The Tournament (2009)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Manu G

  
  Death by elimination Entertaining movie even though it could have been alot better. It had many errors in the movie, alot of scenes the clock/timer was not properly going as it should, many details just like that were noticeable which weren't that important but they were there… More
  Death by elimination Entertaining movie even though it could have been alot better. It had many errors in the movie, alot of scenes the clock/timer was not properly going as it should, many details just like that were noticeable which weren't that important but they were there to at least distract me. The plot and the characters could have been more explained including there origin, not all but the most important. Overall the movie is entertaining with tons of action and sometime's even funny. Every seven years a tournament takes place in an unsuspecting town where 30 of the world's deadliest killers battle to see who is best and for the ten million dollar cash prize. Returning champion Joshau Harlow (Ving Rhames) is back because he has been informed that one of this year's contestants is responsible for the death of his wife. Each contestant has a tracking marker surgically implanted inside them so that they (and the viewers) can track their opponents. A parkour style assassin (Sebastien Foucan from Casino Royale) cuts out his tracker and ditches it in a cup of coffee which is then drunk and swallowed by alcoholic Father Joseph Macavoy (Robert Carlyle). Chinese assassin Lai Lai Zen (Kelly Hu) realizes quickly that Joseph Macavoy is not a player and decides to keep him alive.

• Dean !

  
  A simple if entertaining action film. A plot that has been done quite a few times now, this time based around a group of assassins taking over a small town every 7 years for a battle royale to find the last one standing. Tons of action in this, some good fights, chase scenes and… More
  A simple if entertaining action film. A plot that has been done quite a few times now, this time based around a group of assassins taking over a small town every 7 years for a battle royale to find the last one standing. Tons of action in this, some good fights, chase scenes and stunts and quite a bit of blood. The standard of the cast including Ving Rhames, Ian Somerhalder of Vampire Diaries, and the pace of the film raise it above average. Very enjoyable eye fodder!

• Steve K

  
  Hyper-kinetic with a fun cast, but also highly forgettable.

• Cynthia S

  
  It's 95 minutes of chase scenes, bloody violence, gore, action galore, and overall it is pretty good entertainment. It's about a group of assassins that compete against each other to be the world's best. Everybody's got an agenda! It's watched by a group of… More
  It's 95 minutes of chase scenes, bloody violence, gore, action galore, and overall it is pretty good entertainment. It's about a group of assassins that compete against each other to be the world's best. Everybody's got an agenda! It's watched by a group of the world's wealthy, and you will find yourself pulling for the killers! Loved Ian Somerhalder's assassin! Not an award winner, but still a Good One!

• Phil H

  
  Well if you wanna see a computer game adaptation style film then this is definitely for you, a fun mix of 'The Running Man' 'Death Race' 'Gamer' etc...but surprisingly its actually damn good. Hard to believe when you start watching the film, its really… More
  Well if you wanna see a computer game adaptation style film then this is definitely for you, a fun mix of 'The Running Man' 'Death Race' 'Gamer' etc...but surprisingly its actually damn good. Hard to believe when you start watching the film, its really really cheesy with such a lame plot kickoff with the perfect video game cliche characters that you can't do anything but groan. Host of 'The Tournament' is Liam Cunningham playing it with so much ham and cheese you'd think he had just been dipped into a vat of pizza topping, the way he introduces the 'warriors' or assassins is nothing short of hilarious and reminded me of the TV show 'Gladiators', before you know it the film has exploded without pause into the mindless killing action. It sounds dumb and it is but boy does this film rock ass lol!! the cast is a mixed bag for sure with hard as nails Ving Rhames and scrawny Robert Carlyle up against martial artist Kelly Hu for one, the rest being unknowns to me but it all adds to the cult appeal of this actioner. Put straight this film kicks 'Death Races' ass and most other films like this, the violence is full on and takes you by surprise trust me, plenty of blood and guts as gamers get shot and blown to pieces and some excellent stunt work to boot. Funny thing is the whole thing is set in the UK which kinda gives it a quirky amusing feel which the director does take advantage of in little spots here and there ;)

