i'm a bit of a late-comer to johnnie to; i had mixed feelings about 'the longest nite' although it is on a pile of films that i need to re-watch, but i loved the understated 'where a good man goes' and enjoyed the over-stated, if not, ridiculous 'fulltime killer'. then i watched 'exiled', which was just bloody brilliant: now, i've watched 'the mission', which is regarded as somewhat of a forerunner for 'exiled'...

lung (eddy ko), a triad boss who has narrowly escaped an assasination attempt, assembles a team of five bodyguards; curtis (anthony wong), roy (francis ng), james (lam suet), mike (roy cheung) and shin (jackie lui). they must keep lung safe, from those who wish him dead, but, in doing so, they may be getting themselves into trouble...

well, from a film that i've heard nothing but praise for, i'm happy to say that i was not let down. a simple, elegant, character driven piece, filled with great performances and little moments of brilliance; it paints a picture of the relationship that develops between the group as they leave their own worlds behind to work for lung. whilst a scene where the five kick a ball of paper amongst themselves, as they wait for lung to finish a meeting, shows a lighter side of their characters, the way they deal with another assasination attempt in a shopping plaza shows a ruthless efficiency and organisation.

smooth cinematography and editing, complement the lack of balletic action choreography, with to choosing to embrace a simpler, seemingly authentic and minimal approach. even the slightly ropey soundtrack can't detract from, what is, a great film.

highly recommended...