Philip Ng on TWILIGHT OF THE WARRIORS: WALLED IN

By Gene Ching

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is the best Kung Fu movie we’ve seen in years, a faithful homage to the ballistic Hong Kong triad films of eighties, full of loyalty, brotherhood, and high impact fights. Far above the average Kung Fu movie fare, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In earned its spot as second highest-grossing Hong Kong film of all time. It was a Midnight Screening at the illustrious 2024 Cannes Film Festival where it received great critical acclaim and is Hong Kong’s official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.

Directed by Soi Cheang, known for his action crime films, Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is based on the novel City of Darkness by Yuyi, and the manhua (Chinese comic 漫畫) by Andy Seto. Choreographed by Kenji Tanigaki, the film boasts a stellar cast including Louis Koo, Sammo Hung, and Philip Ng.

KungFuMagazine.com has had the unique privilege of witnessing Philip Ng’s rise from a Kung Fu champion to a Hong Kong movie star. Back when he was just starting out in the film industry, he wrote “Punching to Miss’ (July+August 2005), a feature piece about the distinctions between traditional Kung Fu and filmmaking. And he was featured on the cover of our November+December 2016 issue.

Philip Ng plays the villainous King in Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In, the strong arm for the gang boss, Mr. Big (Sammo Hung). We caught up to Philip in a long overdue chat to discuss his work, especially on this thrilling new film.

GC: We haven't talked since before the pandemic. How did that affect you and your career?

PN: I think the pandemic affected me the same way it affected many other people. We had a lot of projects that were in the works around 2019 but by the time 2020 came, all of it was postponed indefinitely. I think it was the same for everyone else.

I went back to the states to be with my family, and I ended up staying there for about 8 months before heading back to Hong Kong to do promotions for a TV show that I filmed previously, but the first movie that I filmed after the pandemic began was Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.

GC: When you were offered the role of King, how did you feel about playing the bad guy?

PN: I've been a longtime fan of Cheang Pou-soi – Soi Cheang’s movies. And so when his people contacted me and asked me to go to his office to meet with him, I was very happy because I've never worked with him before and very excited to meet him and talk with him. And for the first two times that we met, it was just conversations about my views on martial arts, my approach to choreography, my views on different martial arts movies and what not.

And by the time we had our third meeting, he offered me the role of King and told me King was an antagonist in the movie. And also the fact that I've been in the industry for so long - you know, I'm pretty familiar to the audiences - but this time he says when I get into character and the costuming and everything, the audience, they're not going to immediately recognize me. And I was very excited when I heard this because I have always been impressed with the way that he handles his characters and how he handles creating his characters. So I was very excited about how he was going to handle the character of King.

Playing the antagonist actually gives the actor slightly more freedom to make choices that he wouldn't normally make as a protagonist, because as a protagonist you're normally the POV character for the audience, and you kind of have to protect the audience as they make their journey through the movie. But as the antagonist your main goal is to be an obstruction for the protagonists so they can't reach their goals. So in that vein, you're able to make more outrageous, more strange, and more colorful choices. We're able to create a character that's a bit over the top, like King.

GC: What was the most challenging sequence for you in Twilight of the Warrior: Walled In?

PN: The most challenging sequence that I had to film in the movie is probably the final fight sequence where King faces off against the four protagonists on the rooftops of the Kowloon Walled City. We filmed that scene for no less than 20 days, I believe. And each day was no less than 16 hours, as I recall.

It was physically very arduous for everybody, but everyone brought their "A" game we focused on performing as best as we could and getting right the very detailed choreography that Kenji Tanigaki had designed for us. We all worked really hard to make the scene as good as it could be.

And you know, and having been through something like that really builds camaraderie between the actors because it's almost like we're war buddies. We went through something arduous and created something that's, you know, very cool. And having done that together really brought us together as friends behind the scenes.

