Exiled

Johnnie To’s long-awaited 2006 spiritual follow-up to The Mission brings together an all-star cast for the tale of hitmen pitted against each other over the fate of a childhood friend. Seeing To explore the possibilities of cinematic language and visual storytelling through stunning widescreen compositions, the film features some of his most memorable and visceral shoot-out set pieces, pushing the question of loyalty versus self-preservation to its bloody limits. Premiered in competition at Venice and the recipient of awards at a long list of international festivals, Exiled is widely recognised as one of his very best works, an exquisite mix of thrilling, poetic action and quietly devastating broken brotherhood.