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Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (simplified Chinese: 九龙城寨之围城; traditional Chinese: 九龍城寨之圍城), previously known as Kowloon Walled City, is a 2024 Hong Kong neo-noir martial arts crime action film directed by Soi Cheang, and starring Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Richie Jen, Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau, Kenny Wong, Philip Ng, Tony Wu and German Cheung. The film was based on the novel City of Darkness by Yuyi and the manhua of the same name by Andy Seto.

Having been in development since the 2000s, production for the film officially began in November 2021 and wrapped in April 2022. The film was released in Hong Kong and China on 1 May 2024, and was selected to be in the Official Selection (Midnight Screening) of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, as part of screened out of competition. The film received critical acclaim from critics.

The film became the second-highest-grossing domestic film of all time in Hong Kong.

Cast

Louis Koo as Tornado (龍捲風): a martial arts master who strives to protect the safety and stability of the residents in the Kowloon Walled City.
Sammo Hung as Mr. Big (大老闆): a crime lord who is solely focused on maximizing his wealth and personal interests.
Richie Jen as Dik Chau (狄秋): a high-ranking member of the triad in the walled city.
Raymond Lam as Chan Lok-kwan (陳洛軍): a refugee who settled in the walled city but became entangled in the chaos within and faced the imminent demolition of the city.
Terrance Lau as Shin (信一): the loyal second-in-command of Cyclone's outlaw gang who later becomes a companion to Chan.
Philip Ng as King (王九): Mr. Big's right-hand man.
Tony Wu as Twelfth Master (十二少): a katana-wielding member of Cyclone's outlaw gang who later becomes a companion to Chan.
German Cheung as AV (四仔): a kickboxer in Cyclone's outlaw gang who later becomes a companion to Chan.

Additionally, Kenny Wong portrays Uncle Tiger (Tiger叔). Chu Pak Hong, Chung Suet Ying, Fish Liew, and Cecilia Choi have been cast in undisclosed roles. Aaron Kwok and wuxia novelist Jozev Kiu are set to have cameo appearances as martial artists.

Production

The project had been in development since the 2000s, where it was set to be co-directed by John Woo and Johnnie To and star an all-star cast of Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Sean Lau, Louis Koo, Anthony Wong, Sun Honglei, Anita Yuen and Zhang Jingchu, with Nicolas Cage, James McAvoy, Li Baotian, Jang Dong-gun, Li Bingbing and Zhang Fengyi making special appearances, as shown on a teaser poster, although nothing was confirmed.

On 13 April 2013, Media Asia announced the project was to be titled Dragon City and set to be directed by Derek Kwok and starring Donnie Yen, who would also serve as action director and producer through his production company, Super Hero Films, and was set to begin production in September of that year.

After seemingly stuck in development hell for several years, Media Asia once again announced the project on 28 February 2021, with Soi Cheang set to direct while Koo, Richie Jen and Zhang Jin are set to star. Principal photography for the film officially began on 22 November 2021, as was revealed in a post on the film's official Facebook page, although the cast was not revealed yet until the film held its production commencement ceremony on 30 November, which was attended by Cheang, producers John Chong and Wilson Yip and cast members Koo, Sammo Hung, Jen, Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau, Kenny Wong, Tony Wu, German Cheung, Philip Ng, Chu Pak Hong and Chung Suet Ying. Koo revealed that two replica sets of the Kowloon Walled City were built for filming, while actual magazines, record albums, televisions and commercials from the 1980s will be used as props. All the main cast spent a year training to prepare for the film's fight scenes. On 3 April 2022, filming was officially wrapped and the film went into the post-production process.

Release

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In was theatrically released on 1 May 2024 in Hong Kong and China. The film was also selected to be in the Official Selection (Midnight Screening) of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened on 16 May 2024. It also released in the UK on 24 May 2024. The film is set to have its Canadian premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival on August 1, 2024.

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 87% of 15 reviews gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.9/10, earning it a "Fresh" score.