“Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” Theatrical Poster
Director: Soi Cheang Pou So
Cast: Louis Koo Tin-lok, Sammo Hung Kam Bo, Richie Ren Yin Chi, Raymond Lam, Philip Ng Wan-lung, Terrance Lau, Tony Wu, German Cheung, Aaron Kwok
Running Time: 125 min.
By Paul Bramhall
There’s been a few attempts to bring an adaptation of the manhua comic City of Darkness to the big screen over the years, probably the most well known being the version that was set to star Donnie Yen rumoured to be coming in 2013, and for a while there it seemed like it was never going to happen. Thankfully it did (minus Donnie Yen), arriving on screens more than a decade later in the form of Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. The later part of the title refers to Kowloon Walled City, a lawless Jenga like block of buildings crammed into 2.6 hectares that was eventually demolished in 1993, and featured in a number of Hong Kong productions during the time it was still standing. From the gritty Shaw Brothers crime thriller Brothers from the Walled City in 1982, to the finale of the Jackie Chan starring Crime Story in 1993 taking place in the already abandoned remains.
While the walled city itself has already been gone for more than 30 years, it’s clear no expense has been spared to bring its sunlit starved alleyways and ramshackle multi-level microcosm of society to life, and its difficult to think of a more fitting director to helm a tale set in such an environment than Soi Cheang. As a director Cheang has always been most at home in the more gutter level tales of crime and violence, with his mid-2000’s double whammy of Dog Bite Dog and Shamo remaining career high points. An invite into the fold of Johnnie To’s Milkyway Image followed, so it was Continue reading
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