GC: A lot of martial artists are critical of wirework but having been on set for wirework shoots myself, I know how hard they can be. There's some amazing wirework in this film. What might you say to martial artists that still disdain wirework in films?

PN: I think different people has different opinions about how they feel about wirework. Myself, I feel that when wirework is used appropriately, it can definitely enhance the scene. Wirework is just a tool is not something that should be relied upon fully. But just like CG or anything else, it's just a tool in helping to enhance certain aspects of your choreography.

I myself use wirework very sparingly when I'm an action director. For instance, when I do use wirework, what I would most likely use it for is for the reaction of the person being hit. For instance, when an actor punches a stuntman, since he's acting and wouldn't generate enough force to cause the stuntman he's hitting to fly against the wall, I would use wirework to help enhance the effect of the punch by pulling the stuntman into a wall with a wire. Most of the time that's how I use it. But other directors use wirework in different ways to enhance or exaggerate a certain action.

When done correctly, wirework can enhance a scene. When used incorrectly, it makes the action look fake and goofy, and that's just a difference between good wirework and bad wirework. So I think instead of having a strong opinion about wirework itself, I think I would have a strong opinion on how wire work is used, whether it's used appropriately or inappropriately.

GC: Did King's relationship with Mr. Big reflect your own relationship with Sammo Hung?

PN: It's a strange question that you asked but no, I don't think that King and Mister Big relationship in the movie reflects at all my relationship with Sammo Hung behind the scenes because other than the fact that maybe Mister Big is a sort of mentor to King. I myself have always respected Sammo Hung and will always continue to respect Sammo Hung which is very different to how King and Mister Big deal with each other.

GC: Fair. The mentorship is what I was curious about.

Which is a greater challenge for you now, acting or stunts?

PN: When speaking about acting or doing stunts or anything film related, I usually shy away from the word ‘challenge.’ I would like to use the word ‘process’ because we're always growing as artists. As people making film on a generally regular basis, we're always growing and at this point in my career I can really feel that.

I have gained a lot of tools to be able to express myself clearly in both the purely dramatic department as well as being able to imbue a dramatic performance within an action sequence. However, you really can't take stunt work or action choreography outside of the scope of acting because in film making, they all exist within each other.

I feel it's almost a mistake to separate the two because it gives the false impression that people who do action movies can't act. The act of acting out a fighting sequence convincingly is in fact also acting.

GC: Did you ever practice Iron Body or Iron Finger skills like King?

PN: I have been practicing martial arts all my life and I have done exercises that are meant to toughen the different parts of my body and prepare my body for combat, just as many martial artists have. And just like anybody who is preparing for combat sports will do so, there areexercises that toughens your body so you're able to endure more impact, but definitely not to the extent that my character King can withstand damage, because that's just a fictional Kung Fu fantasy.

GC: With all the martial arts that you have to do for your movies, are you still keeping up with your traditional Choy Lay Fut and Wing Chun?

PN: I perform many different martial arts moves for movies. Unless that movie has a particular method or style that I have to portray, a lot of my body mechanics comes from Choy Lay Fut, Wing Chun and Taekwondo, the methods that I'm most familiar with. A lot of times when they're giving me a direction on the set like, "punch here, kick here, or do this," they don't specifically tell me how to perform those actions. They just they just have confidence that I'm able to perform the actions within the sequence. So even if the sequence does not specifically include Choy Lay Fut, Wing Chun, or Taekwondo movements, when I perform those actions, you can recognize those specific body mechanics in the choreography that I perform. People who know those methods and if they know me as an actor, they can probably see it.

GC: You're a hard man to keep up with nowadays. What other movie projects do you have going on?

PN: I've been traveling a lot. I've been doing a lot of festivals for Walled In because it's starting to release in other regions right now, and it's been great.

And in terms of movies, I have a movie that I helped produce, performed in, and action directed tentatively called Without Remorse. We're in post-production right now.

