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IMDbPro

Limbo

  • 20212021
  • 1h 58m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
792
YOUR RATING
Limbo (2021)
Watch ’Official Trailer’
Play trailer1:46
1 Video
30 Photos
  • Drama
Rookie policeman Will Ren and his partner, the veteran cop Cham Lau, are pursuing an obsessive and especially brutal murderer of women.Rookie policeman Will Ren and his partner, the veteran cop Cham Lau, are pursuing an obsessive and especially brutal murderer of women.Rookie policeman Will Ren and his partner, the veteran cop Cham Lau, are pursuing an obsessive and especially brutal murderer of women.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
792
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Soi Cheang
  • Writer
    • Kin-Yee Au
  • Stars
    • Ka-Tung Lam
    • Yase Liu
    • Mason Lee
Top credits
  • Director
    • Soi Cheang
  • Writer
    • Kin-Yee Au
  • Stars
    • Ka-Tung Lam
    • Yase Liu
    • Mason Lee
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 10User reviews
    • 30Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 7 wins & 19 nominations

    Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:46
    Official Trailer

    Photos30

    Limbo (2021)
    Limbo (2021)
    Limbo (2021)
    Yase Liu in Limbo (2021)
    Ka-Tung Lam and Mason Lee in Limbo (2021)
    Ka-Tung Lam and Mason Lee in Limbo (2021)
    Limbo (2021)
    Limbo (2021)
    Limbo (2021)
    Limbo (2021)
    Limbo (2021)
    Limbo (2021)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ka-Tung Lam
    Ka-Tung Lam
    • Cham Lauas Cham Lau
    Yase Liu
    Yase Liu
    • Wong Toas Wong To
    • (as Liu Cya)
    Mason Lee
    Mason Lee
    • Will Renas Will Ren
    Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
    Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
    • Akira Yamadaas Akira Yamada
    Shovon Ahmed
    • Shovonas Shovon
    Sujon Ahmed
    • Policeas Police
    Hashim Tariq Bhat
    Hashim Tariq Bhat
    • Jhonas Jhon
    Hanna Chan
    Rakibul Islam
    • DJas DJ
    Fish Liew
    Fish Liew
    Omar Faruk Nayon
    • Doctoras Doctor
    Abed Sarker
    • Abedas Abed
    Kumer So
    Sammy Sum
    Adeed Zaan
    • Director
      • Soi Cheang
    • Writer
      • Kin-Yee Au
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews10

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    A bold, hyperstylized noir HK thriller
    Limbo is a gritty stylized noir Hong Kong thriller from Soi Cheang, director of SPL 2 and Accident. Adapted from a Chinese crime novel by Lei Mi, the film features beautiful black-and-white cinematography, impressive production design, and solid performances from its three leads, especially from actress Yase Liu.

    Will Ren, a rookie cop is assigned with Lau, a veteran cop, to investigate a series of brutal murders across east Kowloon.

    Lau runs into Wong To, a down-and-out car thief on parole with whom he shares a dark past with, and recruits her to be an informant to search for the murderer.

    Milkyway veteran Cheng Siu Keng's digital black and white cinematography is gorgeous and rich in contrast, creating a moody nihilistic atmosphere and transforms familiar Hong Kong locales into an unfamiliar Asian city where only bad things happen.

    Kenneth Mak's production design is meticulous, sculpting the Hong Kong cityscape into a hyper-stylized setting that's something out of an adult graphic novel. For instance, the police station was fashioned out of a local Hong Kong market, creating an underground cavernous office, desks full of unsolved cases and cluttered with wornout cops.

    There is so much garbage everywhere littered throughout the entire film. My first thought was, "That's some beautifully arranged garbage. Look at the contrast and texture!" Eventually, watching endless scenes of people rummaging through garbage makes it feel like the rubbish is on you. I took a shower before watching Limbo and wanted a second immediately after the end.

    The grimness, while stylistically engaging, paints the film into a corner that does it a disservice. It is like Soi Cheang is squeezing out every last bit of the Grim brand toothpaste and there's no speck of hope in a literal garbage dump of a world. By the finale, all the grimness got tiring and I was yearning for another emotion to take over.

    If there's no ray of hope for these characters, what's at stake then? The atmosphere is trying to choke them all to death.

    What kept the film together was Yase Liu's performance, who steals the show as the film's unofficial protagonist. It is a well-written redemption arc that Liu plays with earnest and commitment, performing her own stunts in a lot of the film's chase scenes. Yase Liu becomes the ray of hope the film needs, despite all the surrounding nihilism trying hard to extinguish it.

    Limbo is a heavy somber film and I could see it being hit-or-miss depending on whether your proverbial glass is half-empty or half-full. In the end, it was entertaining but I don't fully buy Soi Cheang thinks the world is utterly hopeless as he vehemently portrays.

    For this reason, SPL 2 is still my favorite Soi Cheang film as it's where he kept both the grittiness and heart in better balance.
    helpful•0
    0
    • ObsessiveCinemaDisorder
    • Jun 7, 2022

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 18, 2021 (Hong Kong)
    • Countries of origin
      • Hong Kong
      • China
    • Languages
      • Cantonese
      • Japanese
      • Chinese
    • Also known as
      • Лимб
    • Production companies
      • Sun Entertainment Culture
      • Bona Film Group
      • Er Dong Pictures - Beijing
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 58 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.39 : 1

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