The Tournament (2010)

So yeah... okay The Tournament is a bit of violent tut, that was always going to be destined for the video shop before it became rinsed on ITV4 or Zone Horror. It's ambitions are simple and the story is predictable. So predictable you know how the next 90mins will play out exactly. There's nothing particularly unique about the film, it's a Running Man clone and it's not surprising to see Ving Rhames or Robert Carlyle in this sort of fare. I knew it would be forgotten as soon as it was released but I thought it'd have at least a general release, which it didn't. But i've seen it now and maybe it's the underdog status or the fact, I thrive on being contentious (I know which one I'm leaning towards...)  but I want to stand up for The Tournament and say...  'Look man...  I know this is a bit of violent tut but isn't there a place for that in this crazy mixed up world? Also it shows you can double Bulgaria for Middlesbrough QUITE convincingly.'
Let's cover that first. In this aformentioned 'wild and crazy world' for some reason, it's cheaper to film Middlesborough in Bulgaria than it is in Middlesborough. Now I've never been to Peterborough and I'm sure the cost work and (life) is cheaper but it's hardly as remote or extreme to film there like the Amazon or Antarctica but it's strange to say there there is fewer noticable differences between those 2places TO Me then say Toronto doubling New York.
But I digress. What stands out for me,  in terms of this film is that it had no studio backing, no name director or writers, nothing particularly salable about it but somehow they made a film that seems quite a large action film with major set-pieces and quite exciting ones at that.  Now some of the film is very obviously budget; there are points where it's more than happy to spend 5mins in a random warehouse and like I say... Middlesborough but it does go full throttle, to use the parlence, on the action like you'd expect of any Hollywood fare. I checked the director, Scott Mann's IMDB and he really has no salient experience in directing action, outside of Kids Stars In Your Eyes (That's true, by the way.) It's a true movie miracle that he pulled this off and I was just curious as hell to know how he pulled it off.
If ever a dvd needed a behind-the-scenes... This one. Not there. I haven't had time to do research but I will.
Anyway, the story is meh and acting has a fresh pine smell but that's okay cos the action just sorta trumps that and the 'most dangerous game' premise is like the western but even simpler- you get to run around shooting people without the story. That's the beauty of it...

I watched The Tournament (2010), on DVD via LoveFilm.
My 2011 in Movies will return with Anuvahood (2011) ...