Exiled

Part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s “FotoFest: Pan-Chinese Cinema Now” series, the Cantonese-language flick Exiled is an intense but often humorous homage to Hollywood thrillers and the spaghetti western. Set in Macau in 1998, the film centers around five gangsters (and childhood friends) in the twilight of their careers, who are out for one last hit. It’s an action film to the utmost, packed with men in sunglasses slinging guns and driving flashy cars, setting things on fire and seducing gorgeous women. But the film has thus far appealed to even the most highbrow of critics, perhaps because director Johnnie To is known for focusing just as much on humanity as hand grenades.

The series runs through March 30, with screenings of I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone, Little Moth and Still Life. Exiled screens at 7 p.m. Saturday and today. 1001 Bissonnet. For information, call 713-639-7515 or visit www.mfah.org. $6 to $7.
Sat., March 8, 7 p.m.; Sun., March 9, 7 p.m., 2008