Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In shines as a multi-faceted experience, captivating audiences with its breathtaking combat sequences, compelling narrative, and historical context.
After a bloody turf war shook the landscape of Hong Kong’s underworld, an era of peace was ushered within Kowloon Walled City. The city stood as a fortress but concurrently existed as a haven for ne’er-do-wells and refugees alike. After refugee Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond LAM) gets scammed by a triad boss named Mr. Big (Sammo HUNG), he gets revenge by pilfering a bag of drugs and fleeing toward the Walled City. Lok, as he’s called, soon discovers that he’s trespassing on Cyclone’s (Louis KOO) turf and inadvertently reignites past resentments. As tensions rise between the triads, the threat of Kowloon Walled City’s demolition looms.
After several minutes of sponsored logo animations and an RPG-style intro, the film finally began. Directed by Soi Cheang, the film follows Lok, a victorious underground fighter who dreams of a normal life. With his winnings, he seeks an ID to find a job, but fate intervenes. The slithery triad boss, Mr. Big, driven by greed, gives Lok a counterfeit ID. Desperate to recoup his losses, Lok grabs a bag from the stash house and flees.
While not strictly a martial arts film, this is an epic tale featuring the beautiful yet brutal art form. The writing is exceptional. The action and soundtrack create an immersive atmosphere that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. Chan Lok-kwun was a strong protagonist, but Mr. Big’s No. 2 and bodyguard, Tiger (Wong Tak Pun Kenny, or Kenny Wong), stole the show with a truly remarkable performance.
My faults with this film are few and minor. At 2 hrs 6 mins runtime, it was about 30 minutes too long. What they did worked, but had the film ended after a major turn of events towards the end, it would’ve “felt” complete. The random reference to “spirit power” was never explained and was unnecessary for who wielded it. Lastly, the subtitles were far too small. The subtitles for the dialogue were ok but the narrated lines suffered greatly.
The South China Morning Post did an excellent job telling the story of the real Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong before and after it was demolished. Through this short documentary, you’ll hear from missionaries and residents who lived there and how it became such a marvel. Hong Kong has always been special to me since my father worked there when I was a child (he’d stay in Hong Kong for three weeks and take a one-week break in the U.S.). I remember him telling me these thrilling stories about landing at Kai Tak airport and how the planes flew so low that you could see people inside their apartments. A subtle yet effective touch that adds to the film’s authenticity is the occasional panning up to show a large plane flying overhead, approximately every 30 minutes.
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In gets a 9 out of 10 for its thrilling story, entrancing battles, and history lesson. The R-rated film has violence throughout, coarse language, and some drug use. Outside of hand-to-hand combat, there’s use of blades and a few guns but, it isn’t anything too crazy. The film is a definite win.
The martial arts crime thriller Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In debuts today, September 3, on digital from our friends at Well Go USA. It hits Blu-ray, DVD & 4K Ultra HD on November 19.
-Jon Jones
Photos: Courtesy of Well Go USA