Cannes 2024: Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is a fairy tale action film

★★★★★ | Soi Cheang

A good action film feels like a dream. We realize that logic or even the rules of gravity don’t apply anymore, yet we do not care. We’re here for the physical theater, the ballet of fists and feet. When done well, the action works like the singing in musicals. When words aren’t enough, our heroes break out into spectacular displays of violence. In Twilight of the Warriors, that dreamlike quality extends not just to the action, which is magnificent, but to the surrounding world itself.

Set in the historic Kowloon Walled City, Twilight of the Warriors is a mix of history, triad thriller, and fairy tale. Its themes are of fathers and sons, legacy, greed, revenge, and forgiveness. Timeless and even simplistic, yet as effective as any roundhouse kick. Our hero is Chan Lok-kwan (Raymond Lam), a refugee swindled by the nefarious Mr. Big (Sammo Hung), who in an act of desperation steals from the crime lord and flees into the Walled City. Instead of certain death, he discovers a society of outcasts, and quickly finds a home in an unorthodox world created by those unfit to live elsewhere. As outside influences seek to destroy the Walled City, Chan must fight to protect his new home, and those he has grown to love.

I knew I was going to love Twilight of the Warriors about 20 minutes into the film. After an exposition heavy start, Chan encounters Cyclone (Louis Koo), who outwardly appears to be a mild-mannered barber. As Chan underestimates him, Cyclone sweeps Chan off his feet and sends him flying through the parlor, without so much as disturbing the cigarette he’s smoking. Beaten, lost, and uncertain of his future, Chan wanders the ledges and overlooks of the overgrown city. An acoustic, ethereal version of “Walking in the Air” begins to play, and time passes.

It’s an audacious moment not just because it resets our story once again, but because of how confident its bravado is. Anywhere else, this would come off as corny and even silly. Here, it feels heartfelt and magical. Like we’ve fully stepped into a world of urban myths.

The further the story unravels, the more ludicrous it becomes. But that really doesn’t matter; not even when the villain reveals himself in possession of Chi-powers that allow him to deflect bullets. The ensemble cast, including Terrance Lau, Tony Wu, and German Cheung, are so charismatic and fun that everything else becomes believable by association. It reminds me of the Yakuza game series, which is outlandish at best, yet you can’t help but be sucked into the narrative thanks to its cast.

When the action kicks in, director Cheang does not disappoint. Twilight of the Warriors has the same dramatic understanding of action cinema as the great classics. Every character fights for a reason, and they fight in a way that reflects their inner self. These sequences aren’t there just for the sake of it; they’re always an extension of the drama. As such, every one of them has weight and grit, even when someone uses a motorcycle like a baseball bat.

It’s also a treat to see Sammo Hung take over the screen with his immense charisma. He may not have a huge part, but every time he shows up, there’s a jolt of energy in the audience. By the time he gets to throw in a few punches, it’s like a visit from an old friend.

Twilight of the Warriors is the kind of film you can easily take for granted. It’s handsomely produced, well-directed, and it makes everything appear easy on-screen. But this must have been an exceptionally difficult film to produce. The action, set design, and period details alone are superlative. Director Cheang utilizes every inch of his miraculous set, and makes this a living, breathing reality that most action films ignore entirely. Like with the world of Fury Road, it is beyond me how they pulled off this magic trick, and how they aren’t still filming it.

In a world of mediocre action where you can’t even tell what’s happening, or why anyone is putting up a fight, Twilight of the Warriors is a breathlessly inventive pleasure. A dizzying feat of acrobatics and martial arts, held together by a surprisingly humane story that keeps us entertained even when it threatens to go off the rails.