City of Darkness

This film featured a star-studded cast, such as Hong Kong film veteran Sammo Hung and Louis Koo, while TVB drama fans would be familiar with Raymond Lam and Wong Tak Bun. Heavenly King Aaron Kwok made a minor appearance as a guest star.

Those who love kungfu fighting and gangster movies, this may be suitable for you. Fight scenes are aplenty, especially after the 2nd half and towards the ending. Since this movie's original sources was from a novel and comic ("manwa"), there are fight scenes which are over the top and illogical. But I wonder, wouldn't it be better for the overall movie if they just made the entire show more realistic by omitting those fanciful effects?

Main strengths of the movie:

1) The main setting of the movie featured the Kowloon "walled city"/slums which was depicted in a realistic manner, and camera angles were panned well. This area has historical significance in Hong Kong. I thought it was a unique idea to bring these to the big screen.

2) The beginning part of the movie was done well too, with the main characters in the "walled city" being quickly introduced and building up the suspense between the various factions of power.

3) The main theme of loyalty and brotherhood was consistently emphasised and showcased. The movie direction was clear.

Flaws of the movie: The lack of a solid ending was the Achilles' heel. It was just too convenient to resort to the conventional style of good vs evil. Too many fighting scenes led to deprivation of screentime for character development, especially the villain played by Philip Ng, who could had offered more.

Conclusion: It is an interesting film if you're longing for some Hong Kong martial arts movie. But this isn't near Hong Kong's best.

Only giving it a 6. Maybe a repeat watch and it will become a 7.

Whole movie feels rush and by the time the movie ends it doesnt feel satisfying.

Could be better if the movie have a longer running time or probably split to 2 part. Too many fight scenes but unfortunately no memorable ones. There should be some tense buildup prior to a fight scene think of SPL Donnie vs Wu Jing at the rooftop or Winter soldier elevator fight.

Cinematography and colorful character is wonderfully done. Raymond Lam is convincing as the hero and much better than his role in New Kungfu Cult Master.

The movie need a prequel to explain on the flashback in depth.

The sets look absolutely stunning and elaborate, very vivid and rich in detail and you can tell a lot of love and care and nostalgia went into the recreations of Kowloon Walled City. Also a lot of extras. And for sure a lot of money.

This is Jackie Chan on steroids. Kind of. I mean I can see it as the result of decades of evolution of martial arts movies and a deserving heir of that tradition. However I am not necessarily a fan of the genre and my experience with it is extremely limited. Still, the action scenes and the choreographies are excellent, creative and breathtaking even. With the caveat that of course in real life these people would be dead ten times over from the many blows and injuries they sustain. And they keep coming back for more, only to defeat the adversary at the very last minute, when all looked lost. Yes, it's a trope. I suppose fans love it, but it bothers me each time. It bothered me here a lot because the rest of it looked so gritty and raw that I expected some anchor to reality. But no. It only amplifies as the movie unfolds. Up to large old men fighting as if they were in their prime and the absolute offender - spirit power. Yes, that's right. They incorporated some fantasy martial arts/cultivation movies motifs - the most annoying and evil guy in the whole movie, who also sports a mullet and lets out a hysterical laugh way too often, possesses spirit power, meaning that nothing blunt can penetrate his skin. Could be a trick to keep him alive for as long as possible to give the good guys something to do, but was it really necessary? Couldn't they just make him very, very good and very lucky?

The poster could have been sexier. Those four last standing deserved that. Maybe they banked on the star power of the veterans. Again, I am not the target audience for this.

"Walled In" is adapted from a comic book, and it shows at times with its larger-than-life characters, setting, and seemingly superhuman feats during battle scenes. The Walled City of Kowloon was a real place, running with little government intervention, which adds an aura of mystique and allows for creative liberties.

Stuck in development hell since the 2000s, the studios saw huge potential in this film and bet big on it. They assembled some of Hong Kong's finest crew and production team, even creating a replica of the Walled City for shooting.

The action sequences are fine but not groundbreaking. There are too many quick cuts intended to show the hectic and intense nature of the fights, but this detracts from clarity, unlike the more appreciable choreography seen in "Ip Man."

Louis Koo and Raymond Lam, both veterans of the trade, successfully helm the film. Koo brings an enigmatic and benevolent image, while Lam offers an effortless everyman appeal. The supporting cast does their part well, with Philip Ng being particularly lauded for his rare villainous turn as the nearly unbeatable big bad.

The film seems to suffer from catering to too many characters and their different motivations, resulting in a predictable storyline. However, for kung fu fanatics like myself who enjoy the action as much as the Hong Kong brand of drama that comes with it, this is a long overdue and very welcome dose of ass-kicking goodness. Hopefully, it starts a new wave in the years to come.

Finally I can see silver lining in HK movie after all these ten years. This is what a signature movie of HK style should be like. I'm delighted to see a movie that is so "Hong Kong". Old plot is never outdated, it is about how to present in a modern way. The brotherhood of the gangsters were so touching. No MSGs, no grandstanding, no too much focus on the old movie stars - this is just what we, the audience, want.

The Kowloon Walled City is always a mysterious legend to me, I must give credits to the production team for building such a beautiful replica of the city. No matter you like the plot or not, I suggest everyone who like HK culture or miss the old HK to watch this in the theatre.