Time Writer | Gummy bears
Don't walk gently into that good night.
In mid-April, at the 42nd Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony, Zheng Baorui won the Best Director trophy with "Murder".
Sammo Hung, who has been in the film industry for more than 60 years and is now 74 years old, was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for his unique martial arts style and action design for his contribution to Hong Kong-made martial arts action films.
On May 1, the duo's new film landed on the mainland screen.
It's still Hong Kong flavorful, bloody enough, and fierce enough-
The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City
Don't fight, don't know each other
"The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" is adapted from the 2008 hot-blooded fighting novel "Kowloon Walled City" written by Hong Kong writer Yu Er.
The comic of the same name has been a hit in Hong Kong since its serialization in 2010, selling 20,000 copies per week at its peak. It has won the bronze award of the 7th "Japan International Comics Awards" and is a classic in the hearts of many Hong Kong comic lovers.
Radio programmes, board games and video games based on them are also very popular among young people.
This film and television adaptation is based on the content of the novel as the framework and incorporates the concept of comic-style action.
On the premise of retaining the basic character relationships and plot backbone, it makes the story more acceptable to audiences who have never been exposed to the original work.
The film is set in the 80s of the last century.
At that time, the bell of the return to Hong Kong had not yet sounded, and Chen Luojun, a young man whose parents had died, was one of the smugglers who went to Hong Kong.
However, in the case that the "base policy" has been canceled, if you want to find a serious job to make money, you must first get a legal ID card.
The underground boxing gym with the collusion of politics and business has become Chen Luojun's final choice.
Unexpectedly, because of his good skills, he was favored by the gangster boss "Big Boss". made a "ignorant and unelevated" speech, which offended the other party even more.
I couldn't get the money I earned from fighting black boxing, and the ID card I said was also fake, and I was chased and killed by the gang.
In desperation, Chen Luojun could only flee into the "three regardless" zone that ordinary people avoided-
Kowloon Walled City.
It's a pity that it's not easy to mix outside, and the water in the walled city is deeper.
When I first arrived, I was first taught to be a man by the "sweeping uncle".
The barbershop uncle who was hijacked casually turned out to be a tornado of people in the walled city.
After being punched upside down and flying out, Chen Luojun finally understood that the city has the rules of the walled city.
So he gave up making trouble and began to work hard to make money.
However, the blood of young people will never be cold.
After discovering that the prostitute he had seen during the delivery of food was beaten to death by her husband, but the man's face did not change and continued to gamble, Chen Luojun finally couldn't hold it back, and ambushed him on the road with his face covered, and beat people violently.
It was also this fight that made him get acquainted with the other three young people in the village who fought righteously.
The unrestrained prodigal son "Twelve Young" loves to be handsome. The shot is always steady and ruthless, and it pays attention to defeating the enemy with one move.
Scarface is the "four boys" in the middle of the man, and he is very strong. It is said that he was as handsome as Toshihiko Tahara before his disfigurement, but now he only wears a mask to show people, and I don't know what legendary story is hidden under the scars.
Often around the tornado, to maintain the order of the walled city "letter one", the name is taken from "word and faith, a promise of a thousand gold".
is not only a famous motorcycle thug, but also known as "the first knife in Dragon City" because of his good knife skills.
The four had similar temperaments, did not fight and did not know each other, and soon became brothers.
Chen Luojun's hard work of sleeping on the rooftop and working hard during this period of time also made the tornado change his opinion of him, and he was officially regarded as a member of the walled city.
When the big boss tries to invade the village with the devil's claws on the pretext of chasing Chen Luojun, in order to protect the stable life of ordinary residents, it is inevitable that a fierce and high-burning battle will break out between the "Four Youths of the Walled City" and the Gang of Wicked People......
Modern martial arts
Unlike the Hong Kong-made fashion action movies that have become commonplace, "The Siege of the Walled City of Kowloon" is set in a modern setting, but the overall temperament of the film is closer to a martial arts novel.
Here, the young protagonists are no longer like the old boys in the conventional sense, shouting and shouting to fight for territory, so that they can rob women.
They fought hard for the word "righteousness" in their chests and for protection.
The main stage of the film, the Kowloon Walled City, was a famous "three regardless" area in Hong Kong until its demolition in 1993.
What is the "three regardless"?
The Hong Kong government does not dare to manage it, the British government does not want to manage it, and the Chinese government cannot manage it.
Before Hong Kong's handover, the dispute between China and Britain over the jurisdiction of the walled city meant that crimes committed within the walled city were not brought to court, and the perpetrators were often easily released.
The Kowloon Walled City slum has become a hotbed of evil.
However, for more households, they choose to live in the walled city because the cost of living here is lower than that of the outside world, and they can live on their own feet.
Therefore, when the lives of ordinary people who operate food, clothing, housing and transportation are threatened, those hot-blooded young people who were born and grew up in Sri Lanka will definitely come forward-
"Three don't care, I'll take care of it!"
Chivalry is forbidden by force.
But in the Kowloon Walled City, the new order must be fought out by fists.
Kenji Tanigaki, the action director of the film, and his past representative works include "Fuse", "Rage: Serious Case" and so on.
His martial arts style is known for its sharpness and speed, and has been praised by the media as "sword duels are like lightning and thunder, and fists and legs are spectacular".
This time, the action scenes he designed for "The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" add a comic-style exaggeration to the real world.
The main characters in the film have to learn Hong boxing, fiddle with Western knives, and chase on motorcycles.
With the blessing of props and special effects, it can make eye-catching exaggerated movements.
