Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

A martial arts film set in the Kowloon Walled City in 1980s Hong Kong. Chan Lok-kwun has come illegally from the mainland. He has no papers, is not registered, and fights in the street to make money. A gang leader cheats him. The identity papers he was promised do not come and Chan has to run with a package. He goes into the Walled City. The Walled City is a place with its own rules. No state has full authority; inside there are floors built without permission, electrical lines, dentists, workshops and tens of thousands of people. Cyclone runs it. He keeps order by an agreement and does not let the outside gang in. Chan is accepted. He works at a barber's, becomes friends with the young men of the City, and finds a place to belong. From there the film is a siege. The gang outside breaks the agreement and comes in. What the narrative is interested in is not fighting but a place: what the film really describes is a neighbourhood, and what the characters defend is a street, a shop and a roof. The City itself was built from scratch. The production constructed a full-scale set; the corridors, dripping pipes and narrow stairs are the film's real strength. The fights take place in tight spaces. The choreography uses the setting; walls, ceilings and stairwells are part of the movement. The film was a large box office success in Hong Kong and among the most watched local productions of its year. Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau and Philip Ng are in the cast. Soi Cheang directed. Who it is for: anyone who likes Hong Kong action cinema and fighting that depends on a setting. Who it is not for: anyone looking for depth of character; the plot is crowded, the supporting figures are left half-finished, and the last section slides into the supernatural.