#九龍城寨���圍城

[boardsdonthitback]

Raymond Lam , Philip Ng - Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

[xinyuehui]

⸺ "My boss, Cyclone, is amazing at cutting hair. He's been doing my hair since I was young, including this charming curly hairstyle I have now."

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

[qilingxiong]

九龍城寨之圍城 | Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

I've rewatched this movie more than once, since seeing it in theatres back in August, and each time was just as good as the first if not better. Given that, I now have many thoughts so I'm subjecting y'all to listening to why you should watch it:

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (九龍城寨之圍城 or gau2 lung4 sing4 zaai6 zi1 wai4 sing4) is a martial arts action/crime film directed by Soi Cheang. It is an adaptation of the manhua City of Darkness by Andy Seto, and its source novel of the same name by Yuyi. The film's cast has established Hong Kong names folded in with newer-generation actors, starring Raymond Lam, Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, Richie Jen, Terrance Lau, Philip Ng, German Cheung, and Tony Wu (Aaron Kwok gets a cameo role, too).

At a broad glance, the movie follows several major triads in 1980s Hong Kong and their power struggle to control the Kowloon Walled City (a densely populated urban enclave, which for decades evaded direct governance by either the British colonial or Chinese powers in the area). We're introduced to the KWC and the triads' major players through the eyes of Chan Lok-Kwan (Raymond Lam), a man fleeing Vietnam and attempting to make a life for himself in HK. He winds up seeking refuge in the KWC, and comes to call both the city and the people he meets in it a home worth defending.

The narrative itself is not the most complex, but if you enjoy '80s Hong Kong films in these genres, it's solid fare and a harkening back to that decade. All the major themes like brotherhood (and brotherhood vs blood), vengeance, and struggle with conflicting loyalties are there, alongside an internal search for identity and belonging within Hong Kong. But the highlight in it is that the plot connects feast after feast of utterly stunning fight choreography, made all the more impressive by the fact that, according to Louis Koo, quite a few major cast members had never filmed this kind of action before. All their training was done just for TotW, and oh, does it pay off. I can't make good gifs, so you'll have to watch and see for yourself. It's not action for action's sake, either; listening to the head stunt choreographer discuss how different characters' fighting styles were crafted shows off how fight scenes aren't breaks in the story, they tell the story, and deepen our understanding of the characters.

The setting of the Kowloon Walled City truly makes the action in TotW stand out. It's a unique space to stage all these major fights, as the KWC's buildings at the time were packed together close enough to resemble a singular block from the outside. Once inside, it's a stacked, dark maze of uneven paths, stairs, and rickety roofs, with electrical and television cabling snaking over/around/through everything. Fight scenes in these streets feel thrillingly claustrophobic, with lots of acrobatics and near-dodges as characters navigate these tight alleys of the KWC. Each impact as a character goes flying into a wall, or is launched down a flight of stairs or onto a roof, is wonderfully visceral to watch.

All credit and hopefully awards are due to the production and set design teams for their work, in crafting this environment for the story and its fights. The visual/spatial representation of the KWC is the film's other glorious highlight, alongside the choreography. Whole streets of the KWC were recreated for this, filled with every mundane, period-accurate detail from the lives of ordinary people who would have lived there. It's impossible to catch all the intricacies put into making the KWC come to life again onscreen, just from watching the film. Shots like the credits sequence offer close-ups of harder-to-see details, and videos like a tour of the KWC set by Terrance Lau, acting as his character Shin, show off things from the drinks in the fridge at the corner store to the scribbled writing on the walls by the public taps. This film was designed with a drive to faithfully represent what the Kowloon Walled City had been like, how it looked when it was lived in, and they achieved it to an incredible degree.

That dedication extends to more than just the sets, though. The emotional core of TotW revolves around the KWC's inhabitants, and how they were the ones who made the city what it was, a home for about 35,000 people at a time. The film doesn't treat the KWC as just an eye-catching location to stage some fights; its characters might be fictional and overloaded with jianghu powers, but it goes out of its way to show how ordinary people might have lived, worked, and socialized within the historic city. It shows off why, despite its (not unwarranted) dark reputation, so many chose to live in a place that was once the densest urban center on the planet.

And this brings us to the acting, because the cast all do a very good job bringing their characters to life as the heart of the KWC. Louis Koo is fucking fantastic and arguably the scene stealer of the film as Cyclone, the triad leader in current charge of the KWC. He's grumpy, magnetic, and dangerous when he must be, but he also cares so very, very deeply about the inhabitants within his jurisdiction. Terrance Lau's Shin acts as his charismatic and capable right hand man, as well as protégé to Cyclone, befriending Chan Lok-Kwan and helping him become accustomed to life in the KWC. These two, along with the snarky Twelfth Master (Tony Wu) and the masked + imposing AV (German Cheung) become a quartet with great chemistry and friendship, the next generation to watch over and protect the Kowloon Walled City. Outside the KWC cast, antagonist figures like Sammo Hung, Philip Ng, and Richie Jen's characters are intimidating and compelling as threats to the city, and the lives people have etched out within its walls.

