The Tournament (2009 film)
| The Tournament | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Scott Mann |
| Produced by | Keith Bell Glenn M. Stewart Gina Fegan |
| Written by |
Gary Young Jonathan Frank Nick Rowntree |
| Starring |
Robert Carlyle Kelly Hu Ian Somerhalder Liam Cunningham Ving Rhames Sébastien Foucan Scott Adkins |
| Music by | Laura Karpman |
| Cinematography | Emil Topuzov |
| Edited by | Rob Hall |
| Distributed by | AV Pictures (worldwide) Dimension Films (US) Entertainment Film Distributors (UK) |
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Release date
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Running time
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97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $8,000,000 |
| Box office | $493,459 |
The Tournament is a 2009 British independent action thriller film, marking the directorial debut of local filmmaker Scott Mann. The film was conceived by Jonathan Frank and Nick Rowntree while at the University of Teesside with Mann. The script was written by Gary Young, Jonathan Frank, and Nick Rowntree.
The Tournament was partially filmed in Bulgaria, and numerous locations around Northern England (where the film is set) and Merseyside. The film stars Robert Carlyle, Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu, Sébastien Foucan, Liam Cunningham, Scott Adkins, Camilla Power and Ian Somerhalder. The film received additional funding internationally, from Sherezade Film Development, Storitel Production and others, earning the film a budget of just under £4,000,000, and the film also features a renowned international ensemble cast.
However, numerous problems involving production, finance (the budget ran out twice), and securing a distributor, meant the film was not released until two years after filming, in late 2009.
A group of the world's wealthiest and most powerful men, who are themselves tied into law enforcement agencies and criminal underworlds alike, and who also control the international media with their billions, have devised the ultimate entertainment for themselves, simply referred to as "The Tournament", which takes place at intervals of every seven or ten years in an unspecified location, usually a large city.
"Contestants" volunteer, but due to the nature of the tournament are some of the toughest or craziest individuals on the planet. They are expected to kill and only the last surviving combatant will win the cash prize of £10 million offered by William Randolph Hearst. The men and women running the tournament not only view it as entertainment, but also bet high stakes on the outcome as a huge gambling tournament, serving as the source of excitement also for the millionaires.
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