THE MISSION (1999)
Director: Johnnie To
Starring: Anthony Wong, Francis Ng, Simon Yam, Lam Suet, Roy Cheung,Jackie Lui
87 minutes, color, 35mm
in Cantonese with English subtitles

"Johnnie To knows what he wants. With Lam Suet, he was more controlling and gave clear directions. With Roy Cheung, To pushed him hard but finally let him understand what is needed. He took it easy with Jacky Lui, just telling him the desired effects. With me and Francis, he gave us the framework and let us work within that." - Anthony Wong

"It's a film that is only possible because of Kurosawa. The main influence is Seven Samurai — the kind of stillness in that film that up to now no other director can capture, in particular the movement within stillness. He could capture that just by having his protagonists stand in a scene ­ such energy just by being still. Without Kurosawa's films, I wouldn't be able to make The Mission." - Johnnie To

Someone wants to kill Mr. Ko.
Mr. Ko hires five bodyguards.
That's the entire plot, but it's always the simplest set-ups that yield the richest rewards and The Mission is one of the most rewarding flicks to come out of Hong Kong in years. Already a festival classic, its moog-inflected soundtrack, impeccable fashion sense, and stylized violence draws audiences likes moths to flame. But it's not the ubercool that should hook you here, it’s Johnnie To examining work with all its attendant hazards and rewards with such intensity that everything else — dialogue, plot, character, music — boils away, leaving a strong, astringent residue. It's movie as haiku, a zen garden that’s meticulously arranged, raked, styled, and set.

Although Johnnie To has claimed that the cast wasn't his first choice, the actors’ "still waters run deep" performances are as intense and magnetic as hypnotism. There was lots of improvisation on the set and the seven performances that result are deeply lived, the actors inhabiting their characters like favorite shirts. They also worked for free. It's well-known that the HKSAR film industry is facing economic tough times, and Milkyway Image has been particularly hard hit by this, although you'd never guess it from the quality of their productions. To was only able to pay his actors scale, and halfway through the shoot he ran out of money entirely, asking them to continue working for free until he could pay them at the end. They all agreed.

The stress doesn't show, and the film is an icy-cool diamond of perfection. From its stylized shoot-outs and compulsive soundtrack, to its precise tracking shots and wordless, complex exchanges this is the movie as highly evolved being. The Mission is two or three rungs up the evolutionary ladder and is must-viewing for anyone who loves movies.