Martial arts fans know Yuen Biao from turns in Bruce Lee vehicles like Enter the Dragon (1973) and Game of Death (1978), as well as various appearances in Jackie Chan projects like Project A (1983) or My Lucky Stars (1985), but he also headlined a few features that tried to make the most of his talents for martial arts and physical comedy. One such film, Brandy Yuen Jan-Yeung’s (In the Line of Duty 3) sports comedy The Champions (波牛), utilized the familiar “small town kid gets into big trouble” structure of various martial arts flicks reframed as a sports comedy. In its best moments, the martial arts-as-football skills bring about as many laughs as they create opportunities for ingenuity that amaze even now. Thanks to Eureka Entertainment, audiences new and old can explore Biao’s The Champions via a brand-new 2K restoration on a 1080p HD disc complete with a variety of new materials (on-disc and off).
Yuen Biao as Lee Tong in THE CHAMPIONS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
Lee Tong (Biao) and his uncle (Eddy Ko Hung) live together in a rural town, but when Lee finds himself in trouble after a local competition, his uncle sends him out of town for a fresh start. Unfortunately, Lee stumbles into reigning soccer champion and leader of team Lung Wah Football King (Dick Wei), creating an instant rivalry. Things are made even worse when new friend Suen (Cheung Kwok-Keung) encourages him to try out for the prized soccer team, only to end up as the ball boy to be ridiculed by King. But when an opposing team, Hsin Sang, sees potential in Lee, both he and Suen take up leadership positions that end up challenging King for the title of Football King leading to a head-to-head match for the teams with dire consequences for the loser.
As the Eureka Entertainment release is a restoration, let’s start there.
Center: Cheung Kwok-Keung as Seun in THE CHAMPIONS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The press notes describe this as a “1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration.” There is no notation of how the restoration was completed either within the press notes or the included booklet, so one can read the description as either a 1080p HD presentation downscaled from a 2K restoration or a 2K restoration on a Blu-ray. Based on how this looks, evidence suggests that it’s a 2K restoration on a Blu-ray, which is not entirely unheard of from fellow boutique labels Arrow Video, Radiance Films, or The Criterion Collection. Though the restoration does maintain many of the visual trails that are baked into the sourced materials (like a heavy soft focus in one scene or another), there’s a significant tightening of detail, a greater range of color (muddy browns; more natural greens), and a cleaner picture overall. The film itself isn’t particularly flashy, but the final showdown between Lee’s Hsin Sang and King’s Lung Wah does look pretty great on the dirt field they play in (far from a regulation game), especially when the rain starts pouring down. There’s no visible debris or damage in the frame and generally no sense of wear. Much like other restorations (In the Line of Duty series; The Last Blood), there’s all improvement and no trace of a downside. Regarding the audio, I get into the specifics of that below, however, I can say that the mono audio track is likewise clear and crisp with minimal clipping in the score. This restoration isn’t going to make good use of a 5.1 set-up or higher, but you’ll still have a good time.
Center: Dick Wei as Football King in THE CHAMPIONS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
Unlike prior Eureka Entertainment home releases, the following portions of the home review are based on a retail copy of The Champions provided by MVD Entertainment Group. For instance, I can confirm that the O-card slipcase included with the limited edition version of the restoration does feature the brand-new cover art (as featured at the bottom of this review) designed by Darren Wheeling and the usual summary and materials information on the back alongside four stills from the film. Unlike most slipcovers which are flimsy and don’t particularly protect the plastic holding the liner to the disc case, the O-card is made of more sturdy board, making for a heftier feel when removed and allowing for more protection. Once removed, the default visible liner is the original poster artwork that leans into the silliness of the film through a collage of film moments depicted in a caricature-like style, including the pickpocket sequence and the dance battle sequence. The reverse of the liner features Wheeling’s design, if you prefer it or want the modern look without keeping the slipcase. Additionally, there’s a 23-page booklet comprised of still images, production information, promotional materials, and restoration information. Most interesting, on page 22 of the booklet, Eureka provides instructions on what they feel is the optimal viewing experience for this release, including which of the settings on a 4K UHD television should be turned on and which should be turned off (“motion smoothing”). If you’re not familiar with motion smoothing and why it should not be turned on while watching a film, be sure to check out this 2018 video from actor Tom Cruise and filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie. It’s terrible — don’t use it. Finally, within the booklet is a singular essay from multi-hyphenate James Oliver that seeks to contextualize The Champion as more than simply a sports action comedy, but as a film which explores a specific period of excess in Hong Kong that was not necessarily true of all of China (presented by Lee’s rural beginnings and eventual success via a Western game that gives him access to a Western lifestyle).
