Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

The film is set in 1980s Hong Kong. It follows the story of Chan Lok-kwan, a troubled youth who accidentally enters the notorious Kowloon Walled City. Chan, a refugee from the mainland, is trying to survive by participating in underground fighting rings. He seeks to buy a fake ID to improve his life but is betrayed by Mr. Big, a local crime syndicate boss. In a desperate move, Chan steals drug from Mr. Big and flees to the Walled City, where he encounters Cyclone, the local crime lord who rules the area with a mix of authority and compassion.

In the Walled City, Chan learns about the order and chaos within the community and forms bonds with Cyclone and his gang. These experiences force him to reflect on what he wants from the future and what he will do to attain it.

• Louis Koo as Cyclone (龍捲風): a martial arts master who strives to protect the safety and stability of the residents in the Kowloon Walled City.^[11][12]
• Sammo Hung as Mr. Big (大老闆): a crime lord who is solely focused on maximizing his wealth and personal interests.^[11][12]
• Richie Jen as Dik Chau (狄秋): a high-ranking member of the triad, as well as the biggest landlord in the walled city.^[13]
• Raymond Lam as Chan Lok-kwan (陳洛軍): a refugee who settled in the walled city but became entangled in the chaos within and faced the imminent demolition of the city.^[11][14]
• Terrance Lau as Shin (信一): the loyal second-in-command of Cyclone's outlaw gang who later becomes a companion to Chan.^[15][11]
• Kenny Wong as Tiger (Tiger 哥): Twelfth Master's boss and the head of the Temple Street gang.
• Philip Ng as King (王九): Mr. Big's right-hand man.^[12]
• Tony Wu as Twelfth Master (十二少): a katana-wielding member of Tiger's outlaw gang who later becomes a companion to Chan.^[11][16]
• German Cheung [zh] as AV (四仔): a kickboxer in Cyclone's outlaw gang who later becomes a companion to Chan.^[11][16]
• Chu Pak Hong as Woman Beater (九索): a woman beater who dabbled in prostitution and drugs. He was beaten up by the Kowloon 4 (Lok-kwun, Shin, Twelfth Master and AV).
• Fish Liew as Fanny (燕芬姐): a walled city local who works in a fishball stall.
• Cecilia Choi as Jim's wife (蘇玉儀/占妻): Jim's wife and Lok-kwun's mother.^[17]
• Jozev Kiu as Double Blade (阿七): owner of a char siu rice stall in the walled city.^{[18][better source needed]}
• Aaron Kwok as Jim (陳占/殺人王): the notorious "King of Killers" who was ultimately defeated by Cyclone. He is also Chan Lok-kwan's father. (special guest appearance)

The project had been in development since the 2000s, where it was set to be co-directed by John Woo and Johnnie To and star an all-star cast of Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau, Tony Leung, Sean Lau, Louis Koo, Anthony Wong, Sun Honglei, Anita Yuen and Zhang Jingchu, with Nicolas Cage, James McAvoy, Li Baotian, Jang Dong-gun, Li Bingbing and Zhang Fengyi making special appearances, as shown on a teaser poster, although nothing was confirmed.^[19]

On 13 April 2013, Media Asia announced the project was to be titled Dragon City and set to be directed by Derek Kwok and starring Donnie Yen, who would also serve as action director and producer through his production company, Super Hero Films, and was set to begin production in September of that year.^[20][21]

After seemingly stuck in development hell for several years, Media Asia once again announced the project on 28 February 2021, with Soi Cheang set to direct while Koo, Richie Jen and Zhang Jin are set to star.^[6] Principal photography for the film officially began on 22 November 2021, as was revealed in a post on the film's official Facebook page,^[7] although the cast was not revealed yet until the film held its production commencement ceremony on 30 November, which was attended by Cheang, producers John Chong and Wilson Yip and cast members Koo, Sammo Hung, Jen, Raymond Lam, Terrance Lau, Kenny Wong, Tony Wu, German Cheung, Philip Ng, Chu Pak Hong and Chung Suet Ying. Koo revealed that two replica sets of the Kowloon Walled City were built for filming, while actual magazines, record albums, televisions and commercials from the 1980s will be used as props.^[22][23] All the main cast spent a year training to prepare for the film's fight scenes.^[24] On 3 April 2022, filming was officially wrapped and the film went into the post-production process.

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In was theatrically released in Hong Kong and mainland China on 1 May 2024.^[25] The film became the highest-grossing one in Hong Kong by July 2024, earning $105 million HKD,^[26] and surpassed the record for the most-viewed local film with 1.59 million viewers.^[27] It also topped the mainland Chinese daily box office,^[28] earning $95 million USD by the end of May.^[29]

The film was also selected to be in the Official Selection (Midnight Screening) of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened on 16 May 2024.^[30] It also released in the UK on 24 May 2024. The film was also showcased at the 23rd New York Asian Film Festival on 28 July 2024, as the closing film of the festival.^[31]

The film had its Canadian premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival on August 1, 2024.^[32] It will also be showcased at 37th Tokyo International Film Festival in Gala Selection on 1 November 2024.^[33]

It was featured in the Limelight section of the 54th International Film Festival Rotterdam to be screened in February 2025.^[34]

The film received a total of 14 nominations in the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards, making it the second most-nominated film of the year, behind The Last Dance.^[39]

Director Soi Cheang has announced that he is working on two projects for the franchise: a prequel titled Twilight of the Warriors: Dragon Throne and a sequel, Twilight of the Warriors: The Final Chapter, both of which are slated to be filmed simultaneously.^[46][47]

In October 2025, the film's official social media accounts announced that Twilight of the Warriors: The Final Chapter had officially begun production. The plot of the movie would be set in the 1980s and 1990s, and the team invited former residents of Kowloon Walled City to contribute objects and memorabilia representative of that era to the film. As a token of appreciation, the production would be giving away limited-edition Kowloon Walled City: The Final Chapter tote bags, emphasizing that this gift was exclusive to those who donated.^[48]

Director Soi Cheang announced at the Tokyo International Film Festival that filming for the sequel will begin in March of 2026. He also mentioned that the prequel will be filmed shortly afterward, though the producers have not yet set release dates for either production.^[49]

• Sammo Hung filmography
• List of submissions to the 97th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film
• List of Hong Kong submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film