Throw Down (2004)
Full BluRay 1:1 | 1080p MPEG-4 AVC @ 23956 Kbps | 01:34:57 | 23,04 Gb
Audio: Cantonese TrueHD Audio 7.1 @ 3945 Kbps; Mandarin AC3 5.1 @ 640 Kbps | Subs: English, T/Chinese
Genre: Drama | 2 wins | Hong Kong, China
Full BluRay 1:1 | 1080p MPEG-4 AVC @ 23956 Kbps | 01:34:57 | 23,04 Gb
Audio: Cantonese TrueHD Audio 7.1 @ 3945 Kbps; Mandarin AC3 5.1 @ 640 Kbps | Subs: English, T/Chinese
Genre: Drama | 2 wins | Hong Kong, China
When a young judo player finds great success in his field, he takes his rising star a little hard and finds solace in drinking at his club that he now owns and then gambling with what little money he generally makes. However, he isn’t that lucky in the world of gambling and is growing in debt. Enter into the picture a young woman looking for work as a singer at his club, and a young judo player looking to take on a legend. Thus begins our tale of renewal, sports and the search for acceptance as only Johnny To could tell it.
Simply terrific film from Johnnie To that's probably a little too self-amused for its own good, but qualifies as involving cinema nonetheless. The sum of the parts may not mean all that much, but the parts themselves are great stuff.
IMDB
Meant to be an homage to the life-affirming themes seen in Akira Kurosawa's earlier works, Throwdown is an odd dramatic production for a Hong Kong film. Embedded with the slick production values and the occasional weirdness of its ilk, the film also reaches for a certain subtlety that twists our expectations. Through such varied efforts as Needing You, The Mission and Fulltime Killer, it's obvious that one-time action director To has an undeniable mastery of stylish visuals and of cinematic storytelling. Here, once again, he combines his skills to provide an atmospheric, quirky look at his subjects, but with a focus on character development that is rather uncommon in his work. It's an interesting confection that's sure to please some for its deliberate pacing, soft focus, and playful narrative and for the same reasons will detract some of his fans expecting another energetic action fest. Not to say this is slow-going - we get lots of intricately choreographed judo flips, a bar brawl, and even a climactic night combat that To is famous for, though admittedly the latter is perfectly attuned to the rest of the film, but a bit anti-climactic. It's a martial-arts film for those who couldn't care less about martial arts, with a greater focus on the dramatic (some might say melodramatic) elements of the story, and of its main character. And as the drunk, ex-champion looking for a way to forget, Koo (a rising star in the HK industry) fits the bill perfectly without exaggeration or forced sympathy. And that's a bit like the film itself: bizarre and difficult to categorize, it tells a simple tale of redemption without false emotion or over-the-top bravado. In the end Throwdown may be too slow and shallow to be classed as a revelation by any means but it's a different, mature work from a brilliant mainstream director that's definitely worth a look.
Even though I have been on it for a while now, I’m still comfortably riding on the Johnny To bandwagon and desperately searching out any and every one of his films I can get my hands on. Throwdown is just the next step in my desperate search. When I first heard the premise for Throwdown, I knew i just had to see this film. I love Johnny To’s work, and as a fan of mixed martial arts I am also a big fan of Judo. Putting the two together sounds like a swell idea to me! Throwdown however, as you might expect from To, isn’t your average martial arts film. Truthfully, the martial arts only play as a background for the world in which our characters interact with one another. Focusing more on sportsmanship, friendship and the ties that bind us – Judo just so happens to help link the whole world together. To takes the conventional story of young martial artists seeking to find someone better at the art than themselves for the ultimate challenge, and turns it on it’s head by having the master Judoka being a drunken gambler who is more than just a little bit on the pathetic side, and his self appointed partner being a failed actress. The Judo expert is the focus of the story, but each character is rich with their own history and story.
Traditionally the only present martial art shown throughout Hong Kong film history has mainly been that of Kung Fu and the many variant forms. However, I am very happy to see films like Throwdown garnering some success alongside the popular SPL and Flash Point. Even though it is not a traditional martial arts film, meaning that there are sparse fight scenes throughout and truthfully fighting, matches and even Judo are not the main focus of the film. However, Judo and the art of it are very much a factor within the film and are used as a device that in essence explains the will of the characters and the strength and motivation of competition within this sport and others. Competition is a strong word within this film as well, and I think it certainly defines this film in many ways. Johnny To crafts a film world where men are truly men, and have only one power that drives them; that thrill of competition. The immortal search of finding the soul or souls who are better than yourself; in order to grow and be even better than they are. This quest is the essential heart of Throwdown, and at its center Throwdown has a positive charm that radiates throughout it and carries a message with it that even though you might lose your way; it’s not too late to go back to what you love and to find yourself in the process. I know, kind of sweet right? Well let’s not forget this is most definitely a guy movie – and dudes most certainly get tossed right on top of their heads. It is a film about Judo afterall.
