movie review: choke.

I recently watched "Choke," a documentary film about Rickson Gracie's preparation for, and competition in the second Japanese Vale Tudo tournament in 1995. The film profiles his career and training in California, then follows him to the competition. As well, the filmmakers follow two other competitors, one American, one Japanese as they prepare. The second half of the film documents the actual tournament, compressing the matches and showing some interesting backstage goings-on. Choke is primarily a profile of an important fighter at the height of his career but it only skims the surface of the ancillary and highly relevant subject material- the emerging dominance of Gracie Jujitsu and the then unnamed MMA.

the film

The competition itself conjures images of Bloodsport, that horribly classic Van Damn movie. In it, a white soldier (of unidentified nationality) travels to the Far East to fight in a no holds barred underground tournament. That movie was based on the fraudulent claims of Frank Dux a American of dubious military background who duped Black Belt magazine into believing his tall-tales of secret death matches.  Interestingly, with the few rules there are, almost every match ends the same way- a choke submission. Also interesting, and again disappointing, is the under-analysis. Perhaps the filmmakers thought it too obvious but if this outcome inspired the name of the film, I would think some discussion on the supremacy of choke holds would have been an essential element in the film.

the champion

I'm not big on MMA. When one of my Kung-fu instructors, telling a story asked who the most dominant Gracie is I said Royce. I had never even heard of Rickson. So he put me onto the movie, but brought it up in the discussion of cross-training. He was talking about how Rickson practices yoga. This piqued my interest. Yoga for jujitsu proficiency? Very interesting. While he does exhibit some yoga-like moves and breathing in the film it's an area likewise not explored. (As a side note I previously posted a video from this school that pairs yoga and Jiujitsu training; wonder how it works for them.)

Yoga or not, Rickson's training is obviously intense. The film features his training on the beach and at his school in California, as well as the mountains of Japan. However, this is another area where I wanted a little more out of the film. While they have several scenes of Rickson "rolling" with fellow Jiujitsu men, stretching and performing calisthenics, it does not elucidate his training schedule or methodology. I would have appreciated some discussion on how exactly Rickson maintains his highly impressive physique and the skills to supposedly have fought over 300 matches without loss.

the competitors

One cannot watch this film without drawing the obvious comparison to Pumping Iron. That cult favorite, documenting Arnold Schwarzenegger's preparation for his 7th Mr. Olympia title is a hallmark of outsider sports documentary. Like Pumping Iron, Choke explores the background of several disparate competitors and through them attempts to weave a portrait of a then under-exposed sport. Remember in 1999 when Choke came out, "no rules" fighting was a fringe sport, at least in America- the UFC hadn't really taken off yet and international competitions like Pride and Shootfighting were not readily available or known.

This is the area where the film really could have shined- in shedding a brighter light on Vale Tudo and the emerging Gracie Jujitsu. Unfortunately it did not explain the rules of the competition very well or highlight why its so unique. As well, why is the Garcie approach to no rules fighting so effective? I was pleased that there was some interview footage with Carlos Gracie, the family patriarch who explained a little of the early history of the family's style. Still, discussion of what Jujitsu fundamentally is, where its roots come from and how specifically the Gracie style diverges are left undetailed.

The age of fighters going through multiple brutal fights in one evening has mercifully ended. As anyone who follows this sport is well aware the rules have been much more organized since those heady early days, including the introduction of weight classes. The Vale Tudo of Choke however has hardly any rules and multiple competitors are seriously injured. One, Yuki Nakai heroically (stupidly?) continues to complete with one eye swollen shut, making it all the way to the final match.

Perhaps the tournament design of Vale Tudo and the early UFC cards was somehow inspired by this fantasy? Not Dux's stories specifically, but the romantic concept of an all out battle between fighters of all backgrounds. Enter the Dragon eluded to a similar competition and Japanese Professional Wrestling features periodic one night tournaments of a similar theme.

I can't help but wish that the film could have followed or at least briefly profiled more competitors. There are several followed through the tournament but even brief glimpses into their personal and martial arts backgrounds and training would have been welcome. In addition to general entertainment, this approach would have accentuated the nature of the tournament- the diversity of fighting styles brought together. This of course in hindsight and wishful thinking, i have no idea what the budgetary or production constraints were in making the film.

 

the competition

One element of films like these that has always fascinated me is subject selection. I remember when the film Hoop Dreams came out. It followed two kids from rough Chicago neighborhoods, from their high school basketball team tryouts through to college. The film opens with this mass tryout scene where hundreds (thousands?) of kids are trying to get into a school with a high profile, selective team. How did the filmmakers know who to track, who would go from there all the way to college ball? In the case of Choke, Rickson is the obvious selection. He was the reigning champion and principle subject, much as Arnold was (in Pumping Iron). The other two selected may have been less by conscious decision and more by external factors (availability, budget, participant interest, etc.).

Todd Hays, an American kickboxer with some wrestling background seemed a promising entry. In fact, he won his first match but it proved to be a Pyrrhic victory as he injured his shoulder too seriously to continue competing. This of course leaves questions of what he could have done had he remained in the competition. On the other hand, one gets the impression that his heart was never in the competition in the first place. Hays discusses his very interesting motivation- to earn the money necessary to fund his Olympic bobsled dream. Take a look at his Wikipedia page- he made it!

The other featured fighter is Koichiro Kimura, a Japanese wrestler (not that Kimura). In Japan wrestling often skirts the line between real and fake with professional wrestlers often completing in legitimate fights and legitimate fighters often joining "worked" professional wrestling cards. Koichiro is given the image of "gentle giant;" with the swollen frame of a pro wrestler he lives with his parents and is very soft-spoken. His stated interest in joining the tournament is to challenge himself, to move into new territory and see what he is capable of.

Both of these men and their motivations stand in sharp contrast to the Champion. Rickson comes off as cocky with a measured dose of egotism. Personally, I think to be a great competitor in anything, some ego is necessary however looking at Rickson's website the quote "Flow with the Ego" is right up front in the banner. Telling.

final thoughts
Despite my complaints, Choke was a interesting and entertaining film. As well, I think that it is a valuable piece of documentary history as it encapsulates a great champion and a axial moment in the evolution of modern martial arts. For all my "if only the producers had" the film is very successful in one area- putting you inside of the fighter's experience. Traveling through the negotiations, family interactions, training and schools "back home" the viewer gets a slow build up the competitors' psyches. Then, midway through the film shifts gears dramatically and puts you within the anxiety, frustration, glory and agony of fight night. There is a good sense there of what the fighters go through and how everything to that point builds to their in-ring selves.

Still one can't help but feel relief that this film is exactly what it is- a time capsule. There is plenty of back and forth in the news and legislative bodies about the "cruelty of cage fighting" but I think it's pretty objective to say that this is a good thing that no holds barred tournaments of this nature are a thing of the past. There will always be competitors hungry enough to rise to whatever the greatest challenge in their field is. Whether it be a five fight tournament or a 50 fight tournament. By placing the bar at such a level you guarantee that someone out there is willing to subject themselves to trying to pass it. I won't wax philosophical on the ethics and moral implications of sport fighting but I will say that one fight of such a brutal nature is plenty for a person to endure in one night.