The Champions

Golden Harvest Productions usually spell quality and it’s no different here with this hugely entertaining Hong Kong sports-action comedy from 1983, which – how else should it be – is seasoned with a heavy dose of martial arts.

Yuen Biao stars as Lee Tong, a young farmhand who lives with his uncle (Eddy Ko) on a rural farm where he needs to do most of the work due to his uncle’s permanent leg injury. We know right from the outset that this is going to be a fun movie thanks to the inspired opening credits, which offer a taste of things to come…and watch Tong fetching some eggs while taking on a flock of geese at the beginning! Despite his help, money is never enough and so he takes part in a local contest during which the participants are required to climb up poles and cross wooden planks in order to get to a treasured big pearl in a box. It’s a spectacularly choreographed sequence and ends with Tong winning while at the same time, annoying the young big shot who feels the prize should have been his. This causes a situation where Tong needs to hide when Mr. Big-Shot and his gang arrive on the farm to seek revenge. Uncle does his best to distract them, giving Tong time to escape. It is decided that it might be best if our country bumpkin heads for the big city to stay with a friend of his uncle but when he arrives, no one is there. A group of youngsters are engaged in playing soccer and when the ball accidentally lands in front of Tong, who happens to pass by at that very moment, he kicks the ball back but in such a way that the leader of the group, Suen (Cheung Kwok-Keung), is impressed and tries to approach Tong about joining the team. However, Tong misunderstands Suen’s body language and is certain that he just annoyed him the same way as he annoyed Big-Shot back in his village and does a runner.

Searching further for his friend, he happens to bump into a young woman named Fanny (Moon Lee) who is the daughter of his uncle’s friend – how is that for coincidence? From Fanny, he learns that his uncle’s friend had in fact passed away, so now Tong is in a bit of a pickle as he doesn’t want to return to the farm, far from it, he wants to stay in the city and earn money, so he can support his uncle. But what is he to do? Another coincidence occurs when Suen barges into the ramshackle apartment in which Fanny lives and she urges Tong to hide behind a curtain. But he doesn’t hide well enough and in no time finds himself confronted with Suen. Certain that he followed him to pick a fight, Tong is ready for action when it transpires that Suen is in fact… Fanny’s brother! Misunderstandings are quickly brushed aside and Tong agrees to join Suen’s soccer team to take on the King of Soccer (Dick Wei), an arrogant little so-and-so who is a bit of a celebrity and is driven around in flash cars, smoking cigars and acting the prick that he really is.

When King learns that Suen’s team now have a new and skilled player in Tong and that Suen’s team wish to take on King’s team in a soccer match, it’s all supposed to pan out in a pretty straightforward manner but when King agrees to teach Tong the ropes, he uses the opportunity to humiliate the newcomer in every way possible. As a result, he initially finds himself reduced to the position of a ball boy. Ball boy he may be, but together with his new friend Suen he’s ready to take on any challenge! Easier said than done because when a local business man, aware of Tong’s soccer talents, offers the young lad the opportunity to form his own team and play against King’s team, King is anything but pleased and will stop at nothing to sabotage the game – even suggesting that the winner take the legs of the loser. The soccer pitch is set for an almighty showdown but it’s Soccer as you’ve never seen it before…

It’s all terrific fun with some clever subplots and a flashback sequence which explains how Tong’s Uncle got his crippled leg. It’s also somewhat of an underrated film and that’s a shame, because THE CHAMPIONS has plenty to offer!

The first 2000 copies of this Blu-ray edition will be presented in a Limited Edition O-card slipcase with collector’s booklet. Bonus material includes interviews, audio commentaries, featurettes, various audio options and a reversible sleeve.