Exiled (Blu-ray)

Wo (Nick Cheung) unwisely returns to Macau where Boss Fay (Simon Yam) has put a price on his head. His childhood buddy Blaze (Anthony Wong) is given the contract, while another lifelong friend, Tai (Francis Ng) is sworn to defend him. The scene is set for the kind of simmering confrontations that fans of Johnnie To prize so much. As characters loom out of the darkness, the tension is so thick you could pick it up with a pair of chopsticks.

Exiled is undoubtedly the high point of To’s work in the gangster genre. It seizes on elements central to the Hong Kong action film, such as the conflict between loyalty and self-preservation, and the way that male bonding is certainly stronger than death, and maybe even stronger than automatic weapons. It succeeds brilliantly in making these genre elements fresh through Johnnie To’s enormous talent and passion for filmmaking. The film is full of memorable set-pieces where taut confrontation is savoured in the moments before it explodes, and where inventive wide-screen compositions and crisply edited action provide a feast for any cinephile.

EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Limited first-pressing collector's booklet featuring new essays by film historian Stephen Teo & Dylan Cheung
• Two new audio commentaries by Hong Kong cinema expert Frank Djeng
• "The Weight of Honour" - a new video essay on Exiled by filmmaker Zach Closs (7 mins)
• New interview with co-composer Dave Klotz (20 mins)
• Newly translated and improved optional English subtitles by Dylan Cheung

Archival Extras:

• Exiled Dreams - The Cult Career of Josie Ho (14 mins)
• Making of Exiled (12 mins)
• Behind the scenes (6 mins)
• Photo gallery
• HK trailers x2
• US trailer