Louis Koo and Sammo Hung lead an all-star cast in one of the best action films of 2024; Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.
The smartest aspect of Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is how director Soi Cheang begins with a grounded adaptation of the graphic novel City of Darkness. The director slowly escalating both the drama and action until the fever-pitched epic wuxia-inspired ending.
It’s the 1980s and Hong Kong is still under British rule. Immigrant Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam) who’s promised an all-important ID finds himself on the run when the criminals double-cross him. He finds safety in Kowloon Walled City a harbor for illegal immigrants, criminals, and those that do not want to be found. He is put under the protection of Cyclone (Louis Koo) for reasons not apparent to his gang or anyone. Cyclone inadvertently or purposely begins a series of events that will start a deadly triad war with his three counterparts Mr. Big (Sammo Hung) and Uncle Tiger (Kenny Wong) all centered around Lok. Can Lok and Cyclone’s other young pupils (Richie Jen, Terrance Lau, German Cheung) defeat Mr. Big’s seemingly invincible right-hand man King (Phillip Ng)?
There are few films this year or in recent memory that is overstuffed with action, melodrama, class strife, and storytelling than the bawdy Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. The screenplay by Au Kin-yee, Shum Kwan-sin, Chan Taili, and Lai Chun is a marvel of action/crime storytelling. The film manages to pack in what feels like three movies into a single 125 minute blockbuster. Even the most outlandish moments in the film work in the larger pastiche of the entire enterprise. This is the kind of action film that both understands it’s a throwback but also something modern. The back and forth between an old-school martial arts film and the newer sort of storytelling of modern action films collide beautifully.
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is the kind of adroit blockbuster that will make a fan of anyone with its skill and agility to produce dazzling action set pieces. Few if any action films will measure up to the skill, brutality, and storytelling acumen that’s present in this big piece of blockbuster entertainment this year. What will surprise is the depth of story that feels like a throwback to the best heroic bloodshed films of John Woo, Johnnie To, and Tsui Hark.
Louis Koo and Sammo Hung lead an all-star cast in one of the best action films of 2024; Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.
The smartest aspect of Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is how director Soi Cheang begins with a grounded adaptation of the graphic novel City of Darkness. The director slowly escalating both the drama and action until the fever-pitched epic wuxia-inspired ending.
It’s the 1980s and Hong Kong is still under British rule. Immigrant Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam) who’s promised an all-important ID finds himself on the run when the criminals double-cross him. He finds safety in Kowloon Walled City a harbor for illegal immigrants, criminals, and those that do not want to be found. He is put under the protection of Cyclone (Louis Koo) for reasons not apparent to his gang or anyone. Cyclone inadvertently or purposely begins a series of events that will start a deadly triad war with his three counterparts Mr. Big (Sammo Hung) and Uncle Tiger (Kenny Wong) all centered around Lok. Can Lok and Cyclone’s other young pupils (Richie Jen, Terrance Lau, German Cheung) defeat Mr. Big’s seemingly invincible right-hand man King (Phillip Ng)?
There are few films this year or in recent memory that is overstuffed with action, melodrama, class strife, and storytelling than the bawdy Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. The screenplay by Au Kin-yee, Shum Kwan-sin, Chan Taili, and Lai Chun is a marvel of action/crime storytelling. The film manages to pack in what feels like three movies into a single 125 minute blockbuster. Even the most outlandish moments in the film work in the larger pastiche of the entire enterprise. This is the kind of action film that both understands it’s a throwback but also something modern. The back and forth between an old-school martial arts film and the newer sort of storytelling of modern action films collide beautifully.
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is the kind of adroit blockbuster that will make a fan of anyone with its skill and agility to produce dazzling action set pieces. Few if any action films will measure up to the skill, brutality, and storytelling acumen that’s present in this big piece of blockbuster entertainment this year. What will surprise is the depth of story that feels like a throwback to the best heroic bloodshed films of John Woo, Johnnie To, and Tsui Hark.
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is in theaters now
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