Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Throw Down Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 4, 2013

Johnnie To's "Throw Down" (2004) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer and a standard making of featurette. In Cantonese, with optional English and Traditional Mandarin subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

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The film follows three lonely characters who have struggled to maintain balance in their lives. They first meet in a popular club in downtown Hong Kong where other people like them often go to escape reality.

The first character is Sze-To (Louis Koo, Accident, Overheard), a former judo champion who has lost his passion for life. He owns the club but routinely steals from an eccentric crime boss to cover his expenses. Without anyone special in his life to love him, or help him with his business, Sze-To spends most of his time inside the club, drinking himself to death.

Tony (Aaron Kwok, The Detective, Cold War) is a young drifter who wants to prove to himself that he could be a great judo fighter. He is convinced that winning a fight with Sze-To will dramatically change his life. But when he enters Sze-To’s club, he quickly realizes that his opponent is on the verge of self-destruction.

Mona (Cherrie Ying, Karmic Mahjong, Poker King) is a young singer who wants to be successful in Hong Kong. She is ready to sleep with any producer if he promises to make her a star. Hoping to get noticed, she begins visiting Sze-To’s club, where men with many important friends occasionally go for drinks.

After a wild night in the club, Tony approaches Sze-To and challenges him to a fight, but he hires Mona to sing for his customers. An old foe (Tony Leung Ka Fai, The Lover) then reappears and demands that Sze-To finishes an important match with him.

Dedicated to the great Japanese director Akira Kurosawa, Johnnie To’s Throw Down is a film with two very different identities. On one hand, it is about the underbelly of a city where just about anything goes. As it is almost always the case with To’s films, there are cruel mobsters and men willing to follow their orders no matter how outrageous they might be. Unsurprisingly, in most of the places To’s camera visits life is shockingly cheap.

On the other hand, Throw Down is sort of an unusual romantic film in which two young men and a beautiful woman rediscover their passion for life. They do it while they wander around the city and slowly warm up to each other. The whole process feels like a group therapy for lonely souls during which people gradually relax, open up and begin to share some of their most intimate stories.

The film might be one of To’s best. It is very complex but it does not overwhelm. It is incredibly beautifully lensed as well. The lush neon lights make it look elegant and at the same time very relaxing. Even some of the more intense fights look like ballet acts choreographed for a big Broadway show.

Koo plays the lonely club owner to perfection. In one of the film’s most memorable sequences he attempts to remember some of his best judo moves while walking down an empty street. The atmosphere here is terrific. Kwok is also in a couple of great sequences fighting a giant bodyguard.

The excellent score was created by award-winning composer Peter Kam (Derek Yee's One Nite in Mongkok, Peter Chan’s Perhaps Love, Tsui Hark’s Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame).

*In 2005, Throw Down won Golden Horse Award for Best Screenplay Originally Written for the Screen (Yau Nai-Hoi, Yip Tin-Shing, Au Kin-Yee).

Throw Down Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.42:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Johnnie To's Throw Down arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors Kam & Ronson Enterprises.

The high-definition transfer appears to have been struck from the same master that was prepared for the old R3 DVD release of the film. Generally speaking, detail and clarity are pleasing, especially during the darker sequences, but depth and fluidity tend to fluctuate. Colors are stable, but saturation isn't always convincing. Furthermore, there are traces of light sharpening corrections. Some compression artifacts are also present. Typically, most of them could be seen during close-ups (see screencapture #9). The partially good news here is that the majority of the film is quite dark and none of these artifacts ever become seriously distracting. There are no traces of excessive denoising. Finally, when blown through a digital projector, the film remains tight around the edges. All in all, considering how problematic some releases of older Hong Kong produced films have been, I think it is fair to say that Throw Down actually looks quite good in high-definition. Owners of the R3 DVD release should consider upgrading it. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Throw Down Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 and Mandarin Dolby Digital 5.1 EX. For the record, Kam & Ronson Enterprises have provided optional English and Traditional Mandarin subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

There have been quite a few releases with elaborate new lossless audio tracks which have been somewhat disappointing, but the Cantonese Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track is in fact quite good. It has very good depth and pleasing fluidity. Generally speaking, the sound is also well rounded and stable. Dynamic movement, however, is somewhat uneven. There are a few sequences with sudden spikes in dynamic activity that feel unnatural. Occasionally, the dialog also gets pushed back while the action gets extra dynamic support. Still, overall this is indeed one of the better 7.1 tracks I've heard on a catalog release.

Throw Down Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Throw Down. In Cantonese, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Making of - standard featurette with raw footage from the shooting of the film. Also included are short interviews with cast and crew members. In Cantonese, with imposed Traditional Mandarin subtitles. (11 min, 480/60i).

Throw Down Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dedicated to the great Akira Kurosawa, Johnnie To's Throw Down is a deeply atmospheric film that many consider to be one of the Hong Kong auteur's best. I have to agree. It is quite complex but not overwhelming and very stylish. The film deserves a much better release, a special edition at the very least, but currently only the Hong Kong-produced Blu-ray release reviewed here is available on the market. My advice to you is to consider picking it up before it goes out of print. RECOMMENDED.