For example, Wang Jiu, a thug under the big boss, can bite off the long knife that swings at him, which is full of turbulence.
The tornado, which was held hostage by Chen Luojun, threw the smoke and turned over the person, and when he jumped up and returned to the original place, the smoke had not yet landed.
With such a stunning appearance, you can see at a glance that this person's martial arts are superb.
The walled city is littered with pierced walls, smashed tables, and broken bricks...... It also adds a more hearty and refreshing look to the play.
In fact, if you count it down, there is more than one professional in the team who is proficient in motion design.
Sammo Hung, Ng Yunlong, and Zhang Wenjie have also served as action directors in other films.
Louis Koo, Ren Xianqi, Lin Feng and others have debuted for many years, and they also have rich experience in acting.
The protagonists know how to fight and are not afraid to practice. The final visual effects of the fight scene are naturally real and beautiful enough.
Nowadays, Hong Kong-style action movies are facing the dilemma of not being able to catch up, and the actors familiar to the audience are accused of "dominating the position", behind which the younger generation of actors no longer know how to fight and dare not fight.
It is rare to have such a movie, bringing together three generations of action actors, so that newcomers can learn how to act in action scenes under the guidance of their predecessors.
Di Qiu, played by Ren Xianqi, once told Chen Luojun and several people in the film, "In the future, the city will be the world of you young people."
In the play, it is the inheritance of the guardian heart of defending the village.
Outside the play, it is the inheritance of the spirit of Hong Kong films.
The old actor still goes into battle in person and does every set of actions. Young actors also practice hard, without stand-ins, and are not afraid of pain.
For fans who want to relive the original Hong Kong-style play, "The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" is definitely a choice not to be missed on May Day.
Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong
"The Kowloon Walled City, the abandoned place of Hong Kong. It is a legend of the rivers and lakes, and it is also a forbidden area in the world. ”
In the trailer, the narration voiced by director Zheng Baorui himself brings people back to the treacherous walled city in the 80s of the last century.
What exactly is the Kowloon Walled City?
In the eyes of foreigners, it is a bitter place where Chinese-style dilapidated houses and houses are gathered in one place.
In the eyes of Hong Kong people outside the wall, it is a festering scar in a city that is booming at an unstoppable pace.
But in the eyes of the inhabitants of the walled city, this isolated island in the colony is the only home willing to accommodate them.
Many of the creative team members have been part of it in the past.
The film's producer, Zhuang Cheng, has always been praised by industry insiders as the "behind-the-scenes player" of Hong Kong films. "SWAT New Humans", "Infernal Affairs", "Chunjiao and Zhiming" and other films are all from his hands.
His childhood was spent in the Kowloon Walled City.
Coincidentally, in 1956 and 1957, Sammo Hung, who was about seven or eight years old, also lived in the walled city for a short time and left a deep impression.
Huang Debin, who played Uncle Tiger, used to live near the walled city. Gu Tianle, Lin Feng and other actors also grew up listening to the legends of the walled city......
From the producer to the starring actor to the behind-the-scenes staff, how many red pants have been really supported by the walled city?
"The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" is their own "Once Upon a Time in Hong Kong".
Therefore, you will find that the Kowloon Walled City in the film is not a dark city, but a warm and affectionate city.
Some people walk through the poor streets and alleys to deliver takeaways, some people pickle barbecued pork and squeeze fish balls in their own small shops, and some people smoke, chat, and play cards downstairs......
It was also at the most embarrassing moment that he received glutinous rice chicken and soda from strangers in the village that Chen Luojun retained the courage to continue to survive.
Old Hong Kong people have a "walled city complex".
"Provincial and Hong Kong Flag Soldiers", "Serious Crime Unit", "Kung Fu", "Chasing the Dragon", ...... This city has left traces in many Hong Kong films in the past.
Movie "Chasing the Dragon" Modern people also love to remember the walled city.
The chaotic and complex architectural forms and self-contained community system also became the inspiration for some of the settings of films such as "Ghost in the Shell", "Batman: The Mystery of the Shadows" and "Pacific Rim".
In the movie "Ghost in the Shell", people pay tribute to history and the past by watching the movie, but the scenes of a few scenes are at best like meeting old people on the street, nodding to each other, and then forgetting that there were ripples in their hearts after passing shoulders.
This is not the case in "The Siege of the Walled City of Kowloon".
He really placed the main stage of the whole story inside this mini city.
After referring to a large number of materials, the art team spent 50 million yuan to recreate this walled city that had disappeared in the smoke of history in the way of real scenery.
When the young man of Luotuo flew between the eaves and the plank road, time seemed to return to the last century.
Here, houses, schools, temples, and clinics stand next to each other, and the unstable foundations of the pavilions squeeze each other into the sky.
The three religions and nine streams are gathered here, and what kind of person you want to become is all up to you.
Nowadays, many young people are proud that the walled city has become a popular symbol of appropriation by foreigners. However, romantic nostalgia is nothing more than an emotion that cannot be born in the face of history.
"The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" presents us with a more realistic walled city after removing the cyberpunk filter.
It is a relic that only exists in memory, and it is the iron rice bowl of countless poor people who are struggling to eat, and those prejudices and infamy have never been erased, but the fact that it contains tens of millions of people to live here should not be forgotten.
Thirty years have passed, and on the site of the walled city, the park with sparse flowers and trees is elegant and quiet.
For movie fans, we are more than happy to go to the cinema and see this walled city that has been razed since the last century.
There, the sky doesn't leak through the tangled gaps between the water pipes and the wires.
But the enthusiastic teenagers will use their fists and feet to defend this square and fight a piece of the sky.
-END-
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