• Al S

  
  It's Death Race meets The Running Man meets Escape From New York. A bloody spectacular wall to wall action-packed thriller. A full-throttle assault of viciously explosive action, dazzling suspense and strong performances. An awesome and over the top thrill-ride that's… More
  It's Death Race meets The Running Man meets Escape From New York. A bloody spectacular wall to wall action-packed thriller. A full-throttle assault of viciously explosive action, dazzling suspense and strong performances. An awesome and over the top thrill-ride that's intense, brutally gory, chaotic and flat-out exhilarating from start to finish with a strong cast and non-stop action. An explosively entertaining and wickedly fun action flick that's just pure mad-men madness that you will love if your an action movie fan. One bloody as hell action sequence after another that just kicks solid ass. It has a sharp and exceptionally well-acted all-star cast. Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu and Robert Carlyle are fantastic.

• Dean M

  
  An average adrenalised shot of ultraviolent action with a quality cast. It's the <i>Rat Race</i> with assassins, and save for some nifty hand-to-hand combat scenes. Fight scenes are marvelously staged, with good fight choreography, but also outstanding gunplay and… More
  An average adrenalised shot of ultraviolent action with a quality cast. It's the <i>Rat Race</i> with assassins, and save for some nifty hand-to-hand combat scenes. Fight scenes are marvelously staged, with good fight choreography, but also outstanding gunplay and vehicle stunts I like Kelly Hu as the beautiful and sexy hitwoman that she kicks the assassins' asses in the 24 hours deadly game. Many of the characters and actors are handled wrong. Ving Rhames' character Joshua Harlow could have been the heroic veteran, the avenger, but the glory he could have vanishes as he is acting out as enemy instead. Robert Carlyle is a very competent actor that is given an annoyingly weak character, albeit intended, but totally misplaced in an action movie.

• Luke B

  
  Perfectly mad and violent action sequences make up this brilliantly made B-movie. When you get a cast this good for such a generic film, it's nice to see them having some fun. Carlyle is the wrong man in this battle royale of assassins. Rhames adds some emotional weight, but… More
  Perfectly mad and violent action sequences make up this brilliantly made B-movie. When you get a cast this good for such a generic film, it's nice to see them having some fun. Carlyle is the wrong man in this battle royale of assassins. Rhames adds some emotional weight, but let's be honest, who cares? People explode, body parts are shot off, and Somerhalder is having a ball. It was a lot of fun watching an action movie in sleepy England.

• Khris N

  
  3 stars for fun factor and gratuitous violence. Not much to say, the plot is thin but doable, the action is over the top but effective, the gore is ridiculous and better than most horror films. Yeah, it deserves 3 stars, it flows and moves faster than a train with no brakes and has… More
  3 stars for fun factor and gratuitous violence. Not much to say, the plot is thin but doable, the action is over the top but effective, the gore is ridiculous and better than most horror films. Yeah, it deserves 3 stars, it flows and moves faster than a train with no brakes and has some entertainment value thanks to Ian Somerhalder as the maniac that Heath Ledger's Joker would have loved.

• Lorenzo v

  
  <i>"Every Ten Years The World's Greatest Assassins Gather ... Only One Will Survive"</i> Every seven years in an unsuspecting town, The Tournament takes place. A battle royale between 30 of the world's deadliest assassins... <center><font… More
  <i>"Every Ten Years The World's Greatest Assassins Gather ... Only One Will Survive"</i> Every seven years in an unsuspecting town, The Tournament takes place. A battle royale between 30 of the world's deadliest assassins... <center><font size=+2 face="Century Schoolbook"><b><u>REVIEW</u></b></font></center> A decent enough if somewhat silly action movie totally spoilt by Cunningham's ridiculous accent. Dick van Dyke's cockney chimney sweep in Mary Poppins becomes a masterpiece by comparison. Lends little and takes away a lot. I hope he's not proud of it. That aside, the story gory moves along nicely. There's some lively action scenes well filmed and choreographed and accompanied by an adequate, if unsurprising soundtrack. Ving Rhames is as dependable as ever while Kelly Hu and Robert Carlyle add some depth to a relatively familiar storyline. It's by no means a must-see and I can see why, despite it's initial promise, it's gone straight to video. It is, however, a cut above many films that go down that route.

