Verdict
Summary
From director Huang Feng, the snappy chop sockie film The Tournament is a solid vehicle for both Mao and Wong, who both shine, and the film has enough room for a supporting role for Sammo Hung as a fighter who realizes that he’s been beat by a woman and humbles himself rather than retaliating. With a happy ending and a satisfying amount of fights that keep things rolling and rollicking, this one is a winner.
Plot:
A pair of siblings joins a Thai boxing tournament to bring honor back to their dojo.
Review:
Lau (Ko Hisiang-ting) is one of the last truly honorable martial arts teachers in Hong Kong, and when one of his students comes to him, imploring for help when some gangsters kidnap his sister and extort him for money. His student thinks that by joining a Thai boxing tournament in Thailand, he’ll earn enough money to redeem his sister, but when Lau gives his blessing for the student to proceed, the student dies in the ring, bringing shame to his dojo. Lau loses all his paying students, leaving him destitute, and he commits suicide as a result. His daughter Siu-Fung (Angela Mao) and his son (played by Carter Wong) decide to enter the Thai boxing tournament with the approval of a syndicate of dojos who put them both to the test first to see how well they can fight, and it’s Siu-Fung who “wows” them all with her unexpectedly proficient skills. She cuts her pigtails off and poses as a man, and she’s able to enter the tournament … and bring honor back to her father’s dojo.
From director Huang Feng, the snappy chop sockie film The Tournament is a solid vehicle for both Mao and Wong, who both shine, and the film has enough room for a supporting role for Sammo Hung as a fighter who realizes that he’s been beat by a woman and humbles himself rather than retaliating. With a happy ending and a satisfying amount of fights that keep things rolling and rollicking, this one is a winner.
88 Films brings The Tournament to Blu-ray in a new 2K restoration, and it comes with a bunch of additional bonus features, including a commentary, a poster, a reversible sleeve, interviews, and more.
Bonus Materials
- O-RING SLIP CASE WITH NEW ARTWORK BY AURELIO LORENZO
- 2K RESTORATION FROM THE ORIGINAL NEGATIVE
- REMASTERED ORIGINAL MANDARIN MONOAURAL SOUNDTRACK
- REMASTERED ENGLISH DUBBED MONOAURAL SOUNDTRACK
- NEWLY TRANSLATED ENGLISH SUBTITLES
- Audio commentary by Frank Djeng and Michael Worth
- An Absolute Knockout – Ricky Baker on The Tournament
- Muay Thai Memories – Carter Huang on The Tournament
- English Opening and Closing Credits
- Image Gallery
- Original Mandarin Trailer
- Reversible Sleeve