Your best friend did the crime, you did the time. Now he's the boss and wants to 'help.'
A modern HK Cinema throwback to eighties triad dramas. Jordan Chan is Cho, a recently released ex-con who was imprisoned when he took the heat for a killing performed by his childhood buddy Dik (Patrick Tam). Now free, Cho only wants to be rid of the triad life, but finds himself inexorably drawn back in when Dik reappears. Dik is now a top triad lieutenant, and only wants to repay Cho for his loyalty and friendship. The two reforge their friendship, but it's an uneasy alliance which is complicated by Dik's seeming enjoyment at the violence of the triad life. Matters reach a head when Cho romances San (Cherrie Ying), the girlfriend of Dik's triad boss, leading to an explosive confrontation between the two longtime friends. Directed with smart, low-key precision by Marco Mak, The Wall is a tense action drama which recalls the righteous triad dramas of old!
Acting
Jordan Chan's weary eyes say everything his dialogue won't
Direction
Mak's restraint lets dread accumulate like unpaid debts
Director
Marco Mak Chi-Sin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Marco Mak cut his teeth as editor for John Woo and Ringo Lam; this film channels their 80s 'heroic bloodshed' ethos but strips away the romanticism entirely.
The title refers to both prison walls and the invisible barriers between classes in triad hierarchy — Cho climbs over one to hit another.
HK
