The Tournament

The Tournament

Year: 2009

Runtime: 95 mins

Language: English

Director: Scott Mann

ActionThrillerHorrorEpic heroesViolent action guns and crime

Every decade, an unsuspecting town becomes the arena for a deadly battle royale that pits thirty of the world’s most lethal assassins against each other. Only one survivor claims a $10 million cash prize and the coveted title of the world’s No. 1 assassin, a reputation valued at a million dollars per bullet.

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Timeline & Setting – The Tournament (2009)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Tournament (2009). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Contemporary

The Tournament unfolds in the present day, using modern technology to monitor and manipulate every contestant. Surveillance infrastructure, tracking implants, and mass media turn the town into a stage where private power collides with public safety. The 24-hour clock drives a relentless pace, with observers watching from a high-tech control room.

Location

Middlesbrough, United Kingdom

Middlesbrough serves as the hidden stage for a deadly, transport-free tournament. The city’s urban core becomes a controlled environment where the event’s chaos is masked as accidents and disasters. In this world, CCTV and satellites track every move as the wealthy observers gamble on the bloodshed.

🌆 Urban setting 🕵️ Surveillance hub 🏙️ Hidden stage

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:53

Main Characters – The Tournament (2009)

Meet the key characters of The Tournament (2009), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Joshua Harlow (Ving Rhames)

The surviving last tournament winner who returns after his wife is murdered. He relentlessly pursues the killer, discovering that Lai Lai Zhen orchestrated the crime. His resolve hardens into a single-minded vendetta, culminating in a final confrontation that costs him his life.

🗡️ Revenge 🧠 Strategist

Lai Lai Zhen (Kelly Hu)

An elite assassin whose last-kill record makes her both valuable and dangerous. She works with the organizers yet wants to retire if she wins, but her plans crumble when she realizes her prey is within reach. She removes her tracking chip, triggering a pivotal turn in the game, and survives to the end.

🗡️ Assassin 🧭 Escape Plan

Father Joseph MacAvoy (Robert Carlyle)

A priest battling alcoholism and a crisis of faith who becomes the unlikely ally for Zhen. He negotiates survival through faith, grit, and resolve as the tournament spirals toward its explosive conclusion. He ultimately survives, returning to his priestly duties with a renewed sense of purpose.

🙏 Faith 🥃 Addiction

Powers (Liam Cunningham)

The mastermind organizer controlling the Tournament, calmly steering the spectacle while manipulating law enforcement and surveillance. He capitalizes on the players’ fear and bets big on every outcome until his plans crumble in the conference room.

🏛️ Power 💵 Wealth

Anton Bogart (Sébastien Foucan)

A cunning French contestant who quickly proves capable of sabotaging trackers to slip out of the observers’ net. His bold move reshapes the field and places him among the most unpredictable players of the game.

🎭 Trickster 🧭 Escape Artist

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:53

Major Themes – The Tournament (2009)

Explore the central themes of The Tournament (2009), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💼 Power & Control

A circle of ultra-rich decision-makers use law enforcement, media, and surveillance as tools to orchestrate the Tournament. They treat human lives as bets in a global gambling enterprise, profiting from every kill. The city and its systems are bent to their will, turning spectators into accomplices. The contestants become pawns in a game where wealth determines who lives and who dies.

🎯 Survival & Morality

Competitors are forced into lethal violence to win a cash prize, blurring lines between hunter and prey. The tournament manipulates time, space, and incentives to create brutal choices under pressure. Observers distance themselves emotionally, turning the audience into enablers of murder. The ethical cost of victory weighs as heavily as the prize money.

🙏 Faith & Redemption

Father MacAvoy struggles with alcohol and doubt, clinging to faith as his only anchor in a world of bloodsport. Lai Lai Zhen’s calculated killings test convictions about guilt, mercy, and survival. The priest’s moral journey contrasts with the killers’ cold efficiency, offering a path to redemption beyond the arena. By the end, faith and resilience emerge as the true counterweights to corruption.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 15:53

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The Tournament Summary

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The Tournament Summary

The Tournament Timeline

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The Tournament Timeline

The Tournament Spoiler-Free Summary

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The Tournament Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Tournament

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The Tournament (2009) Plot Summary & Movie Recap

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