Brand new cop Will Ren has been assigned a difficult case of searching for a brutal murderer who for some unbelievably ridiculous reasons has a strong fixation of cutting off the limbs of woman. Fortunately, he gets partnered up with a very skilled veteran cop and dare devils Cham Lau. However in the process of cracking the case, he quickly begins to realize that Lau only became a cop just to get what he wants since Lau isn’t even trained for the job and lacks professionalism. Will soon develops an agenda with Wong To, a car thief, who, out of self interest, agrees to help them in searching for the killer by accident. Recommend ably, Lau, a family member of one of the victims himself, gets devastated which further fuels his hatred towards women empowerment and To. But luck is on their side and as Lau and Will stumble through the ghettos of Hong Kong in an attempt to find To, Lau is saved from one of his murderous companions who overpowered him.
The sheer violence and drama that director Cheang employs through the various episodes set the tone for the film allowing for tension to build on set. This tension is built more largely through the dynamic pairing of an experienced lowlife and an overly idealistic rookie. One of the episodes, for example, showcases violence that mostly made use of Jimmy Lin’s scenes making strong use of the infusion left behind from the lowlife.
The core intention behind Wong To’s entry was to place a dominating impression on Lau Cham and subsequently, on the relationship the three had built. Once the intention set out through Wong To was achieved, the chase started and set the bar for the movie’s apex through the tenacious and savage start. The style, being reminiscent of Johnnie To, was also embedded through David Richardson’s work and Cheng Siu Keung’s stellar cinematography. One of the more pivotal scenes that portray this vividly is when the predator and pray come crashing down from the roof of the parking lot.
Cheng’s work proceeds to blend into the next aspect of artfulness i.e. the geography of the film. He makes the cramped alleyways seem like a character in the story which is one of the prominent attributes of the film, more so since the alleys also serve as a reminder of the dead end which all the main characters at an intersection. And in terms of real-value, how the slums are portrayed is very reminiscent of how Kim Ki-duk used the setting in “Pieta”.
In Liu Cya’s rather disturbingly effective performance Wong To bears the same attacks that the girl bears from every stance. The way she displays strength and determination in reaction to all the Routinely happening to her is by far one of the best scenes in “Limbo“. Wong To does not say much, however, it is clear that she is not the only one who mesmerizes the audience. Unlike in most exploitation movies, the most of the action does not happen in the violent parts of the movie, where the victims of the violence are shown simply as part of the story.
Another highly appreciated performance is by Lam Ka-tung, who plays Cham Lau, who is an interesting character whose despair, obsession for vengeance, and bad cop persona are quite well illustrated by the Hong Kong veteran. Mason Lee playing Will Ren is mostly an admirer of the other two’s acting, but there are some aspects of his performance that he surges in, while his unexpected bond with Lam is the main highlights of the story. Lam Ka Tung, Liu Cya 2021 Sun Entertainment Culture Limited All the above mentioned components are brought together in the finale, which is arguably one of the most violent, terrifying, yet well framed action sequences that we have witnessed in some time, and a fitting end to a terrific picture.
Finally, this review would be incomplete without mentioning the great score by Kenji Kawai whose atmospheric music provides quite a significant point of relief in a movie that starts off and never lets the viewer go. And that should also please Kawai’s Killer Mak, the man who masterfully constructed the design and scenery for this film, which also stands out where this film employed trash to form the hellish scenes of this movie.
Sure enough, there is the Idiosyncrasy of the traditional sexploitation where women were beaten at every turn and it is also easy to think that the killer in this film is shown as a racist. But then again these elements are somewhat lost in the all too familiar blend that Cheang concocts, and yes, the first element is boring in nature but is made better by the way the narrative unfolds.
“Limbo” is a perfect mix of elements that make for great genre films and one of the better action/crime genres to come out this decade.
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