Fong juk (2006)

Director:

Johnnie To

Writers:

Kam-Yuen Szeto (written by) and
Tin-Shing Yip (written by)

Release Date:

19 October 2006 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Brotherhood, honor, loyalty, assassination - which one is the strongest?

Plot:

A friendship is formed between an ex-gangster, and two groups of hitmen - those who want to protect him and those who were sent to kill him.

Plot Keywords:

Macau | Baby | Friendship | Police Officer Shot | Blood

Awards:

5 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Anthony Wong Chau-Sang	...	Blaze (as Anthony Wong)
Francis Ng	...	Tai
Simon Yam	...	Boss Fay
Nick Cheung	...	Wo
Richie Ren	...	Sergeant Chen (as Richie Jen)
Roy Cheung	...	Cat
Josie Ho	...	Jin
Suet Lam	...	Fat (as Lam Suet)
Ka Tung Lam	...	Boss Keung (as Lam Ka Tung)
Siu-Fai Cheung	...	Jeff (as Cheung Siu Fai)
Ellen Chan	...	Hooker
Ping-Man Tam	...	Uncle Fortune (as Tam Ping Man)
Shiu Hung Hui	...	Sergeant Shan (as Hui Siu Hung)
Ronald Yan	...	Underground Doctor
Wah Wo Wong	...	Sergeant Shan's driver (as Wong Wah Wo)
Chi Wai Wong	...	Blackie
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Libby Brien	...	Jin (voice: English version)
Philip Hersh	...	Tai (voice: English version)
Wai Leung Hung	...	Sergeant Shan's Partner (uncredited)

Directed by
Johnnie To

Writing credits
Kam-Yuen Szeto		(written by) (as Szeto Kam Yuen) and
Tin-Shing Yip		(written by) (as Yip Tin Shing)

Produced by
Catherine Chan	....	production executive
John Chong	....	executive producer
Elos Gallo	....	consultant producer
Maylie Ho	....	administrative producer
Kok Leung Kuk	....	line producer (as Kuk Kok Leung)
Shirley Lau	....	production executive
Johnnie To	....	producer

Original Music by
Dave Klotz
Guy Zerafa

Cinematography by
Siu-keung Cheng		(director of photography) (as Cheng Siu Keung)

Film Editing by
David M. Richardson		(as David Richardson)

Art Direction by
Tony Yu

Costume Design by
Stanley Cheung

Makeup Department
Kit Ling Chan	....	dresser (as Chan Kit Ling)
Miko Chu	....	makeup artist (as Mico Chu)
Joe Kwong	....	hair stylist
Yun-Ling Man	....	makeup artist (as Man Yuen Ling)

Production Management
Pou Ian Ao	....	production manager: Macau (as Ao Pou Ian)
Alice Augusto	....	production manager: Macau
Elaine Chu	....	project manager
Yuin Shan Ding	....	production supervisor (as Ding Yuin Shan)
Jackson Ha	....	production manager
Chiu Chi Shing	....	unit manager (as Chiu Chi Shing)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joe Chan	....	second assistant director
Ka-kit Cheung	....	first assistant director (as Jeff Cheung)
Wing-cheong Law	....	associate director (as Law Wing Cheong)
Andy Ma	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Kin Wah Ko	....	property master (as Ko Kin Wah)
Wai Ming Lam	....	property master (as Lam Wai Ming)
Brian Lau	....	assistant art director
Wing Hing Law	....	property master (as Law Wing Hing)
Fu Kei Tse	....	property master (as Fu Kei Tse)

Sound Department
Tony Cheng	....	location sound
Charlie Lo	....	sound designer
Charlie Lo	....	sound mixer
May Mok	....	sound designer
May Mok	....	sound mixer
Chun Ming Wong	....	boom operator (as Wong Chun Ming)
Tomy Yu	....	foley artist (as Tommy Yu)

Visual Effects by
Jacky Chung	....	CGI animator
Pak Chung Kwan	....	CGI animator (as Kwan Pak Chung)
Peony Lam	....	visual effects coordinator
Stephen Ma	....	visual effects supervisor
Lai Kuen Wong	....	optical effects coordinator (as Wong Lai Kuen)
Tsz Ping Yuen	....	CGI animator (as Yuen Tsz Ping)

Stunts
Chun Pong Ling	....	action choreography (as Ling Chun Pong)
Chi Wai Wong	....	action choreography (as Wong Chi Wai)

Camera and Electrical Department
Hong Chun Kwan	....	making-of camera (as Kwan Hong Chun)
Ting Fung Kwong	....	best boy (as Kwong Ting Fong)
Chok Shun Tang	....	still photographer (as Tang Chak Shun)
Hung Mo To	....	cinematographer: second unit (as To Hung Mo)
Kwok Chiu Wu	....	gaffer (as Wu Kwok Chiu)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Eva Law	....	assistant costume designer
Kar Yan Yip	....	assistant costume designer (as Karen Yip)

