''Limbo'' is a 2021 Hong Kong

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Cheang Pou-soi Cheang Pou-soi (; born 11 July 1972), also known as his main credited as Soi Cheang or Bob Cheng, is a Hong Kong film director, assistant director, screenwriter, script supervisor, actor and film producer. Filmography As director * '' Mad Fate'' ...

and starring

Gordon Lam Gordon Lam Ka-tung (林家棟; born 21 September 1967) is a Hong Kong actor, film producer and screenwriter. Initially known for his supporting roles in films directed by Andrew Lau and Johnnie To, Lam eventually became a lead actor in the Ho ...

, Cya Liu,

Mason Lee Mason Lee (born May 30, 1990) is a Taiwanese-American actor. He is the son of three-time Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee, and Jane Lin, a microbiology researcher. He is best known for playing the role of Teddy in ''The Hangover Part II ...

and

Hiroyuki Ikeuchi is a Japanese actor. Ikeuchi's mother is Salvadoran and his father is Japanese. He is an avid martial artist, notably holding a black belt in judo, and is also a keen fisherman. Career Ikeuchi played a supporting role as General Miura in Wilso ...

. The film is based on the novel ''Wisdom Tooth'' by Chinese novelist Lei Mi. The film had its worldwide premiere at the

71st Berlin International Film Festival The 71st annual Berlin International Film Festival took place from 1 to 5 March 2021 as a virtual festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An in-person event has also been tentatively scheduled for June, pending the resolution of the COVID-19 issu ...

on 1 March 2021, and was theatrically released in Hong Kong on 18 November 2021.

Plot

Rookie police officer Will Yam (

) is a recent graduate of the police academy. Due to a wave of serial killings, Will is partnered with veteran officer Cham Lau (

), who was recently reinstated on the force. However, the duo is unable to solve the cases and instead causes a series of incidents. Later, Cham re-encounters a drug-addicted street urchin, Wong To (Cya Liu), who ran over his wife and daughter in the past, and his anger makes him spiral out of control and continuously abuses her. Will clumsily loses his pistol, which is found by the serial killer. With the killer lurking in the city, a crisis grows closer.

Cast

as Cham Lau (劉中選), respectfully referred to as Brother Cham (斬哥), a veteran police officer of the Regional Crime Unit. * Cya Liu as Wong To (王桃), a drug-addicted street urchin who ran over Cham's wife in a DUI, leaving her in a vegetative state and becomes Cham's informant in order to repent her past mistake. *

as Will Yam (任凱), a rookie police officer of the Regional Crime Unit and Cham's new partner. *

as Yamada Akira (山田收), a

waste picker A waste picker is a person who salvages reusable or recyclable materials thrown away by others to sell or for personal consumption. There are millions of waste pickers worldwide, predominantly in developing countries, but increasingly in post-in ...

with

Oedipus complex The Oedipus complex (also spelled Œdipus complex) is an idea in psychoanalytic theory. The complex is an ostensibly universal phase in the life of a young boy in which, to try to immediately satisfy basic desires, he unconsciously wishes to have ...

and

acrotomophilia Acrotomophilia (from the Greek "having the top cut off" (from ' "extremity" and - from ' "I cut") and ' "love") is a paraphilia in which an individual expresses strong sexual interest ''in'' amputees. It is a counterpart to ''apotemnophilia'', ...

. *

Fish Liew Fish Liew Chi-yu (; born 31 March 1990) is a Malaysian-born Hong Kong model and actress. Began the career from 2012, she is best known for her role Ann Mui in the 2022 biographical musical drama film '' Anita'', which earned her Best Supporting ...

as Coco (可樂), a disabled drug dealer. *Hugo Ng as Chief (大Sir), Cham and Will's superior officer. *

Sammy Sum Sammy Sum Chun-hin (born 4 May 1983) is an actor based in Hong Kong. Biography Sammy Sum speaks fluent Hong Kong Cantonese, Mandarin Chinese, Canadian French and North American English. He was born in Hong Kong, but at the age of 10 Sum moved ...

as Boss Spark (逼啪) *Hanna Chan as Will's wife * Kumer as Grizzly (灰熊)

Production

Principal photography for ''Limbo'' began in September 2017 in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and wrapped up after three months filming, with

To Kwa Wan To Kwa Wan () is a bay and an area of the eastern shore of Kowloon peninsula. The area is part of urban Hong Kong, and is situated between Hok Yuen, Hung Hom, Ma Tau Wai and Ma Tau Kok. Administratively, the area belongs to the Kowloon ...

and Kwun Tong being the main filming locations as many old buildings are located in these districts of the city. On 2 October 2017, filming of a fight scene between actors

and

took place on a rooftop in Kwun Tong. Both Lam and Ikeuchi lost 8 pounds and 30 pounds of weight respectively for their roles in the film. On 8 October 2017, which was also Lam's birthday, filming took place in

Kowloon Bay Kowloon Bay is a body of water within Victoria Harbour and an area within Kowloon, Hong Kong. The bay is located at the east of the Kowloon Peninsula and north of Hong Kong Island. It is the eastern portion of Victoria Harbour, between ...

for a scene where Lam was going through a garbage chute looking for evidence.

Release

''Limbo'' had its world premiere at the

, which was held virtually from 1 to 5 March 2021. The film was later shown in competition at the 23rd

Far East Film Festival Far East Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Udine, Italy. It is one of the most important events promoting Asian Cinema in Europe. It focuses mainly on the films from East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which i ...

from 25 to 26 June 2021 where it won the Purple Mulberry Award The film was released in Hong Kong on 18 November 2021.

Reception

Box office

In Hong Kong, the film grossed HK$740,238 during its first four days of release, opening at No. 5 during its debut weekend. On its second weekend, the film grossed HK$563,365, coming in at No. 10, and have grossed a total of HK$1,276,603 so far.

Critical reception

Lee Marshall of ''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' praises director

's "dystopian vision of an Asian metropolis in the throes of a political and social identity crisis" as the film's "most striking feature." Jessica Kiang of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' praises the film's well-choreographed action sequences which compliment Cheng Siu-Keung's dazzling camera work.

Awards and nominations

References

{{Cheang Pou-soi 2021 films 2021 action thriller films Hong Kong action thriller films Hong Kong black-and-white films Hong Kong serial killer films Police detective films 2020s Cantonese-language films Films directed by Cheang Pou-soi Films based on Chinese novels Films based on thriller novels Films set in Hong Kong Films shot in Hong Kong