Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (Jiu Long cheng zhai · Wei cheng) (2024)

Runtime: 125 minutes

Directed by: Soi Cheang

Starring: Raymond Lam, Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Richie Jen, Chun-Him Lau

From: An absurd number of different companies

Featuring an adorable little girl… called FISHBALL

A movie set in Kowloon Walled City proved to be a fascinating experience. If it wasn’t for my last-minute journey to Kansas in August, I would have checked out Walled In theatrically. It’s been available to me on Prime since the start of the month but-shock of shocks-messageboard praise gave me the push to press “play.” If seen on Amazon Prime, the default language is unfortunately English BUT there is the option to switch to the original Cantonese.

As Kowloon Walled City has been extinct for a few decades, an explanation is needed. For a long span in the 20th century, it was an enclave in Hong Kong that was among the most densely-packed areas on Earth, containing over 30,000 residents (many refugees) in a mass of different buildings never in harmony w/ each other, presenting the appearance of a different world once you enter. It was a lawless area full of illegal activities, from drugs and dog meat to unlicensed doctors and as shown in the film, bootleg porn! Needless to say, the Triads were in control of KWC.

In the 80’s it was announced that the City would be razed as Hong Kong was ceded by the British to China in 1997; demolition would start in ’93. That last detail is a plot point in the film, set during the 80’s. The protagonist is Lok, a refugee who because of circumstances ends up in KWC, where he befriends a variety of people. After a first 20 minutes of action, time is spent w/ the drama… but it was compelling to me. The action itself featured more than a few preposterous moments and one unbelievable character in general; again, that was OK as it gave the audience several incredible badass moments.

From hearsay, I understand the film built a reasonable facsimile of the Kowloon Walled City; the distinctive area provided plenty of favor, what with its cornucopia of different services. Speaking of cornucopia, that was the amount of production company logos that are seen before the film; it was about as many as seen before Late Night with the Devil! Regardless, those that like Hong Kong action of the 80’s and 90’s stand a good chance of enjoying this picture, not just because of the inclusion of such veterans as Sammo Hung.