All of these things put together, and Twilight of the Warriors is a deeply fun, enjoyable, and rewatchable film (so good, in fact, that Hong Kong has submitted it as its nomination for the 2025 Oscars). The movie doesn't lose its emotional throughline in the promise of an action-packed ride it fully delivers on, and it uses its narrative, setting, and choreography to pay tribute to an earlier era of Hong Kong, as well as highlight + humanize a piece of the region's history that might not be quite as well known to some.

(The Kowloon Walled City was demolished and its inhabitants relocated in 1993. The area where it once stood is now a park, with some historic buildings preserved. If you're curious about people in the KWC before demolition, City Of Darkness: Life In Kowloon Walled City (1993) by Greg Girard and Ian Lambot is a collection of photographs and first-hand recountings from residents, recording their lives and stories. I'm in the midst of reading it right now.)

If anything I've said has piqued your interest whatsoever, I say to give Twilight of the Warriors a try, if you have a free two hours to spare. Something in it will be worth it for you. And if I've failed to convince you with any of this, or you need one more push, here's the trailer for the film:

And if I did manage to actually get anyone to seek out this movie, please tell me! I'd love to know your thoughts.

[kaipanzero]

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

九龍城寨之圍城 (2024)

[sxnyarostova]

mega embarrassing but i'm writing fanfiction for the really good movie i watched yesterday (it's called "twilight of the warriors: walled in" and it bangs so hard)...

there is currently one (1) singular english fic on ao3 at the moment-- and it's embarrassing because i took Chinese for seven (7) years and I'm still not able to write a decent fanfiction in Chinese for the found family that i fell in love with at the cinema yesterday

so yeah!! cheers to that, folks!!!

[kowloon-tiny-roach]

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In Shin (信一) Dating Headcanons

source: Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In movie (2024)

How you two met: 

It was rather simple:

 On days where the usual old shopkeeper would enjoy a day off, you take his place. You see Shin come over one day and he asked how the usual grandpa wasn’t looking after the store. This little question blossomed into friendship.

On the days you’re here, you always see him coming down to buy a few soda bottles. When you ask how he manages to pay a visit every time, he leaves a snarky remark about him being here to see you. 

“Here to see you, sweet cheeks ;)" 

Though the flirting eventually led to a playful romantic tension, so you two came to the agreement to hang out with each other.

What’s it like dating Shin?  

Since he has to look over his boss, most dates would stay in the Walled City. 

He will take you to sing at the karaoke machine, karaoke dates would be a small ritual for you two. 

After that he’ll treat you to some juice, find a nice place to sit and smoke a cig.  

You’d sit next to him while he watches communal tv with you at the Cafe, along with all the residents at the restaurant. Share a hearty laugh watching the shows. 

If you’re willing, he’ll take you on his motorbike and ride around the Walled City. (He’d drive you through those narrow halls, but he wouldn’t want to risk you getting hurt.) 

Others would look at you lovebirds working together at the restaurant, while you either help Seven with the kitchen work or help as a waiter, he’ll stay and do accounting at the counter. 

He watches you work and admires you. He knows life in the Walled City can be suffocating, most residents are already used to the rundown grimy environment the Walled City offers, imagining the current dates and future fun he gets to do with you uplifts his spirits. 

When this place is torn down by the government, he definitely wishes to run a karaoke place with you. Being the hedonist he is, he’d want to enjoy and discover more sorts of entertainment outside the Walled City. 

Then, once he’s done with his thoughts, he walks over and gives you a forehead kiss and a pat after you’ve finished your work, well done :)

[don-yxt]

救命啊！我愛死王九了！無法自拔！

[evigth555]

20241029

[gkuen]

九龍城寨之圍城

九龍城寨之圍城是近年我想看的港產片，主題是舊香港的九龍城背景，而角色都是香港演員，不是與內地的合拍片，也有漫畫式的動作場面，是近年很有港味的動作港產片。另外，是因為有我偶像林峯而吸引我，當然還有古天樂、洪金寶、任賢齊、劉俊謙、黃德斌、胡子彤、伍允龍，都是Man爆型男。

看過宣傳片都已經很吸引，每個男演員親身上陣肉搏打鬥場面，挺熱血和男人味。我未見過真正的九龍城寨，總是對我來說是一個神秘又好奇地方，就像一個傳說。

劇組斥資3億元鉅製重新搭建整個九龍城寨城景，以多80年代的雜誌及電視等道具。本來打算在內地搭景拍攝，但因疫情所限，才決定在香港搭建寨城佈景。希望本地人可以支持認真製作的香港電影，如果本地人都不支持，也許幾年後再沒有人投資港產片，沒有港產片看。

[shinshusband]

nothing, just him 👉👈

[ashitakalove]

九龍城寨之圍城

故事大綱

落難青年陳洛軍（林峯）因得罪大老闆（洪金寶）被追殺，為了避禍誤闖城寨，在城寨內結識了信一（劉俊謙）、十二少、四仔等，成為換帖好兄弟。眾兄弟們以龍捲風（古天樂）馬首是瞻，奮力抵抗惡勢力大老闆（洪金寶）的入侵，展開連番惡鬥，誓死保衛城寨這個安身之地的故事。

一窺香港城寨風光，及硬氣功真的有夠硬!

