The Kowloon Walled City would be unbelievable if it weren’t for the photographic and historical proof of its existence. An endless slab of concrete and the densest city to ever grace our planet, the buildings unfathomably grew into each other and became indistinguishable in the same way lovers. The city even daunted authorities to the point it was, in function, lawless and became the territory of the triads. And Soi Cheang’s Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the star-studded crime actioner is the most culturally relevant film to originate from Hong Kong last year and it is also the best use of the Kowloon geographical phenomenon in the movies so far. 

And it’s a fitting siren song to the 73 year old Fat Dragon, Sammo Hung. It may not be the final film of his career but it’s completely conceivable that it will be the last great film of his legendary acting and stunt legacy. He plays the big bad of the film, an aptly named Mr. Big, in what is a glorified cameo in terms of sheer time on screen although his presence and the gravitas of his recognizability in Hong Kong action cinema demand more respect than the word “cameo” can offer. Mr. Big tries to profit off the lawlessness of the city and the opportunity presented during the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China. He is basically Jeff Bezos during the pandemic and that rocks. 

The stylized digital action pulses through the dangerously tight and constricting city and makes for one of the more exciting watches of 2024. 

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In
2024
dir. Soi Cheang
125 min.

Screens Thursday, 1/23, 6:30pm @ Brattle Theatre
Double feature w/ Monkey Man
Part of the continuing series: (Some of) The Best of 2024