Fong Juk - (Exiled)'

Plot Outline
The time is 1998. The setting is Macau. Every living soul jumps at every chance to make quick money before the Portuguese colony ushers in a new era under the Chinese rule. For the jaded hit men, they wonder where this journey will end. Against this backdrop come two hit men from Hong Kong sent to take out a renegade member trying to turn over a new leaf with his wife and newborn baby. They soon find themselves in the throes of a dilemma when two of their former associates also show up, intent on thwarting them at every cost.

Overall Impressions:
Breaking it down, the film is about childhood friends who joined the world of crime and gangs together, time has passed, the friends have parted and now it has come down to this. One friend wanting out, Two protecting him & Two out of orders sent to kill him. The crux of the film is they are still friends. The shooutout at his flat followed by them sitting down having dinner all together displays the emotions behind the action with finesse.\n\nThe mark, understands that he has to die, and the hitmen out to get him are reasonable with him as they are merely friends with different agendas and priorities. He asks that he be allowed a day to put together some money so his family can survive after he is gone, they agree. So, the mark, the 2 hitmen & the 2 protectors go to the seedy Jeff''s Hotel seeking a quick and lucrative job for him. Into the mix gets tied the gang boss who ordred the hit, a ton of gold and a can of Red Bull.

It would be fair to say that some scenes feel inspired by the infamous mexican stand-off''s seen in Westerns, but whether it be based on something else or not, aspiring to do a good job of it and actually achieving it are not always achieved. Fortunately throughout this film, they both certainly are. You will probably take home with you the scene with the sniper protecting the gold and the red bull can scene, but it''s safe to say the rest is merely a notch behind.

This is by far the best action film I have seen this year. It has a balance of humour, action and style that resembles what Tarantino aims for, but only partly achieves. A must see for any action fan. Another DVD pre-order for me.