個人喜愛:8/10

撰於2024.6.27

[boardsdonthitback]

Louis Koo - Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

[xinyuehui]

"Let me go with you. You said you're counting on me."

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In (2024)

[qilingxiong]

Q&A excerpt from a fanmeet/discussion event with Yuyi (余兒), author of the 九龍城寨 | Kowloon Walled City (Twilight of the Warriors) novels — June 2024

Translation made from a transcript written out in Mandarin; the live discussion took place in Cantonese. (x)

Q (提问者为男粉丝)："漫画和电影都产生了很多BL衍生现象（全场爆笑），想问下你对这个现象有什么看法？漫画作者司徒剑桥的画风很美型，当年我看漫画的时候就有想过会有BL，但电影我看一两次都没想到。"

QUESTION (note by transcript OP: person asking is a male fan): "Both the [Kowloon Walled City] manhua and movie have given rise to a lot of BL fanworks." [*crowd breaks out laughing*] "So I wanted to ask what your thoughts on that phenomenon are. Andy Seto's art style in the manhua is very beautiful, and the year I read it, I thought there might be BL [fanworks]. But even after seeing the movie twice I hadn't imagined this."

A："整个电影团队都没想到。（全场爆笑）十几年前九龙城寨漫画刚出的时候，港漫还没有BL发生，九龙城寨应该是第一本有BL同人出现的。当时我去了RG（编者注：即香港的一个同人志漫展Rainbow Gala）看到有同人创作就觉得“点解会咁”（怎么会这样）？当然我不是介意，我是开心的，因为大家是因为喜欢你的角色所以才这样创作。当时的同人创作持续了两三年就慢慢淡去了，直到我没想到这个月我又去了RG，居然又看到了，我只能说这就是城寨的命吧。"

"后来我反思会不会是兄弟情去到某一个阶段某一个位置，就会让你有这样的联想。（其实这些同人创作）四子他们都有看到的，也都开心，但是他们未必有看到BL的故事，只是看到同人图而已。其实我不介意这些的，但是那些作者看到我就尴尬。在RG现场我看到一本叉烧饭封面（编者注：指之前余兒老师买的All信一本）的BL同人本，就买了当作珍藏，但我没看。那个摊主还掩面很尴尬，希望大家不要尴尬，都OK的。"

ANSWER: "The entire movie team hadn't imagined it either." [*crowd laughs*] "Ten years ago, when the KWC manhua had just come out, Hong Kong manhuas didn't have anything BL happening. KWC should have been the first IP here to have BL doujinshi made for it. At the time, when I went to RG (transcript note: Rainbow Gala, Hong Kong's first doujin comic-con), I saw some doujin fanworks and thought 'Why would this happen?' Of course, I didn't mind. I was happy, since it was because everyone liked my characters enough that they were making creations like this. The doujin works continued to appear back then for about 2-3 years before slowly dying down. Until I went to RG again this month, and I hadn't pictured that this would happen, but I saw them all once more. I can only say that this must be the fate of the Walled City franchise."

"Eventually I reflected on this, and whether or not the feelings of brotherhood [in the story] had reached a certain stage and place, that caused people to have this kind of association. The [actors playing the] Walled City Four have all seen these fanworks and they're pleased about it, although they've only seen the fanart, not the stories. Actually, I really don't mind all of this, but those creators feel awkward when they see me. At RG I bought a BL doujinshi that had barbecue pork rice on the cover*, just to keep as a collector's item, although I didn't look through it. The stall vendor was covering their face, and seemed very embarrassed. I hope people don't need to feel embarrassed! It's all OK."

*The book Yuyi bought and is referring to is a fully explicit fanfic compilation of different characters in the series railing Shin (信一). Do with that knowledge what you will.

[artistsonthelam]

My maternal cousin Philip Ng 伍允龍 (Ng Wan-lung) is in this new Hong Kong action movie with the one and only Sammo Hung 洪金寶 (Hung Kam-bo) about Kowloon Walled City called 九龍城寨之圍城 (English name Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In)! He got to chew scenery as a villain / Sammo's character's right-hand man; Phil's the guy at the end of this teaser trailer giving a thumbs up. 😎 The film comes out in HK and Mainland China during the May Day holiday!

(And yes Phil's the cousin with the little old lady Yorkie I'm obsessed with)

[dagss]

🎞 août 2024

a dash of christmas (2023) 1.5⭐ chasseurs de dragons (2008) 2.5⭐ l'ours (1988) 4⭐ knowing (2009) 2.5⭐ 九龍城寨之圍城 / city of darkness (2024) 4.5⭐ the crow (2024) 0.5⭐ blink twice (2024) 3⭐ twisters (2024) 3.5⭐