The five gangsters turn out to know each other well. They grew up in the same gang, as it were. They decide to ignore their bosses and let each other live.
The occasionally endearing gangsters obviously grew up in a different era, with other codes of honour. They have difficulty operating in the cold and modern gangster world. But their inability to adapt is also a choice, just as the director chose to provide virtuoso entertainment. (GjZ)