2008-01-08 00:00:00 0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful
This movie is right up there with The Smashing Machine. Great look into MMA at its roots. Hopefully a new documentary like this surfaces in the future because they sure are great to watch. (Read full review at Amazon)
2007-07-08 00:00:00 0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful
This is a great look into a few days and hrs inside the legend known as Rickson Gracie. Anyone who really knows BJJ and it orgins knows Rickson is arguably the greatest fighter ever. This video really shows you how great Rickson was for his time... (Read full review at Amazon)
Decent fights, but this video was no fun at all...
2007-02-25 00:00:00 0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful
I just started learning Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and think its a great and amazing fighting style, but this movie didn't really capture my interest at all. It could be that I just don't watch BJJ or MMA or whatever at all, but the fights were pretty... (Read full review at Amazon)
2007-02-21 00:00:00 0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful
A good look at the life inside and outside of the ring of an mixed-martial-art contestant, Rickson Gracie. His family helped popularize the concept of MMA competition for North American audiences with the debut of the Ultimate Fighting... (Read full review at Amazon)
2007-02-09 00:00:00 0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful
I gave this documentary 4 stars because I have a personal interest in grappling/mma/the gracie family, that being said I would give it 3 stars for anyone with no general interest in the subject matter.
This exquisite piece of work is far more professional than any of the American pro wrestling mega-event videos produced recently. The often-gory fights are well handled and only play a small role; this video is not solely about fighting. Done in documentary style, Choke takes an introspective look at the men--their goals, their dreams, and their families--who become the ultimate fighting machines in the ring at the 1995 Vale Tudo World Fighting Championship in Tokyo.
Delving into the life of the undefeated and undisputed world freestyle fighting champion, Rickson Gracie, a 30-year-old jujitsu expert from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this video displays a side that you rarely see in sports: the articulate, intelligent family man who turns his training into the art of movement and athleticism--not violence. It also explores the world of two men expected to offer a serious challenge to Gracie: American heavyweight kickboxer Todd "Hollywood" Hays and Japanese shootfighting heavyweight champion Koichiro Kimura. These two men provide some of the more uplifting moments in the documentary. Hays, who is also a member of the U.S. Olympic bobsled team, explains how he will use his performance money to fund his dream of buying a bobsled that will allow him to be a driver in the 1998 Winter Games. Kimura completes his training but then has to ask the permission of his elderly parents to compete. The big man bluffs his way through with a warm smile and a respectful manner.
Choke is an insightful look at a full-contact, controversial sport. The only warning it should carry is that some of the scenes are graphically violent and some of the language is X-rated. --Gordie Sholtys