This Blu-ray from Eureka Entertainment is currently available for purchase.
While sports movies are extremely popular, there is one specific kind of film that doesn’t often get the cinematic treatment. Oddly enough, it’s soccer, which is the world’s most popular game. There definitely are a handful of titles, like Victory, Shaolin Soccer, Bend It Like Beckham, The Damned United and more recently Early Man and Next Goal Wins, but you’d expect there would be more than the limited 20 or 30 titles out there.
One picture that flew under the radar for most is The Champions. It’s a 1983 Hong Kong production that was popular in its homeland, but didn’t really travel beyond Asia. To be frank, there are certainly reasons why the sports action/comedy didn’t attain an international audience. Mainly because it’s absolutely insane. But at least Eureka Entertainment is now giving the picture the Blu-ray treatment so that the rest of the world can catch up with it and enjoy the bizarreness of it all.
The story isn’t all that different from a typical underdog tale. It follows Lee Tung (Biao Yuen), a country bumpkin from a small village with dreams of expanding his horizons. He’s frequently bullied by the obnoxious and cruel King (Dick Wei), a skilled soccer player who enjoys beating the protagonist up. After one notable confrontation, the two go their separate ways and Lee leaves for Hong Kong with best pal Suen (Kwok-Keung Cheung).
The pair end up playing an extremely rough and tumble game of soccer with locals, and decide to try out for a major league team. Lee immediately comes face-to-face with King, who is the star striker on the squad. The two newbies are turned down, but a misunderstanding finds Lee being hired as ball-boy and assistant. He is regularly abused by King, but hones his skills. Eventually, Lee leaves the club and he and Suen join a rival team. They begin winning, leading to a bizarre private match with King’s team that could have devastating results.
This title features all of what you would expect from a movie using performers with a background in martial arts. All of the games feature outrageous kicks and flips that are impressive to witness. It’s quite amusing, as fouls for bone-crunching acts during the game rarely get penalized and are often unseen by the ref. The way it is presented is almost like a wrestling match. There’s plenty of humor as Lee and his pal get into wacky situations, both when they are getting hit by balls while trying to learn how to play, as well as after they’ve found some degree of success (viewers see some of Lee’s dreams of fame and fortune). As the professional rivalry grows between Lee and King, there is a very entertaining sequence where the heroes attend a nightclub and discover the villain is there too. Lee and King begin to knock each other down while they are on the dancefloor with ladies.
It’s all very silly… except when it isn’t. The fight scenes are actually more violent than expected and a lot of blood is shed when Lee and his pals are bullied by King. The movie also deals with corruption in the game, as the team owners seem more than willing to throw games for payments, or literally “get rid” of rival players.
As the intensity builds, there’s one incredibly brutal fight in which Lee and Suen are attacked by thugs. The fight becomes remarkably graphic and culminates with one character lit on fire and another being thrust into the broken glass of a car window. The body hangs limply as the heroes race away.
The finale involves a private match set-up between the two club owners on an empty country field. The stakes are outrageously high. If King wins, Lee will have one of his legs amputated on the spot. The reverse is also true if the villain fails to beat the hero’s team in the match. The footage of the players throwing punches and performing moves on the field make the iconic overhead kick look simple by comparison. And it is a blast to see. Yet while the tone is comedic, it’s strange that someone at the very least is going to lose a leg by the end of it all.
So yes, the bloody martial arts and soccer combo is extremely entertaining, if occasionally bizarre beyond even my expectations. At times, I couldn’t quite believe what I was watching. This is especially true of the finale in which the horrific fate of a character is delivered in a lighthearted manner, with giant smiles present on the faces of the characters. I suppose that’s why it took some time for this movie to reach audiences in the western world. But I have to admit, the surrealness of it all makes it a fascinating and even jaw-dropping watch.
As mentioned, the disc comes with entertaining bonus features. There are two commentary tracks. The first, from two Asian film experts, delivers a ton of background material about the cast and crew, as well as explanations of some story elements that might not translate to western audiences. It’s enjoyable, although at times they do appear to be defending the weird tonal shifts. They make the claim that Stephen Chow basically remade this picture as Shaolin Soccer, but that this picture is far more “grounded”, presumably in reality. I debate that there’s anything about this film that isn’t over-the-top and exaggerated in the extreme. Chow’s movie goes all in with humor, making the tone far more consistent throughout (which is why it was an international hit).
The second track, from two action cinema experts, is very fun and full of humor. They aren’t nearly as certain about Chow copying this title. The pair are extremely aware of the surreal twists and one of them still even struggles to get his head around the tone of the wacky yet extremely disturbing final moments.
There is also an interview with a film critic who shares similar thoughts about the movie. It’s clear he enjoys the title, but does note all of the liberties taken with the soccer games, the offbeat staging of the climax (that doesn’t feature a crowd) and the film’s other eccentricities.
A curious fact that is revealed is that the movie spawned a real team of Hong Kong celebrities who would regularly get together and play charity games. Yes, star Yuen, Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and just about every other male Hong Kong star would play on this team at some point over the next couple of decades. Thus, another extra involves a critic going through everyone who played at one point or another and picking out a “dream team”. A trailer is also included.
In addition, on the first 2000 copies, you’ll get a reversible sleeve with original poster artwork, a booklet with new writing trying to explain this picture, and a slipcase cover with new art for the movie.
As a fan of the game, I had a good time with The Champions and the Eureka Entertainment Blu-ray. The picture is nice and clean, and while the movie isn’t a classic (like, say, Shaolin Soccer), it is entertainingly absurd with a couple of unforgettable moments. It’s great that it is being made available and those who enjoy soccer or sports movies can now finally enjoy this oddity and potentially add it to their sports-themed movie collections. The Champions scores a few goals along the way and isn’t something that you’ll likely forget anytime soon after watching it.