Best of the Best (1989)
Genre: Action / Drama
Duration: 97 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Robert Radler
Stars: Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee and James Earl Jones
IMDb score:
6,4 (16.802)
Releasedate: 10 November 1989
Best of the Best plot
"A team is not a team if you don't give a damn about each other."
An American team of diverse characters has qualified for the final of the Karate World Championship. It consists of retired veteran Alex Grady (Eric Roberts), Korean-American Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee), Texas bluffer Travis Brickly (Chris Penn), Buddhist Virgil Kelly and Italian-born Sonny Grazo. Led by their coach Couzo (James Earl Jones), they face off against the reigning champions of South Korea one on one. Their leader Dae Han (Simon Rhee) killed Lee's brother during a fight in the previous encounter between the countries.
Actors and actresses
Alex Grady
Tommy Lee
Frank Couzo
Catherine Wade
Travis Brickley
Virgil Keller
Sonny Grasso
Don Peterson
Mrs. Grady
Jennings
Reviews & comments
Brabants
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- 2910 messages
- 2162 votes
This martial arts film will certainly not rely on martial arts in terms of portrayal. This film is rather strong in the drama part. The film also has quite a few subplots, all of which come down to ethical issues and dilemmas. It also reflects the resilience of the human mind to deal with setbacks. It is certainly not the best acting and Eric Roberts is certainly not master of that either. Yet it is all very theatrical and somewhat entertaining. This is one such example of a grotesque movie, where because it's all so wrong, it's actually just right.
Translated from Dutch · View original
IH88
-
- 9810 messages
- 3201 votes
Best of the Best
I shot this film on VHS in grey. The training, the fight scenes, the Tommy/Dae Han fight, Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones… I couldn't get enough. Now especially the last part is really fun and for the rest it is a standard and not really strong fight/sports film. And gosh, the acting performances are abysmal. You don't watch these kinds of movies for that, but it's very noticeable. Fortunately, they are better at fighting.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Fisico
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- 10039 messages
- 5398 votes
Turned gray in my youth. Today a big B-movie, but one that Rocky-wise stays upright during a workout. The polarization couldn't be greater in the movie. The American team against the South Koreans. The good against the bad. Almost everything is done to label the Koreans as half savages and as bad guys, despite the end. For example, the Koreans train in the snow and are hardened by hard training in the wild nature (waterfall). With the Americans, with hard beats, more modern equipment and some country bumpkins as a sparring partner in the local bar. In hindsight strange considering the Cold War was not over and one could just as easily cast Russians, Chinese or even Japanese as "enemy". For Rambo and Rocky, for example, this was the case.
The patriotism is very strong and the drama is high. But the American team is also great with 5 different personalities who each have something in their turn. It never gets exciting because it's so clichéd and predictable, but it was fun to follow. And also today for once ... James Earl Jones is beautifully cast as a hard disciplined coach. His voice is really great and exudes a lot of authority. Also ideal as Darth Vader.
The sportsmanship gets completely out of hand at the end, but luckily we already have some nice fights behind us. It's nice to see it again, but don't think too much about it.
Translated from Dutch · View originalPre- and sequels
Best of the Best: Without Warning
1998
Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back
1995
Best of the Best 2
1993
3 comments
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