‘The Champions’ (1983) Blu-Ray Review – A Wacky Martial Arts Spin On The Sports Genre

Sports, action and comedy collide in Golden Harvest’s The Champions, the precursor to Shaolin Soccer from the first family of Hong Kong martial arts cinema: the inimitable Yuen Clan! Lee Tong (Yuen Biao, Dreadnaught) is a young farmer who has grown up in an isolated rural community. When an indiscretion lands him in hot water, he leaves his home in the countryside and heads for the big city – where he meets Suen (Cheung Kwok-keung, Eastern Condors), a street footballer who recognises Tong’s talent for soccer and encourages him to try out for a pro team. But Tong’s first chance at glory is scuppered by a rivalry with the narcissistic King (Dick Wei, Project A), who relegates the newcomer to cleaning up after his teammates. But having discovered a love for soccer, Tong soon accepts an offer to join a rival team – and the stage is set for a final confrontation with King on the pitch. Written and directed by Brandy Yuen (In the Line of Duty III) and featuring action choreography by Yuen Shun-yi (The Miracle Fighters) and Yuen Chun Yeung (Armour of God), The Champions is a sporting underdog story filtered through some of the greatest minds in the history of Hong Kong action cinema. Eureka Classics is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time ever from a brand new 2K restoration!

For thoughts on The Champions, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

The Champions comes to Blu-Ray via Eureka Entertainment with a new 1080p master in its original 2.39:1 aspect ratio derived from a brand new 2K restoration. This release is quite lovely and sidesteps some of the issues that usually detract from some of the older Hong Kong titles. The presentation avoids nearly all instances of compression artifacts, banding, and other digital nuisances. The transfer appears to be natural throughout without filtering or DNR upsetting the party. Some stray signs of age remain, but the source appears to have been kept in ideal shape.

The grain resolves evenly save for odd moments when the grain field fluctuates and the image quality takes a downturn for a few seconds. This transfer is in admirable shape when it comes to wear and tear, only allowing for a brief introduction of speckles. A few shots present on the softer side which presumably links back to the quality of the source elements. The transfer shines when it comes to color saturation in some of the uniforms, set design, and lighting elements. The presentation delivers fine detail including unique facets of the backgrounds without issue. Eureka has delivered a pleasing presentation for fans. 

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray presents the film with an LPCM 2.0 track in the original Cantonese mono, alternate Cantonese mono (Japanese Theatrical Version), and a restored Cantonese mono track, along with an English dub which all sound quite robust. There is a good balance between the kinetic athletic set pieces and the somewhat reserved character-driven moments. The film comes alive when necessary for a formidable outing. There are fleeting signs of source weaknesses, but there are no unexpected instances of damage or audio dropouts. Dialogue can veer towards sounding a touch hollow in some scenes, but typically it is clear and easy to understand. The music does a great job of setting the tone of the narrative, and it comes through with consistent fidelity. Eureka has provided a rich experience for fans. This release does have optional English and English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

• Audio Commentaries: Two pairs of film historians deliver informative commentary tracks in which they discuss the place of this film in Hong Kong cinema, the careers of the talent involved, where Golden Harvest was at during this point in time, the cinematography of the film, how this works within the martial arts framework, and more.

• • Audio Commentary #1: East Asian film expert Frank Djeng (NY Asian Film Festival) and writer/producer F.J. DeSanto

• • Audio Commentary #2: Action cinema experts Mike Leeder and Arne Venema

• Superstar Football HK: A 19-minute featurette that takes a look at the Hong Kong Celebrity Football Team phenomenon including members such as Jackie Chan and Andy Lau. This includes a breakdown of the various positions and the talent available to fill the spots. There is a good mixture of film history and sports history included within this. 

• James Mudge On The Champions: A 15-minute interview with film historian James Mudge who discusses the place of football in Hong Kong culture, how the film goes against traditional sports tropes, the background of the performers, the film’s legacy, and more. 

• Trailer: This provides the Original Theatrical Trailer (4:44) and the Japanese Release Trailer (1:58).

• Booklet: This release provides a 24-page bound booklet featuring the essay “A Contact Sport: The Champions, Little Brothers, and the Beautiful Game” by film historian James Oliver. There are also two trading cards for Lee Tong and King. 

Final Thoughts

The Champions is a fun alternative to most of the Hong Kong cinema that has been reintroduced to American audiences over the past few years. There are some thrilling chase sequences and displays of athleticism off the field, but most of the action is contained in the soccer matches. Sports movies are so ingrained in our culture that it proves to be a unique change of pace to see a Hong Kong spin put on the subgenre. The film is a bit wacky, but it balances the tonal shifts quite well. Eureka Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and an impressive selection of supplements. Fans of sports movies that do not take themselves too seriously should delight in this. Recommended 

The Champions is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Eureka Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.