• Panta O

  
  The tournament is a movie for action lovers only! The violence is often shocking and comical at the same time... but always delivers. The film stars Robert Carlyle as an alcoholic priest caught up in the titular game with Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu (my favourite), Ian Somerhalder, and… More
  The tournament is a movie for action lovers only! The violence is often shocking and comical at the same time... but always delivers. The film stars Robert Carlyle as an alcoholic priest caught up in the titular game with Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu (my favourite), Ian Somerhalder, and Scott Adkins rounding out the cast. Style-wise, The Tournament is like a huge pick-n-mix of set-pieces! The director Scott Mann took a practical approach in creating the effects due to the low budget: almost all of the physical stunts and gore were done on set, rather than in post! One interview stated: "Although a little more difficult and dangerous at times, it adds a level of authenticity, capturing something real as opposed to recreating something from a technician's head. There were quite a few sets which ended up being, quite literally, blood-soaked." Bulgarian stunt team literally threw themselves into it and there were no CGI or remote-controlled vehicles, even the most outrageous stunts had a guy behind the wheel! This film is a slick and effective thrill-ride you can enjoy to the end!

• August S

  
  Action movie cliches her and there but the action sequences are great and so are the characters. With this cool premise it could have been a lot better.

• Deb S

  
  The premise is very interesting; every seven years a tournament between the world's deadliest assassins take place. 30 assassins fight against each other in a bloody battle kill fest and the last one standing wins it all, receives a cash prize of ten million $$ and more… More
  The premise is very interesting; every seven years a tournament between the world's deadliest assassins take place. 30 assassins fight against each other in a bloody battle kill fest and the last one standing wins it all, receives a cash prize of ten million $$ and more importantly the title of world No #1 assassin. This is all organized, tracked, and betted on by a bunch of rich folks placing their bets on who will win of course! (Why am I reminded of Running Man and Gamer??) Add in a lot of gore and some nudity and you have a non-stop joy ride of a movie. Soooo,if you're looking for a mindless action flick, with lots of gunplay, vehicular stunts, heads exploding like watermelons, limbs flying in all over the place, people dying in imaginative ways, then this film will impress with some great action sequences and includes actors like Kelly Hu, Liam Cunningham, Robert Carlyle, Ian Somerhalder and Ving Rhames.

• Sylvester K

  
  A simple yet entertaining action film starring Kelly Hu and Ian Somerhalder!!! Predictable storyline, but offered some interesting actions and weapons. Ian Somerhalder was amazing in it, he was playing a totally different character. I love the idea of the film itself, but could have… More
  A simple yet entertaining action film starring Kelly Hu and Ian Somerhalder!!! Predictable storyline, but offered some interesting actions and weapons. Ian Somerhalder was amazing in it, he was playing a totally different character. I love the idea of the film itself, but could have been slightly better if more of the character design was emphazised.

• John M

  
  If you're looking for a mindless action flick then ¨The Tournament¨ will impress with some great sequences.

• Chad R

  
  With the exception of the few brief Kelly Hu scenes, I thought this movie was pretty miserable. Some exploding body parts. Gore and blood. A couple of fair action scenes with Kelly Hu and a cool chase scene with the frenchman that does the martial arts stuff that revolves around… More
  With the exception of the few brief Kelly Hu scenes, I thought this movie was pretty miserable. Some exploding body parts. Gore and blood. A couple of fair action scenes with Kelly Hu and a cool chase scene with the frenchman that does the martial arts stuff that revolves around running and jumping and swinging through the urban environment like Tarzan in the jungle. I wanted to bitch slap the drunken priest and Ving Rhames crying like he just signed on for Pulp Fiction 2: Bring out the Gimp, with Ving as the gimp. Acting was overall horrible. And what was with the freak IT guy playing with his greasy hair in every scene he was in. How did that add to the movie. Still, not as bad as a PUwe Boll movie. I will give it an average average.

• Mr. C

  
  Not terrible. But not good either. A few good fight scenes, but even they werent awesome. Probably not a waste of time for free, but I would caution on paying much to see it.

Read all 17 featured audience ratings