The Tournament

Direct-to-video action films are admirable. Against all technical and monetary odds, they strive to put on a good show for folks who are willing to take a chance beyond mainstream movie mulch. Finally, finally, finally, however, we have a low budget film that's legitimately capable of going toe-to-toe with Hollywood productions and beating them at their own game while showing up their deficiencies. "The Tournament" - the feature-length debut of TV and short film director Scott Mann - is easily the best action flick to be released DTV since the likes of  Undisputed II - Last Man Standing : not only is it packing more gunfights, martial arts fisticuffs, and car chases than the average big-budget picture, but its high production values guarantee that it's not going to alienate people who shy away from movies that aren't 100% glossy and streamlined.The story: every decade, powerful businessmen congregate to organize and gamble to the tide of 'the Tournament' - a no-holds-barred battle royal pitting the world's most dangerous assassins against eachother. In the midst of this, a troubled, alcoholic priest (Robert Carlyle,  The Full Monty ) is mistakenly entered as a contestant; his only hope for survival rests with the efforts of a former Triad hitwoman (Kelly Hu,  X2 ) trying to atone for her past. In their way are 29 of the killing world's elite, including a vengeful returning champion (Ving Rhames,  Pulp Fiction ) and a sadistic rookie entry (Ian Somerhalder, "Lost").Almost as significant as the shot in the arm it gives to the DTV genre is how adeptly this film turns Kelly Hu into an action heroine. Whether you're not really a fan of her or agree with me that she's had it coming for way too long, she proves herself more than capable in here, not just by way of attitude, but also via her impressive physical abilities, best highlighted in a fantastic hand-to-hand fight with the awesome Scott Adkins ( Ninja ). Of course, she's not the only one who steals the show: Sebastien Foucan, who was introduced to the world by way of his jaw-dropping parkour episode in "Casino Royale", returns to the screen after a three-year absence to reestablish his talents in some thoroughly satisfying free running exhibitions. Frequent shootouts incorporating nearly the entire cast might be considered less original than anything choreographed by John Woo, but nevertheless feature an environmental resourcefulness that, when filmed as well as they are, makes them difficult not to watch. A bus chase involving a cool over-the-top car flip solidifies the package: there's something here for every action fan.The acting is surprisingly good when you consider that dramatics have always been a grey area for fight movies. The aforementioned cast, as well as Liam Cunningham ( The Wind That Shakes the Barley ) as the top conspirator, are the only players who need to show thematic talent, and they pull it off admirably, with Rhames giving an especially ringing performance during the film's last ten minutes. This is a surprising asset when you consider the film's level of violence, which could have easily drowned out the movie's more sophisticated parts. Within the first three minutes or so, a man has his head graphically blown off, and this level of bloodletting doesn't let up throughout the film. Most of the gore, however, is pure spectacle - it only gets cruel in a few scenes. Thus, if the movie has a fault, it's a bit self-indulgent with its blood content...but then again, a weathered action fan could easily read this as homage to the glory days of action-oriented bloodletting a'la  Out for Justice  or  Commando .All the same, I really can't stress enough how impressive this movie is for being produced on a mere £3.6 million budget and still looking as cool as it does. I really don't know what else to say other than to repeat myself one more time: while "The Tournament" will entertain people who have yet to be weaned off big-budget Hollywood blockbusters, it's those of you who know just how hard it is to get an independent film made that will appreciate what a remarkably explosive action package this is. Buy it. Buy it now.

Here's some backstory as to when the show first aired, followed by some stuff about the show...In late 2004, the CBC network saw the writing on the wall and pretty much knew the NHL wouldn't be playing a season in 2004-05. The World Cup of Hockey took place in September of 2004, which ended up being the last time NHL players would be playing nationally televised hockey for a year.Though not having hockey really would only take away the CBC's programming for Saturday nights and evenings from April to June, I'm sure they knew the Canadian masses would be starved for anything hockey-related.Their answers? One was Making the Cut, an open Canada-wide tryout with the ultimate prize being six NHL training camp invitations, one each for the six Canadian NHL teams.The other? The Tournament. Both Making the Cut and The Tournament aired in primetime on (I think) Monday nights. (Unrelated, the CBC was heavily promoting the new version of Doctor Who at the time.)The main character of The Tournament is hockey-crazed dad Barry McConnell, who will stop at nothing to get his 10-year-old son Robbie on his way to the NHL. Long story short, Barry's trying to live his dream through his son. Needless to say, Barry has some run-ins with wife Janice as well as just about everybody, from the coach of the team to the officials to his boss at work to the team sponsors, the Farquesons, who have their own hilarious foul-mouthed goalie of a tomboy daughter by the name of Denim. Perhaps most hilarious are Barry's tussles with Mohindar Singh, the (East) Indian gyno who doubles as team trainer and father of another of Robbie's teammates, Kumar (or K-Mart, as Barry half-intentionally calls him). Also featured is fresh divorcee Deb Pishatelli, a friend of Janice's and mother of Robbie's teammate, Anthony. Let's not forget the Frenchman coach Barry tries to impress late in the season.The characters are hilarious and the whole show just seems real sharp, and there seems to be a constant chaotic/haywire feeling to it, so I could see how people could say it's a relative to Arrested Development.If the only thing I knew about the show was that it involved a kids' hockey team, their parents, and the fact that the team was named the Farqueson Funeral Home Warriors, that'd be enough for me to buy the DVDs. Hooray for living near the Canadian border with a stateside cable provider that carried the CBC.

