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Throw Down

Throw Down (2004)

July. 08,2004
|
6.9
| Drama Action

A former Judo champion is given the chance to redeem himself after he befriends a competitor and an aspiring singer.

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Reviews

Lawbolisted
2004/07/08

Powerful

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Noutions
2004/07/09

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

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Supelice
2004/07/10

Dreadfully Boring

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Mandeep Tyson
2004/07/11

The acting in this movie is really good.

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CamelCamelCamel
2004/07/12

I expected a clichéd Rocky-like ('underdog fights his way to the top against all odds!') melodrama from the plot description, and was very glad to discover that the Judo only holds a very marginal role in a movie that's driven by its characters. And to make it even more unique is a very cheeky sense of silliness - only once or twice does Throwdown take itself seriously, and, contrary to just about every other Hong Kong movie I've ever seen, the drama doesn't get confused (or overblown to the point of embarrassing melodrama) in the translation. At times it's very subtle (again, alien to most Hong Kong movies I've seen) and poignant, in addition to sometimes being very funny.And as for the acting, I don't believe I'd seen Louis Koo act before, but I think this was a fine introduction. The same goes for Cherrie Ying, who nearly steals the show with her performance that's in tune with Faye Wong's in Chungking Express (read: so cute you just want to wear her as a hat). And Aaron Kwok, I believe I'll have to reevaluate my apparently unfair opinion of him. He was excellent -- both funny and intense, and fully convincing as a brawler (let's see an American pop singer get the same review).Anyway, if you expect a somber action movie, I can see where you might be disappointed. Personally, I'm very pleased to know of a movie that's so relentlessly fun and charming.

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perezidential-2
2004/07/13

This movie was lots of fun. If you were expecting an all-out fighting movie I can see why you'd be let down. I actually only heard about this movie last week when I borrowed it from a friend. It didn't disappoint at all. If you are a fan of early Kurosawa films (Sanshiro Sugata in particular) you'll love this. It's kind of a modern re-telling of it. Like that film, and this film, there is a sort of suspension of reality. The characters are common archetypes - the has-been master, the wayward girl, the up-and-comer, the bad guy. The film doesn't intend to be a serious drama. Even the "bad guy" really isn't bad. It's more about the spirit of competition and getting back on your feet after you've been knocked down (no pun intended).To me the film excels in its visuals. The film is shot beautifully with vivid colors that set the mood perfectly for each scene. And the finale? A duel in the wind-swept grass! How old-school is that?! Throw Down is a great film if you go in with little or no expectations of what it's "suppposed to be like." Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

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dragonpenchant
2004/07/14

After hearing a lot of praise for To's movies and being really excited to finally see one (on the big screen no less), this film ended up being a grand disappointment. I can appreciate hokey melodrama as much as the next guy, but this shite was unbearably trite. My foremost criticism is of the over the top and out of place musical sequences and i don't quite care if To's satirizing other HK movies because it just wasn't funny enough. The movie wasn't totally w waste of time considering a few memorable moments and some brief humorous moments. Maybe if he had just finished the movie after the balloon scene i would respect his audacity but instead he drags this trifling, self indulgent piece on another 20 minutes. Kurosawa you're not, Johnny.

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Zabadoh
2004/07/15

Director/writer Johnnie To throws down lots of HK movie clichés: The Heist, The Young Challenger, The Fighting, The Master, The Rival, The Gangsters, The Gambling. But all of it's entertaining nonsense used to set up his usual innovative scenes and a little drama. Give Director To credit for parodying these clichés to a fault.This movie is challenging. This is not easy to digest chop sockey flash bang action. So what is this movie about? A lot: Rediscovering relations from happier times, rediscovering oneself, and a director having fun and dropping references to Kurosawa's "Sugata Sanshiro" (1943).

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