Gritty, powerful, uncomfortable, brutal. These are just some of the adjectives I would use to describe this film.
It was a bold move from the director to present the film in black and white, but just like Zhang Yimou did back in 2018 with the excellent film Shadow, it works in the movie’s favour. It has allowed him to play with the composition of the scenes, to hide clues in the frame and to mask the obvious CGI used throughout to the point where it blends in so perfectly you’d barely notice it.
It also makes it a pleasantly uncomfortable film to watch. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but the movie is so compelling and so interesting that it hooks you in from the moment it begins.
And while there is a lot digital compositioning going on in this film, the cinematography on display is terrific. Excellent tracking shots, fluid movements made possible with a combination of drones and CGI and interesting framing. The skyscrapers of Hong Kong, signifying the ‘normal’, frequent the background shots where they a juxtaposed with the characters and gritty elements of this film.
It makes for an interesting, if usually unseen, view of Hong Kong.
But it doesn’t stop there. The use of the weather is a key indicator of emotions within. The howling gusts of wind towards the end, followed up with the almost monsoon like storm washing away everything. The visual imagery is this film is some of the strongest you’ll ever see. However, a movie like this is nothing if the characters are not interesting. And in Limbo, we have some of the most interesting characters you’ll have seen in a modern Asian thriller.
Veteran actor Gordon Lam heads up the film as Detective Cham, a broken yet dedicated police officer who is desperately seeking vengeance and justice for a past incident. In a career that’s normally cast him as a supporting actor alongside the more bigger names of Hong Kong cinema, he has his opportunity to shine in the leading role, and he spends no time reminding the audience why he is such a versatile, if underappreciated, actor.
But the real highlight of the movie is mainland Chinese actress Liu Yase as the informant Wong To. In a stunning performance, she gets beaten, assaulted, abused and left for dead throughout the film. Her character is on the path of redemption, but the road for her to get there is very much firmly based in hell. Liu was also in the excellent Hong Kong drama I’m Livin It, and this title just adds to her strong, impressive catalogue of Hong Kong films.
There is a vital clue in the movie’s Chinese title, which translates to Wisdom Tooth. Once you’ve seen the film, you’ll know the importance of this, but it’s a curious example of where a title in Chinese is perfect for a local audience, but confusing for an international one.