It is not often these days that a new Hong Kong action movie gets a lot of press in the West, but Twilight of the Warriors – Walled In, has had a cinema release in the UK and USA and is now available on 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD.
Set in 1980s British Hong Kong, troubled youth Chan Lok-kwun accidentally enters the Walled City, discovers the order amidst its chaos, and learns important life lessons. In the Walled City, he becomes close friends with Shin, the Twelfth Master and AV. Under the leadership of Tornado, they resist the invasion of villain Mr. Big in a series of fierce battles. Together, they vow to protect the haven that has become Kowloon Walled City.
First, the production design is superb and it is beautifully shot. The Walled City looks the part—grimy and claustrophobic but with a sense of community. The all-star cast includes Louis Koo, Philip Ng, and Sammo Hung, with stunning fight designs by action director Kenji Tanigaki (Raging Fire).
While the film is enjoyable the problems stem from the fight action. At first, the battles are exciting, brutal and mostly grounded, but in the last 20 or so minutes it becomes almost comic book in its approach with one of the main villains being impervious to bladed weapons and anything else that is thrown at him.
This gimmick may work in an old-school kung fu movie but here just seems totally out of place. The last fight seems to go on far too long and is in some ways, monotonous.
This throws the feel of the film completely which is a great shame as most of the action is superbly staged and performed. The big reveal three-quarters of the way through is also pretty obvious.
The film was a huge hit in Hong Kong and China – the second-highest-grossing domestic film of all time in Hong Kong – so they’re saying there will be an interesting prequel.
It was great to see Sammo Hung on screen again, getting to do some hard-core action even if he is understandably doubled a few times. The star of the film Raymond Lam does a great job and hopefully he will be seen in more action fare.
As noted, fans of the kinetic Hong Kong-style action will get a lot from the film, it’s such a pity it just lost its way towards the climax. Worth a watch but it’s a frustrating experience at times.
FILM – 7 OUT OF 10
