PALM SPRINGS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2025 REVIEW! Ah, the sweet return of the action-packed, hyper-surreal Hong Kong action movie in Soi Cheang’s epic Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.
Our story opens decades ago in Kowloon Walled City, a densely packed enclave in Hong Kong. Then, it was an abandoned, decaying city whose citizens were ruled by warring gang leaders Jim (Aaron Kwok) and Dik Chau (Richie Jen). A battle of rulership over the Walled City and a fight to the death occurred, with Dik winning when his trusted warrior Cyclone (Louis Koo) defeated him. In the process, Cyclone’s wife and children were murdered in front of him, and Jim’s wife and infant son were exiled for their safety.
Decades later, Dik Chau rules the Walled City from his mansion in Hong Kong. His top officer, Cyclone, maintains the peace, but a storm breeds. The treaty has been signed for Hong Kong to return to China, politicians want to demolish the Walled City, and Hong Kong is experiencing a massive arrival of refugees from all around Asia.
One of the refugees is Chan Lok-kwan (Raymond Chan). He is a loner with no papers to speak of. Lok competes in an underground fight club to earn money for a fake ID. His ability to take down the champion catches the eye of the Hong Kong drug boss, Mr. Big (Sammo Hung), and his psychotic lackey King (Philip Ng). When Lok refuses to join Mr. Big’s gang, he is chased to the Walled City, where he single-handedly takes down Mr. Big’s henchmen.
Impressed by his skill and tenacity, Cyclone allows him to live in the walled city. Thanks to Lok’s hard work and compassion for the less fortunate citizens, Cyclone makes him one of his lieutenants.
“…a battle of rulership over the Walled City and a fight to the death occurred…”
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is a much bigger epic than I depicted here. The story between Jim and Chau doesn’t end long ago, as Chau seeks to kill Jim’s now grown and unknown son. Also, Mr. Big wants to be the sole drug supplier for the Walled City, and Cyclone is the only person stopping him from making the entire city a drug addict’s final destination.
Story aside, we’re here for the action, and there is a lot of it. It’s your typical brand of Hong Kong martial arts. The best way to describe the appearance of the Wall City is if you took a series of rundown ten-story apartment buildings, lifted them by a crane, and set them right next to each other, you have the Walled City. There are no streets; you can only travel through alleys and stairwells. The entire look and feel of the Walled City makes Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In a genuinely unique film from both a fight and story standpoint.
The place is so run down that after each brutal fight, all participants need to get a tetanus shot. The action is fast and furious. No one survives without getting your arm broken, face caved in, and dislocated joints everywhere. Many fights involved parkour from the young actors, fantastical force punches, and wire work from the veteran actors. One highlight is the venerable Sammo Hung. He’s been at this game for a long time, and though he appears old and slow, he has a fight scene in the end that will drop your jaw.
I had much fun with Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In. It’s no-holds-barred, nonstop action—relentless is a better word. There are twists and turns in the loyalty of all our characters. That said, there’s a reveal that I saw coming a mile away and a second-third act that makes me think it ended in the first-third act.
The film feels like a passing of the torch from some of Hong Kong’s veteran actors to the next generation. It’s sometimes brutal and gory, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Lastly, American movies suck.
Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In screened at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
"…...American movies suck..."