Throwdown is one of To’s personal films, financed by his more succesful work he is able to throw out these quirky smaller gems every once in a while – but much like the completely different in every other way Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike; even when To is making the most commercial product he can muster; he still makes something unbelievably original and masterful. Running on Karma is a shining example. Throwdown is not my favorite Johnny To film, but out of the handful of films I have seen thus far from Mr. To, it seems even his worst films (which this is not) are better than most “good” films. Throwdown is a sports related drama, and anyone expecting a Judo related bananza of fight scenes and breathtaking choreography behind every corner will not walk away the most satisfied person on the planet but if you’re looking for another great Johnny To film and want to see him handle a sports related drama with more than a few Akira Kurosawa references; Throwdown is a top notch choice. I’m giving it four out of five, because if I haven’t made it clear at this point: it is a beautifully moving drama with tons of emotional depth and leaves the viewer in their seat long after the movie is over: smiling, and satisfied. That same type of feeling you get after reading a good book. Where you feel as if you followed these characters on such an interesting journey; and although you wish you could see more, understand that this is where the journey ends, and unfortunately – this is where this review ends.
As with many of To’s films, the script for “Throw Down” is sparse, and although there is probably more subplots here than in previous films (the almost singular plot threads of “Breaking News” and “PTU” comes to mind), the film is still economical with its time, running just short of 90 minutes. And as is the case with most of To’s films, it pays to pay attention to the little details; this is a filmmaker that wants an interactive audience that will fill in the holes themselves. Lazy or inattentive filmgoers need not apply.
More of an emotional tour de force than an action film (and in fact there’s very few scenes one would consider “action” in the sense of “action movies”), “Throw Down” features an outstanding performance by Louis Koo (“Love on the Rocks”). A broken down man, Koo’s Sze-to is a fish drowning in water. In another twist, it’s Tony’s persistent challenge that makes Sze-to realize who he was, and not who he is. Add to that the re-appearance of Sze-to’s master, who is preparing for a final match to save his dojo. The master’s appearance further illuminates the futility of Sze-to’s existence, and just how low and for how long this man has fallen. Even worst, Sze-to knows it more anyone else. As Sze-to, Louis Koo is a revelation.
Not that Aaron Kwok, fresh from “Heat Team” (a bubbly, self-indulging enterprise compared to “Throw Down”), is chop liver. Kwok is entirely believable as Tony, the brash youngster with the skills to back up his challenges. Kwok brings energy to what might have been a depressing film about people crushed by the world. Not that Dreamer has allowed her spirits to be stamped out just yet; perhaps seeing Sze-to in his current state only spurs her to be even more defiant in the face of reality. In many ways, she stands literally and figuratively between Sze-to and Tony — she’s already lost Tony’s youthful exuberance, but has yet to submit to Sze-to’s hopelessness.
Without a doubt, I believe “Throw Down” is Johnnie To’s best work to date, and considering the man’s cinematic outputs throughout the years, that’s saying a lot. It’s not an action film by any means, and if anything I would classify it as drama with doses of fighting. But the Judo, while excellently choreographed, is a means to an end. If “Breaking News” satisfied the action junkie in me with its relentless pursuits and gunbattles, then “Throw Down” filled my soul.
Special Features:
- Trailer
- Making Of
DISC INFO:
Disc Title: Throw Down (2004) AVC 1080p BD25
Disc Size: 24,001,782,587 bytes
Protection: AACS
BD-Java: No
BDInfo: 0.5.6
PLAYLIST REPORT:
Name: 00001.MPLS
Length: 1:34:57 (h:m:s)
Size: 22,719,854,592 bytes
Total Bitrate: 31.90 Mbps
VIDEO:
Codec Bitrate Description
––- –––- –––––-
MPEG-4 AVC Video 23956 kbps 1080p / 24 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
AUDIO:
Codec Language Bitrate Description
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Dolby TrueHD Audio Chinese 3945 kbps 7.1 / 48 kHz / 3945 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Embedded: 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Dolby Digital EX Audio Chinese 640 kbps 5.1-EX / 48 kHz / 640 kbps
SUBTITLES:
Codec Language Bitrate Description
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Presentation Graphics Chinese 13.140 kbps
Presentation Graphics English 13.150 kbps
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