|
Starring
:
Louis
Koo
Aaron
Kwok
Cherrie
Ying
Tony
Leung Kar Fei
Cheung
Siu Fai
Calvin
Choy
Jordan
Chan
Lo
Hoi Pang
Action
:
Yuen
Bun
Producer
:
Johnnie
To
Director
:
Johnnie
To
|
THROWDOWN (2004)
A.K.A.
- Throw Down
Reviewed
by Andrew Saroch
In
his current period of exaltation, Johnnie To can turn his hand
to nearly any genre and come up with something that feels
refreshing and original. In light of this, when To tackled
what could best be described as, on paper, a 'sports movie',
it was always likely to be very different from the norm.
Once
a Hong Kong's greatest Judo champion, Sze-To (Koo) is now a
craven layabout who manages a bar, but drinks his way through
the profits. One evening, the fallen idol is challenged by
swaggering Judo fighter Tony (Kwok) who marches into the bar
with unusual presumption. When he sees Sze-To's dissipated
state, Tony agrees to bide his time and wait for the
appropriate moment to realise his dream showdown. Tony
meanwhile contents himself with a job as a jazz saxophonist at
the bar and tries to involve himself in Sze-To's fractured
life. Joining the listless pair is aspiring singer Mona (Ying)
who helps her new boss in his hare-brained scams and ludicrous
gambling excursions. While Sze-To barely keeps his life in
order and constantly manages to tangle with the local
gangsters, old Judo rival Kong arrives on the scene also keen
on engaging in one final match-up with Sze-To.
The
euphoria surrounding 'Throwdown' had been infectious enough to
push it to the very top of my 'must-see' list. While some have
claimed it to be among To's most accomplished works, others
have praised its deconstruction of the traditional 'sports
movie' - it's certainly not the typical 'Rocky' presentation
of events. Despite these views though, I couldn't help feeling
that this was, at its best, a flawed work by a director whose
own standards have become insurmountable by his previous
triumphs. There's a great deal to admire in 'Throwdown', but
not enough to truly be enraptured by.
'Throwdown'
is a peculiar hybrid that combines the twilight world of
Johnnie To's film noir thrillers with an obvious ode to
Kurosawa's 'Sanshiro Sugata'; in the hands of a lesser
film-maker this would simply be fool-hardy, but To's current
resurgent confidence
means that nothing seems out of his reach. As with Kurosawa,
To uses Judo as a metaphor for something far greater and more
meaningful: hope and redemption. Every character in 'Throwdown'
has a desire to prove themselves whether it be Mona - who
desires to find fame in Japan - or Sze-To, who is grasping for
some kind of meaning in his imploded life. Such a lofty ideal
is again something that Johnnie To has little trouble
achieving, but while its thematically successful, it is still
shallow at its core. Characterisation should by the fulcrum of
'Throwdown' or any film that aspires to the topic of
redemption, but it is undermined by a few languid stereotypes
and situations. This is especially the case with Cherrie
Ying's portrayal of Mona, a character whose quirks and
motivation leave the viewer with a distinct feeling of deja-vu.
Mona is the puerile, starry-eyed waif who wanders into so many
Hong Kong productions and ruins just as many; Charlene Choi
and Faye Wong before her seemed to have patented that awkward
kookiness, and it's no less frustrating in Cherrie Ying's
hands. Meanwhile the secondary characters are not much better
off; Sze-To's apparent fall from grace is left tantalisingly
unexplained and leaves a huge emotional void in the storyline.
Of course, while lesser productions would be condemned for
this, To's stylish story-telling is seen as a way of excusing
these faults - and in my opinion it doesn't.
While
the flaws may be the subject of debate among viewers, the
performances - which are uniformally excellent - are not.
Louis Koo is a little too young to play the battle-hardened
Sze-To without some concerns, but his efforts are mostly
superb. In a year that has seen him lampooning Samuel Hui in
'Fantasia' to a winning 'nerdy' role in 'Love
On The Rocks', Louis Koo has grown in stature and range.
The underwritten character of Sze-To is given an injection of
pathos by Louis Koo's superior handling of the material. Aaron
Kwok, Tony Leung Kar Fei and Jordan Chan provide fine support
for their charismatic leading man.
Johnnie
To's 'Throwdown' is peppered with artistic flair, helping to
paper over a few of the more obvious cracks. One such scene -
an example of Johnnie To's boundless confidence with the
medium at this moment - is when each of the three main
characters is
being quizzed at a separate table in the jazz bar;
intercutting three diverse discussions while letting the
camera swing between them is a triumph of editing and
directorial insight, even though it proves to be a tad too
awkward at the end. Nonetheless, To floods the frame with
detail and exquisite lighting, making the world he began to
flesh-out with 'The
Mission' and 'PTU' even more resonant. Though the eventual
failings of this ambitious film are apparent, it's also
obvious that Johnnie To is a talent that Hong Kong will be
eager to retain in spite of an expected Hollywood enticement.
'Throwdown'
houses a performance from Louis Koo that is one of his best, a
charmingly taciturn Aaron Kwok and Tony Leung Kar Fei who,
even in his small role, is admirable. It also tackles a
difficult, oft-told story with a few moments of genuine
insight and underlying power. However, its failure is in its
refusal to involve the audience in its drama; one thing that
Kurosawa had down to a fine art was the ability to turn even
the most personal and thematically challenging films into
works that engulf the audience. It may be To's intention to
slightly alienate the audience with characters stuck in limbo,
without any explanations, but, if this is the case, he cannot
be too surprised to learn that this is an uninvolving film. 'Throwdown'
is a drama that needed a human edge - instead it is as lost as
its leading character.
Rating:
  
|
