The Mission
1999 ‘Cheung fo’ Directed by Johnnie To
Synopsis
Triad boss Lung (Eddy Ko), who has just escaped being killed in an assassination attempt hires the killers Curtis (Anthony Wong), James (Lam Suet), Mike (Roy Cheung), Roy (Francis Ng) and Shin (Jackie Lui) for his protection.
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It's a Johnnie To film starring Anthony Wong with Triads in it. That's all you need to know.
Seriously though this is a great film. It has all of To's favorite themes he likes to put in his Triad films and is packed in under 90 minutes. One of the reasons he can pull this off is because there is a lot said in this film using no dialogue.
What might need a 5 minute exposition in one film is conveyed in one ice cold glare from Francis Ng. In fact there's a subplot in the film that is conveyed without a single line of dialogue. There's a great deal you can take away from what's going on in the…
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Along with EXILED, a terrific entry point into To's world, which makes sense as both are so similar. Both are films of Triads who become friends through their bonds of honor and then have those bonds tested by that same honor. Both communicate these ideas of personal and professional loyalty (and their occasional matter/anti-matter negation) through exchanges of body language and minimal spoken language, the methodical movement of each shootout a display of professionalism borne through their closeness. Here, it takes the form of action scenes that patiently move toward their targets with perfectly orchestrated relay movements of advancement and support as each member progresses to a point to provide cover for the others. Such movement silently establishes the way…
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Add this to the list of Johnnie To movies that didn't really "click" with me. It's really austere and artfully composed, and the action scenes are fantastic, but I found the whole thing a bit slick against my brain. Maybe if/when I watch this or Election again it'll be a better experience.
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I've always considered this to be Johnnie To's most accessible film, so if anyone is looking for a place to start in his filmography - it's right here. One of the last great Hong Kong 'action' pictures, "The Mission" is as existential as it is cool. The controlled, precise movements of both To's camera and his cast mean this film has more in common with the work of the Jean-Pierre Melville than it does with John Woo.
The real shame is that "The Mission" has yet to receive a satisfactory DVD release, let alone Blu-ray. The Mei Ah DVD just doesn't cut it, with terrible picture quality (there's actually a watermark burned into the image). I have heard that Mei Ah eventually remastered their DVD, and that the French and German DVDs offer a superior experience - but then you might not get English subs.
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BUREAUCRACY. Also: "The Labour Process as a Game".
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Following a group of terse professionals defined only by their surface affectations, The Mission is focused on the process of bundling individual egos into a group dynamic. Its action scenes are an astonishing example of the latter, using geometric compositions to chart out the movements of a competently effective pack of wolves, their steps as tightly coordinated as dance choreography, swathed in a nighttime world cast in cool shades of blue. Protecting a shady businessman, this five-man team goes up against an even more undefined group of phantoms, invisible assassins who we glimpse only passing in and have no exact motives ascribed to them. This minimalist conflict grants To the space to sketch out two possible takes on the surrendering…
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Of all of To's movies this one has got to be the most balanced and where the the main characters has the the least deceit and the plot is straight forward, well as straight forward as a movie from To can be.
Expect a twist but not a roller coaster ride. The ending might prove to be less than satisfying to those who are used to his darker and more depressing endings, but I liked this one and it's ocean eleven-ish pacing.
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BUREAUCRACY. Also: "The Labour Process as a Game".
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Following a group of terse professionals defined only by their surface affectations, The Mission is focused on the process of bundling individual egos into a group dynamic. Its action scenes are an astonishing example of the latter, using geometric compositions to chart out the movements of a competently effective pack of wolves, their steps as tightly coordinated as dance choreography, swathed in a nighttime world cast in cool shades of blue. Protecting a shady businessman, this five-man team goes up against an even more undefined group of phantoms, invisible assassins who we glimpse only passing in and have no exact motives ascribed to them. This minimalist conflict grants To the space to sketch out two possible takes on the surrendering…
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I was surprisingly confused during this movie. ( I think the "too fast to read" subtitles may have played a part in this.) It was surprising because from what i could tell the plot seemed very simple/stripped down.
There was also an issue for me with connection to characters. While I don't think this needed super fleshed out characters, there definitely wasn't a recognition of who was who and the difference from one character to another. Maybe it was too many characters too fast, or just not enough time with them before the plot gets going. I felt the group of badasses was handled better in Vengeance.
Some great technical/ tactical set piece gun fights. Overall entertaining even being lost in the plot.
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Creo que lo mas memorable de "The Mission" de Johnnie To es su peculiar soundtrack (cuyo tema principal parece salido de un videojuego de los noventas). Lo demas es de lo mas comun en thrillers asiaticos de crimen; aqui seguimos a un grupo de guardaespaldas en la mision de proteger a un jefe de la mafia (que al parecer no es tan malo). La cinta desarrolla el tema de compañerismo hasta el climax y al final esta no resulta tan memorable.
Aunque es una pelicula bien hecha, "The Mission" no destaca en casi nada. Es una buena cinta para pasar el rato y nada mas. -
Along with EXILED, a terrific entry point into To's world, which makes sense as both are so similar. Both are films of Triads who become friends through their bonds of honor and then have those bonds tested by that same honor. Both communicate these ideas of personal and professional loyalty (and their occasional matter/anti-matter negation) through exchanges of body language and minimal spoken language, the methodical movement of each shootout a display of professionalism borne through their closeness. Here, it takes the form of action scenes that patiently move toward their targets with perfectly orchestrated relay movements of advancement and support as each member progresses to a point to provide cover for the others. Such movement silently establishes the way…
-
I've always considered this to be Johnnie To's most accessible film, so if anyone is looking for a place to start in his filmography - it's right here. One of the last great Hong Kong 'action' pictures, "The Mission" is as existential as it is cool. The controlled, precise movements of both To's camera and his cast mean this film has more in common with the work of the Jean-Pierre Melville than it does with John Woo.
The real shame is that "The Mission" has yet to receive a satisfactory DVD release, let alone Blu-ray. The Mei Ah DVD just doesn't cut it, with terrible picture quality (there's actually a watermark burned into the image). I have heard that Mei Ah eventually remastered their DVD, and that the French and German DVDs offer a superior experience - but then you might not get English subs.
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Maybe I've talked about my nascent love for Johnnie To a bit before... =)
The Mission was fantastic, I loved it. Despite being made without a script (!), it holds together, even with its somewhat awkward plot development toward the end. Additionally, since it's not so dependent on a narrative, it doesn't have quite the same pacing weirdness of Exiled or Vengeance.
But whereas Exiled and Vengeance are super slick and mostly serious, and Election and Triad Election super dark and serious, The Mission is fun. The tone of The Mission is the lightest of any of the To films I've seen, with some really good funny moments.
And the music! It's cheesy, but I loved it, and I can…
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It's a Johnnie To film starring Anthony Wong with Triads in it. That's all you need to know.
Seriously though this is a great film. It has all of To's favorite themes he likes to put in his Triad films and is packed in under 90 minutes. One of the reasons he can pull this off is because there is a lot said in this film using no dialogue.
What might need a 5 minute exposition in one film is conveyed in one ice cold glare from Francis Ng. In fact there's a subplot in the film that is conveyed without a single line of dialogue. There's a great deal you can take away from what's going on in the…