Editorial Department
Simon Fung	....	assistant editor
Cathy Lau	....	post-production assistant
Calmen Lui	....	post-production executive

Music Department
Dave Klotz	....	music arranger
Dave Klotz	....	music recordist
Dave Klotz	....	orchestrator
Guy Zerafa	....	music arranger
Guy Zerafa	....	music recordist
Guy Zerafa	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Catherine Chan	....	production executive
Jack Lai	....	continuity
Shirley Lau	....	production executive
Ching Ting Law	....	set runner (as Lu Ching Ting)
Wing-cheong Law	....	associate director (as Law Wing Cheong)

Production Companies

• Media Asia Films
• Milky Way Image Company
• Newlink Development (co-production)

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Art Port (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Cinema Without Frontiers (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Long Shong Entertainment Multimedia Company (2006) (Taiwan) (theatrical)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (New Zealand) (theatrical)
• Magnolia Pictures (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Media Asia Distribution (2006) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Shaw Organisation (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2008) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Media Asia (2006) (Hong Kong) (all media)
• Optimum Releasing (2007) (UK) (DVD)
• Scanbox Entertainment (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Versus Entertainment (2007) (Spain) (all media)

Other Companies

• Milkyway Creative Team  written by
• China Star Production Services Limited  post-production facilities
• Brilliant Genesis Limited  cgi animation
• Milky Way Image Company  post-production sound studio
• Showreel Film Facilities  post-production sound studio
• i Zone Sound Design  foley design
• Milky Way Image Company  camera and lighting equipment
• Cinerent (Thailand) Co. Ltd.  camera and lighting equipment
• Tai Fung (Tsu's) Co. Ltd.  film stock
• Shaw Brothers  laboratory
• Mandarin Laboratory (International) Ltd.  subtitles

Also Known As:

Exiled (International: English title) (USA) (new title)
Fang zhu (Hong Kong: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and some sexual content.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

Hong Kong

Language:

Cantonese

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:M18 | Argentina:16 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:12 | Ireland:16 | USA:R | Hong Kong:IIB (cut) | Australia:M | UK:15 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-15 | Hong Kong:III | Japan:PG-12

Filming Locations:

Macau, China

Company:

Media Asia Films

Trivia:

For the film, actress Josie Ho did not work with a script. Director Johnnie To wanted the actors to come to the set with their minds clean, so he could draw whatever he could on them. Ho did not find this method of improvisational acting difficult.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): As Josie Ho's character is praying the rosary, she repeats the Our Father on the small beads when it should be the Hail Marys.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)

Soundtrack:

CAMILLE

As finely tuned as a Swiss watch

I saw this film at the Toronto International Film Festival. Among lovers of Hong Kong cinema, Johnnie To is legendary. He had three films showing in this year's festival (Election (2005) and Election 2 (2006) screened together, as well as this film) and this was my first experience seeing one of his films. I'll be seeking out some others. Exiled is an incredibly well- constructed film. It's like a Swiss watch, with every scene precisely set up and choreographed and nothing wasted. To has created a self-contained world and set his characters loose in it. Set just around the time of Macau's reversion to the Chinese government, it concerns a group of hit men who come together when their boss orders a hit on one of them. Two pairs of men arrive at the target's new home. The first to warn him, the second to kill him. After a kinetic set piece involving three shooters, precisely 18 bullets, and the target's wife and infant son, the group ends up helping still-alive Wo move furniture into his new place, before settling down to eat.

The mixture of action, comedy, and sentiment is probably a staple of Hong Kong gangster films, but I found it fresh. The plot continues when the assassins agree to give Wo some time to carry out one last job to make some cash for his soon to be widowed wife and orphaned child. Things don't go as planned, however, and the film bumps along from set piece to set piece until an inevitable but satisfying end. Each choreographed set piece is set up in such a way as to heighten the anticipation, and you almost don't mind that none of these trained killers seems to be a very good shot. It's enough that they're all ludicrously macho, swilling scotch from the bottle and smoking as they fire bullets at each other.

Seeing this one on the big screen is a must, just for the sound. The musical score, by Canadian Guy Zerafa, veered between James Bond and spaghetti westerns, with a bit of mournful harmonica thrown in. It worked perfectly, as did the fact that the viewer can hear every single shell casing hit the ground throughout the film. Even the gunshots themselves seemed different from those in American films, with less blast and more metallic sounds. It certainly helped create atmosphere. While this and the choreographed gunplay never let you forget you're watching a created thing rather than any semblance of reality, that actually made me more appreciative of the creator. He's certainly created another Johnnie To fan.