A scene in THE CHAMPIONS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
Not mentioned on the press release is that the limited edition release also includes two character athlete cards — one for Lung Wah’s King and one for Hsin Sang’s Lee Tong — that features the characters in uniform, as well as a few stats. Considering that the two cards of made of thick material and are inside the disc case loosely, I do wish that Eureka had included them in the notes as they make the same rattling sound in the case as when a disc comes loose. So don’t panic if you pick this up and you hear that noise — likely just King and Lee at war inside the case.
In terms of on-disc features, there are four listed and two unlisted new additions. For fans of the film, they can experience Champions in the new 2K restoration accompanied by one of two new audio commentaries (one from East Asian film experts Frank Djeng and F.J. DeSanto and one from action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema) as a way to experience the film while taking in information or context previously unconsidered. If you’re looking for a straight way to watch the film, Eureka offers the 2K restoration in the original Cantonese *or* English dub, but what’s not mentioned in the press release (again) is that you can also choose from either the alternate Cantonese mono audio (tagged as the Japanese theatrical version) or with the restored Cantonese mono audio. Since this is a first-time watch for this reviewer and it’s of a restoration, I opted for the restored Cantonese audio track and it sounds great. No clipping, no unnecessary audio noise, and no sense of wear; just a clean audio track that enables the viewer to get wrapped up in the sports action. If this is your first time watching as well, this is the track I would recommend putting on before exploring the other iterations available. The final two new additions are an 18-minute featurette from CFK Productions in which the host of the featurette provides a fairly in-depth history of football in Hong Kong through the lens of the celebrity games that began in 1987. Using the large list of performers who participated in the games over the years, a fantasy team is put together using individuals like Andy Lau (A Moment of Romance), Simon Yam (Ip), Shing Fui-On (The Killer), Nicholas Tse (Raging Fire), Michael Hui (The Cannonball Run; Robin-B-Hood), Sammo Hung (Enter the Dragon; A Touch of Zen), Law Kar Ying (The God of Cookery), and Carlo Ng (Osaka Wrestling Restaurant), to name a very small few, which is great fun for fans of the HK action scene. In a more traditional featurette is filmmaker/critic James Mudge who, in a 15-minute video interview/essay, contextualizes the film, explores why Biao may not have quite cracked being a lead actor despite many successes, and the obvious comparison modern audiences will make to Stephen Chow’s Shaolin Soccer (2001).
A scene in THE CHAMPIONS. Photo courtesy of Eureka Entertainment.
The film itself is a charming sports comedy that blends the typical “smalltown kid makes enemies in the big city” plot that’s been a staple throughout cinema (especially martial arts movies) for decades. The incorporation of the martial arts skills by the performers reconfigured into soccer skills dazzles in the way that a typical fight sequence in Millionaires’ Express (1986) or Dragons Forever (1988) might, just presented within the appropriate framework of the soccer field. Dick Wei (Yes, Madam!) was able to maintain a high-level of badassery as the villain of the film, while also being totally believable as King. Likewise, Biao’s existing skills and physical flexibility make him credible as a soccer prodigy who can hold his own against the reigning champ. This makes the physical comedy on the field or off truly entertaining, whether this is a first-time watch or not. That the restoration looks as good and comes with so many options (on disc and off) makes this an easy recommendation for those missing a HD edition in their collection, especially one that’s a 2K restoration.
The Champions Special Features:
- Limited edition O-Card slipcase featuring new artwork by Darren Wheeling [2000 copies]
- 1080p HD presentation on Blu-ray from a brand new 2K restoration
- Original Cantonese audio and optional English dub tracks (original mono presentations)
- Optional English subtitles, newly translated for this release
- *NEW* Audio commentary by East Asian film experts Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) & F.J. DeSanto
- *NEW* Audio commentary by action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- *NEW* Interview with filmmaker and critic James Mudge (14:51)
- *NEW* Featurette by CFK looking at the 1987 Hong Kong celebrity football / soccer team that featured a number of Hong Kong legends including Jackie Chan and Andy Lau (18:41)
- Reversible sleeve featuring original poster artwork
- Original theatrical and Japanese trailers
- A limited edition collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by James Oliver [2000 copies]
Available on Blu-ray September 24th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official Eureka Entertainment The Champions webpage.
To purchase, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group The Champions webpage.
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Categories: Home Video, Reviews
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