Throw Down (2004)

not as good as all the hype

Charming and brutal

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

A tribute to Sanshiro Sugata by the legend Kurosawa ------------------------------------------------------------ Redemption taleA washed-up Judo champion is spending his remaining days boozed up, gambling, and racking up debt . A young Judo student addicting to fighting challenges the washed-up legend and promises to never leave his sight until he accepts his challenge.Mr. Washed life is changed drastically when old ghosts from his past reappear into his life; former judo lord turned yakuza, his old master, and a hardened rival who's fight he ducked over 2 years ago . He joined by the new challenger and a young lady singer - equally as broke as Mr. Washed - as his two companions , whom slowly begin to revive the old champ within ..Classic Johnnie To - minus the guns - Judo style

It's been 7 years since I last watched this film and like red wine, it gets better with age. Back then, I didn't appreciate the full perspective displayed by the ever-green Johnnie To. Throw Down is a film that uses the "show not tell" principle to perfection. It does not use words or flashbacks to tell the audience what happened, but rather uses raw emotions, close facial expressions, brutal desire to pursue a dream, a warm brotherly embrace and the simple innate human nature of will power to continue on in life. It is a powerful film that makes the audience works hard and ultimate the result is a film that involves and emotes the senses of the audience. Years ago, I only see the film as just displaying one point – getting thrown down and standing up again. Now the film shows much more and I am sure years down the track, I will find something else in this small little piece of gem… Neo rates it 8/10.

Akira Kurosawa's first film was a martial arts film: Sanshiro Sugata. This is almost never seen in the west; and I confess I haven't seen it. But I know what Akira Kurosawa did in film, and I have more than a general sense of his style and his concerns - what makes a Kurosawa film identifiably Kurosawa.Johnnie To's tribute to Akira Kurosawa comes as a very splendid surprise. Not really a martial - arts film, this is the story of champion judo wrestler who, going blind, wallows in drink, gambling, petty theft and jazz (do these all go together?) Anyway, although the final 20 minutes of the film gets a little heavy, for the most part this is a humorous look at some Hong Kong low-lives, and how their redemption comes through the personal discipline necessary to learn judo. Even if you don't like judo, you will enjoy this film - very professionally crafted and acted.

When I saw Throwdown at the video store, I didn't think it would be that great. However, I had never seen a judo movie before, so I decided to give it a try.First of all, the action scenes in the movie are great. I think people who are knowledgeable about ground fighting (eg Brazilian jiujitsu or judo) will appreciate the fight scenes. The fight scenes display both take-downs (throws and trips) when the fighters are standing up and ground fighting (joint locks and chokes) when the fights go to the ground. The transitions between the judo moves also flow very well. The actors in the movie even demonstrate proper techniques to break their falls when they get thrown to the ground.In addition to the fight scenes, I love how the characters all have obstacles in their lives that they must overcome. I love how judo is used as a metaphor for the lives of these characters. When practicing judo, a person will fall many times and find it hard to continue. To be successful, the person must get up after falling down and continue to train. Similarly, a person will experience hardships in life and often find it difficult to continue living. Despite these hardships, one must put in his best effort and continue doing what he has to do.If you're expecting this movie to have actors flying in the air like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, you might be disappointed. But if you want to see a movie with more realistic fight scenes and an inspirational message about perseverance, I recommend this movie.