Back in the early ’80s, my Uncle gave us tickets for a preseason New England Patriots game. My major memory was not of the game, but a halftime show that included a martial arts demonstration. The members of karate school where all-pro linebacker Andre Tippet practiced demonstrated their kicks and chops. The future Hall of Famer already had a black belt. All I kept thinking for the rest of the game is why Andre Tippet doesn’t perform karate kicks on anyone in his zone? Why not deliver a finishing blow after he sacks the quarterback like we’d eventually seen in a game of Mortal Kombat? Turns out there’s no round house kicking your opponent in football. They throw a flag on death blows. But what about soccer where they could kick the ball like it was an opponent’s head? Turns out that I wasn’t alone in the desire to introduce martial arts into the beautiful game. Brandy Yuen (In the Line of Duty III) also thought about using martial arts choreography on the soccer pitch. He wrote the script and directed The Champions.
The opening credits montage harkens back to the Shaw Brothers opening where the stars demonstrate the martial arts moves that are part of the film. Except it’s doing exceptional soccer kicks filling the screen. Lee Tung (Project A’s Biao Yuen) is a farmer who demonstrates his fancy footwork while picking up goose eggs on a beach. His leg strength comes from a pedal system for milling grain. We truly see his athletic moves when completes in an obstacle course at a Holy Day for the glory of a roast pig. Lee Tung would have won the sweet pork feast except something drastic didn’t happen. Lee flees the countryside for Hong Kong. When he comes upon a soccer game in a field, he kicks the ball back to a game and his power is shown. They want him on their team. His talent comes to an attention of the local major soccer team that features the legend King (Millionaires’ Express‘ Dick Wei). Lee thinks he’s going to be a member of the team, but discovers King wants him to be a ball boy. But can a man with his stills only gather up used towels in the locker room? While with the team, he learns the dirty business of pro soccer in Hong Kong. Can he succeed in a sport that might be as rigged as pro wrestling?
The Champions is more than watching a bunch of actors use their martial arts skills while kicking around a soccer ball. Brandy Yuen dares to dip into how gambling might steer a sport. This is a contemporary story as online betting has overwhelmed American sports. There’s already been news stories of non-superstar athletes who have fixed their play that they friends and relatives can bet on them as a sure thing. Now your favorite team has an official online gambling site. They get a cut if fans bet in the arena or stadium during the game. Here’s a film from nearly four decades ago about stars and owners making gambling money on the side. There are more than gambling issues in the film. The feud between Lee and King elevates in serious and hilarious ways. There’s a nightclub scene where the two men do their best to one up each other from across the room and finally on the dancefloor. The final game between the two has a Rollerball vibe. Things get extra nasty on the pitch. Brandy Yuen has the players beat each other up as they’re allegedly going for the ball so no red cards to slow down the action. The Champions is an exciting film that mixes martial arts destruction with soccer highlights.
The Video is 2.35:1 anamorphic. This is from a 2K restoration, you’ll notice how the grass is holding up on the pitch. The Audio is the Original Cantonese Mono in LPCM 2.0. There’s also the Alternate Cantonese Mono Audio in LPCM 2.0 that was used for the Japanese release. A restored Cantonese Mono track is also in LPCM 2.0. Finally we get an English dub in Mono LPCM 2.0. Take your pick for they were all cleaned up nicely. The movie is subtitled in English.
Audio commentary by East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and F.J. DeSanto. Has Djeng immediately declare he will not being calling the game soccer. This has always been football to him. He points out that the movie is actually a period piece based in the early 1960s. He gives us a sense of what’s going in Hong Kong. We get the background on the original voice cast for the film along with the screen actors. Watching a Hong Kong movie with Djeng is enlightening on many levels. He makes it worth immediately rewatching the film with his commentary track running.
Audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema opens with them singing the Golden Harvest theme. The Cantonese title is “Football Crazy.” They talk about a Swedish soccer player who had a black belt and used his kick skills on the field. They get into a current snake outbreak in Hong Kong including one found in a movie theater. We get to hear about Eddy Ko’s Hollywood career since this movie. We also learn how Hong Kong films at this time didn’t pay actors residuals. There’s also a cameo from Jackie Chan.
Superstar Football HK (18:41) allows CFK to look at the 1987 Hong Kong celebrity football / soccer team. The team featured a number of Hong Kong acting legends including Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung and Andy Lau. Why weren’t they in the World Cup? They take special to a soccer facility in Hong Kong. There’s plenty of photos of the stars kicking around the soccer ball.
James Mudge on The Champions (14:51) has him talk about Brandy Yuen’s role in the Yuen Clan. He also gets into a sports film in Hong Kong. He appreciates how The Champions isn’t dominated by pure soccer on the screen. The action is always a part of the story. He wishes there was more Moon Lee. He compares and contrasts this film with Shaolin Soccer that came out 20 years later.
Japanese Release Trailer (1:58) is all about Biao Yuen showing off his made soccer skills and his usual martial arts action.
Original Trailer (4:44) is the one Golden Harvest shipped out to theaters.
Limited edition collector’s booklet has an essay by James Oliver and photos from the film’s publicity.
Soccer Cards are provided for King and Lee Tong. You’ll want to put them in top loaders to keep them safe. Best soccer cards I’ve ever seen.
Eureka! Entertainment presents The Champions. Directed by Brandy Yuen. Screenplay by Brandy Yuen. Starring Biao Yuen, Moon Lee, Dick Wei, Eddy Ko, Kwok-Keung Cheung, Ching Po Chang, Wah Cheung, Ging-Man Fung and Biu Gam. Running Time: 92 minutes. Rating: Unrated. Release Date: September 24, 2024.
