In recent years, Hong Kong films have made a comeback, but most of them have only achieved success in the Hong Kong local market. Yet the movie 'Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In' managed to break out of Hong Kong, reaching the 'Cannes screen' while also receives acclaim and box office success in the mainland China, making it a rare masterpiece. As it's been over twenty days since the film release, already we see overwhelmingly positive reviews and fan creations, I won't further discuss the film's quality here and wish to offer a brief critique based on its theme instead.
As the original novel's author Yuyi stated, the brotherhood among the four characters in the Walled City is the core line he adheres to. The film indeed portrays this intricate, inseparable brotherhood. However the character development always intend to serve the purpose of telling a story; otherwise, it feels lacking in depth and value. The term "walled" carries profound meanings in modern Chinese literature. Just like that enduring phrase Yang Jiang wrote for Qian Zhongshu's "Fortress Besieged": "Those inside the city want to escape, while those outside want to rush in." Many works have used this metaphor since then, resonating with the film's theme of "unable to leave, unable to stay."
Being unable to leave is an objective reality. In such a dreadful place, who wouldn't want to leave if they could? But it's also about human connections. A person all on his own can easily withdraw, yet human beings, as social creatures, are bound to others—habits, lifestyles, communities, family, friends. It's hard to be happy but it's not really that hard to leave. When survival becomes an issue, humans cling to the other side to survive. Chan Lok Kwun escaped from Vietnam (let's assume) to Hong Kong as a refugee, and for survival, his brothers risked their lives to push him out of the Walled City he didn't want to leave, yet unable to stay.
The Walled City is intriguing. Its history is driven by the wheels of time, with its inhabitants not knowing where they were from or where they are heading to. The buildings grow freely to attain to the residents' needs, lacking foundations yet standing for so many years, once home to many, including the film's producer,John Chong. Author Xi Xi's work "The Marvels of a Floating City" depicted this "unable to stay" characteristic—a floating city without roots:
Above is a capricious sky, below are tumultuous waves, with the floating city suspended in the air, neither rising nor sinking.
The floating people have no wings, so they cannot fly; they can only float, silently, solemnly. The entire city is filled with floating people in the sky.
They say they want to stay but can only float; they say they want to leave but have no wings. This is the state of Hong Kong and its citizens. In the film, Chan Lok Kwun's daily life in the Walled City with Cyclone is accompanied by a background score of "Walking in the Air", oh did you get this?
This characteristic is Chan Lok Kwun's past, the Walled City's present, and the past, present and future of Hong Kong. Chan Lok Kwun, who smuggled himself over, turned out to be a Hong Kong-born Hongkonger. I've always said the definition of Hong Kong people has been changing—from the 7,000 or so fisherfolk, almost considered "abandoned by the Celestial Empire," Western colonial administrators, and missionaries on Hong Kong Island at its founding; later, Japanese-Portugese or other racial mixed Macaenses, Qing dynasty inheritors in Kowloon and New Territories, Cantonese laborers, Shandong policemen, Indian and Nepalese soldiers, merchants from all nations, and Eurasians unaccepted by either ethnic group; to the massive influx of mainlanders post-World War II; to the broadly recognized image of Hong Kong people today—a high probability of being Han Chinese, speaking Cantonese as a mother tongue code-mixing some English, speaking without final sounds, hardworking, real estate-loving, novelty-loving city dwellers.
In terms of background, Hong Kong people come from the world, we have different Hong Kong people in different eras; but in terms of characteristics, Hong Kong people seem never to have changed. Hong Kong is the same, with different stories to be told under different sovereigns, yet always in a state of both a besieged and a floating city. There are always people seeking to leave, and people hoping to enter. Those who enter belong neither to the mountain nor the sea, they are simply floating in the air. Perhaps this is the city's true destined story.
OK reflection is done, here are some personal recommendations for post-film extended experiences:
1. 'The Art of Cinematic Set Constructions' is worth buying. Besides shooting locations, the most valuable part is the production team's interviews and sharing. As for novels and comics, it's up to personal preference, but be prepared—they differ greatly from the film, retaining only character relationships and brotherhood, as the film is indeed another production despite being an adaptation.
2. Regarding the question of whether to watch it in Cantonese or not, although films are internationally oriented and thus requiring multilingual translations for global audiences, I personally recommend watching with Cantonese audio with your language's subtitles for authenticity. Just for Richie Jen's perfectly enunciated "puk gaai"—perhaps the most standard line he delivers in the entire film—it's worth watching.
3. I've seen quite a number of Hong Kong films in recent years, and I label each with a strength. Those interested can check them out. For example, "Men on the Dragon" is innovative and motivational, "Anita" is emotionally moving, "Table for Six" is hilariously delightful, and "Mad Fate" is suspensefully thought-provoking. Let's exchange thoughts after watching (if you do).
4. According to Louis Koo, we might have to wait for the sequel to set up another Walled City set to be opened as a tourist attraction. For now, if you're looking to embark on a filming location tour, most scenes are on the Kowloon Peninsula, especially 'Kowloon City', which is a great place to explore.