For those of us who have lived, breathed and ate youth hockey, this mockumentary hits very close to home. When Barry ran a 30-foot extension to have his house cross the county line so his son could play on a better team, I lost it. Yes, hockey parents are a whole different breed.The 1st yr focuses on a small Canadian town called Briarside, Ontario, and its Pee-Wee hockey team called the Farqueson Funeral Home Warriors. They are gearing up for a big tournament in the city of Chateauguay, Quebec. The hockey action is limited but we see a lot of antics by psycho hockey dad, Barry McConnell, who looks at Chateauguay as a stepping stone for his son Robbie on the way to the NHL. We've all seen hockey parents from hell and boy do these characters imitate the craziness of youth hockey.Don't believe this is art imitating life? Go down to any amateur hockey rink in North America and see for yourself. The second yr kinda dragged, as the plot got old. But the first yr is a gem. This is a very accurate reflection of hockey culture. If you don't think it's funny, you're the one this movie is portraying. :-)

To get it out-of-the-way, yes, this film clearly borrows from the likes of Smokin Aces, Battle Royale, Series 7 etc etc. To ensure there’s some dialogue – in what would otherwise be a speechless film – the silly priest storyline is added, although it could have been just as easily done with two underdog killers teaming up. Given that there’s 30 contestants + others watching, characterisation is obviously very thin.Boring things aside, the action in this film is intense and very frequent – the highlight being a strip-club shootout/massacre with blood, guts and limbs flying everywhere. Nothing within the frame is safe, pedestrians, buildings, animals and vehicles (cars, jeeps and tankers all flipping and exploding at some point). Every five minutes there’s a big action scene, and most of it is of a very high standard. For a £4M movie to have such a decent cast, great action scenes and well-directed action (it’s his first film!!) – it’s nothing short of a miracle.Someone please throw more money at the director, Scott Mann to kick off his next project – it’s absolutely the best in class for mindless action; a bloody schlock romp for the guys, full of explosions, guns, blood and tits.Score: 7/10 - from ParagraphFilmReviews dot com

There are no surprises in this low budget action thriller but it does make enjoyable viewing. It approaches the level of films such as 'Wanted' but doesn't quite make it, however don't let that put you off as Robert Carlyles performances are always worth a watch. He manages to lift this effort above the norm and is ably assisted by Kelly Hu who introduces glamour, as well as some slick fighting skills to the movie as a guilt ridden assassin. I'm sure that I'll slip this disk into the player again on some rainy Saturday afternoon.

It's over the top violence may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I highly recommend it to any action movie fan worth his salt. The action sequences are mind boggling as they are mind blowing, the acting can be a bit wooden at times, but this is the movie that you watch to pass the time on a cold winter night, perhaps, and don't forget to leave your intelligence undisturbed throughout the 90 minutes of viewing. Absolutely terrific picture and sound quality, 5 star out of 5 for both!

After reading a few reviews about The Tournament I had already assumed it to be a copy of many previously titled films The Condemned, Battle royale and even so bold as to consider Predators. I was quite surprised from the sleek kills and outstanding scenes, everyone has a favorite moment to a film but for this one theres just too many good moments, when they made this movie its like they took all the best bits and rolled it into one without losing plot.

Watched this back when I was around 13, and back then, I loved how it is set in old Blighty for once and not good old smoggy London like always. Watched for Robert Carlyle and Kelly Hu, whom I know from over movies. I was surprised to see the guy who played Ser Davos from HBO's Game of Thrones. Lots of fun and violence. Really can't fault.