Synopsis
Throw Down (柔道龍虎榜, 2004) is a Hong Kong drama-action piece from Johnnie To, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Sze-to was once the most gifted judoka in the city. These days he's a drunk running a shabby nightclub, his talent drowned at the bottom of a glass.
Two people break his stupor. Tony, a young judoka, roams the gyms challenging every old champion in town, and the one bout he craves is against Sze-to. Meanwhile Mona, a singer chasing a stage of her own, pulls them both into her schemes. Tony Leung Ka-fai plays the fallen fighter with a quiet, bruised dignity, alongside Louis Koo and Aaron Kwok.
To made this as a tribute to Kurosawa's Sanshiro Sugata: the mat here is really a way to talk about pride, fear and second chances. Less a straight brawler than a jazzy, nocturnal mood piece for anyone who loves Hong Kong cinema for its atmosphere, not just its fights. Stream Throw Down (2004) online on iFILM.
Starring
Comments 0