| Star Runner | |
| Director: | Daniel Lee |
| Producer: | Catherine Hun Albert Chow Dou Shou Fang |
| Starring: | Vanness Wu Kim Hyun-joo Max Mok Andy On Wong Yau-Nam Gordon Liu |
| Music: | Henry Lai Wan-man |
| Cinematography: | Tony Cheung |
| Editing: | Azreal Chung |
| Distributor: | Sil-Metropole Organisation (Hong Kong) Lions Gate (U.S. DVD) |
| Runtime: | 104 minutes |
| Country: | Hong Kong |
| Language: | Cantonese Mandarin Korean |
| Budget: | $30 million |
Star Runner, (also known in the United States as The Kumite), is a 2003 Hong Kong action/romance film co-written and directed by Daniel Lee. It is rated PG-13 by the MPAA "for intense sequences of martial arts action violence".
Bond Cheung (Vanness Wu) is a high school student in Hong Kong who has a strong passion for Muay Thai kick boxing. He trains at a local boxing gym, and is instructed by the Kong Ching team trainer Lau (Gordon Liu), in an effort to be a competitor in the Star Runner Pan Asian Martial Arts Competition. While attending summer courses, he is attracted to his new Korean teacher Kim Mei Chiu (Kim Hyun-Joo). It is revealed that she is recovering from a break-up in Korea with a former lover and has come to Hong Kong to start over. The two start off as friends, but after a series of fateful events occur, feelings spark, and they eventually begin seeing one another, in spite of the controversy that it creates. Then abruptly, Bond is kicked off the Kong Ching team, regarding with his coach's financial troubles, which angers him and believes that his chance in entering the competition is gone. Soon after, he is confronted by an unexpected new trainer Bill (Max Mok Siu Chung), a washed-up but well experienced former martial arts champion. After some compensation, Bill teaches Bond Chinese Kung Fu (Wing Chun, Hong Kuen) as alternative and effective fighting techniques to his kick boxing. Regained confidence, Bond then decides to enter the competition on his own, with Bill as his advisor and cornerman and they become the team Fusion Tao. The event draws entries of 18 boxing organizations from 12 countries, along with its most lethal fighter Tank Wong (Andy On) from Soul Boxing Gym team. As his relationship with Kim becomes stable, Kim's former lover sees her again, asking for forgiveness, saying that he still loves her. With her feelings torn, she decides to go back to Korea with him, but is still having second thoughts about her feelings for Bond. In the competition however, competitors are slowly eliminated one by one, as the epic fight between Bond and Tank draws closer and what will determine both fighters' destiny.
Star Runner was released in Hong Kong on 27 November 2003. In the Philippines, the film was released on December 3, 2003.[1]
23rd Annual Hong Kong Film Awards