Throw Down

Throw Down (Chinese 柔道龍虎榜, literally Judo Dragon and the Tiger List in English) is a Hong Kong film by director Johnnie To from 2004. It had its world premiere at the 61st Venice International Film Festival and reached Hong Kong cinemas on 8 July 2004. It was produced by Sil-Metropole Organisation, Milkyway Image, China Star Entertainment Group and One Hundred Years of Film. Sze-to Bo (Louis Koo) is a former judo champion who left judo years ago for unclear reasons, fell into depression and drinking, and works as a karaoke bar manager. He is challenged by two opponents: the current champion Tony (Aaron Kwok) and Bo's longtime rival Lee Ah-kong (Tony Leung Ka-fai). Bo also tries to help his mentor Cheng revive his declining dojo, and the dancer and singer Mona (Cherrie Ying) seeks refuge with him. Judo is the central sporting element of the film. According to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, To, until then associated mainly with shootouts in gangster films, swapped the gunfights for judo bouts. To dedicated the film to the late Akira Kurosawa and drew on elements of his debut Sanshiro Sugata (1943), a film about judo.

Martial arts in this work

Origin

Johnnie To dedicated the film to the memory of Akira Kurosawa and drew on elements of Kurosawa's directorial debut Sanshiro Sugata from 1943, which is also set in the world of judo. Institutions presenting the film point to this link too: the Criterion Collection describes it as a tribute to Sanshiro Sugata and to judo, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York as an indirect tribute to Kurosawa. Criterion released the film on Blu-ray in 2021 together with an interview with Johnnie To and a short documentary about the shoot, both from 2004.

Fight choreography

The action scenes were led by Yuen Bun, credited as action coordinator; the judo consultant was Alamdin Karim. According to a reviewer at the blog World Film Geek, the action emphasises judo throws and ground fighting, and Tony, played by Aaron Kwok, uses throws and an armbar from a leg clamp. We have not been able to document how long or under whose guidance the actors practised judo before shooting.

People and martial arts

• Johnnie ToDirector
• Yuen BunAction director· Judo
• Louis KooActor — as Sze-to Bo· Judo (portrays the art on screen)
• Aaron KwokActor — as Tony· Judo (portrays the art on screen)
• Tony Leung Ka-faiActor — as Lee Ah-kong· Judo (portrays the art on screen)
• Alamdin KarimTechnical advisor· Judo