And I have another movie that I acted in that I didn't produce. And it's also in post-production. And I just signed on to two other movies recently. One is a comedy. It's for Chinese New Year. And another one is a Kung Fu movie or an action movie with fight scenes in it. I will be filming that later on this year.

I have other projects in the works and in the talks and will update everyone when those are more locked in.

GC: And you won some awards recently, right?

PN: Yeah, I have won a few awards recently and I'm very happy about it. Without going into too much detail, I'm very happy for the accolades. But it's really due to the success of this film and I'm just very, very fortunate to be part of it and to have played a character that's very well received. So I’m very, very thankful for everything that's been happening since the movie has been released.

GC: I saw that you got to handle some of Bruce Lee's personal items for Julien's auction. What was that like for you?

PN: I had the good fortune of being asked to do the promotional video for Julien’s auction of Bruce Lee's personal items. And when we were filming the promotional video, I had the immense honor of handling Bruce Lee's personal items such as putting on his iconic jacket that was apparently tailored specifically for him.

Upon putting on the jacket, I realized what I read in the past was true - that he had a very long wingspan. So when I put on the jacket, even though based on the size of the jacket, our builds were similar, the sleeves really went down to my fingertips so proving that his arms are definitely slightly longer than average.

But an item that really stood out to me was his butterfly swords or the Baat Jaam Do in in Wing Chun because it kind of brought me and him a bit closer in my mind because we both studied the same method and both our mentors were Wong Shun-leung. Handling his items like the Wing Chun Baat Jaam Do, as well as the wooden dummy was really special and it's something that I don't think I'll ever forget.

GC: I heard you're dealing with a foot injury. How's the healing process going?

PN: Several months ago, I was filming a movie and on the set I was performing a stunt involving moving cars and an accident happened. I was dragged by the car for a little bit and the flesh on my left heel was rubbed off nearly to the bone.

I ended up in the hospital for two weeks and I got a couple surgeries and a skin graft and am definitely on the mend now after the injury. I've actually already filmed several fight scenes and done so without too much difficulty. So I'm definitely on the mend and other than scarring and tiny bit of nerve damage, I'm almost back at 100%. Thank you for everyone's concern.

GC: I've always felt that of all the Hong Kong action stars, you have the most potential to break into Hollywood because your English is perfect. Are you making any headway there or are you content to be a superstar in Hong Kong?

PN: I’m just happy being able to make action movies and Kung Fu movies anywhere in the world and especially in Hong Kong where this skill set, this art form originated. If I'm able to do movies overseas more often, I'll definitely take that opportunity. But I think at the moment, in terms of media and entertainment, the world's much smaller now. You can make movies anywhere and then because of the advent of the internet and the way the media is distributed now, people will be able to see your work regardless of what region they're in.

But yeah, you know I'm definitely would welcome any new opportunities that might arise.

GC: You once described yourself as a 'Kung Fu nerd' to me. With all your successes on screen, do you still feel that way?

PN: I think being a ‘Kung Fu nerd’ will always be part of my core, and that's really who I am. And what that really means is just like before, I am still just as passionate about martial arts and any kind of media involving martial arts, regardless if it's watching two people compete or watching two very talented martial arts actors performing a very well designed action sequence. I will always be excited by these things.

My perspective might have evolved a little bit because I have been making Kung Fu movies myself for the last 20 years. But I'm no less excited whenever I see a very well put together action movie or very well put together action scene. The only difference now is that I am a fanboy, a Kung Fu nerd, that has been blessed to become a content creator in a genre that he loves. So I thank God every day and I love my job and I hope to continue making more Kung Fu movies for other Kung Fu nerds to enjoy.

About author:

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In is distributed in North America by Well Go USA.

For more on Philip Ng, follow his Instagram, his Weibo, and his personal Facebook blog. His school site is Ng Family Chinese Martial Arts Association.

Gene Ching is the Publisher of KungFuMagazine.com and the author of Shaolin Trips.

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