Best of the Best (1989)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Too much of everything

Redundant and unnecessary.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

In 1989, all is not well in the world. Korea has amassed a 4 man army of unstoppable brick breakers who are highly experienced in the art of honorable ass-kicking. The US of A has no choice but to assemble their own fantastic foursome of charming uber athletes. There's Sonny - you only need know three things about Sonny. He's Italian, he does martial arts and he has a fondness for breast milk ...yes, breast milk. He says so himself. There's Virgil who is so enlightened that he meditates and wears tie-dye shirts. But don't be fooled by his centered demeanor, Virgil does have a weakness. He finds nothing more persuasive than "inner and outer labia." There's Travis the Cowboy, whose skill in karate is matched only by his winning personality and charming sexuality. He also has a tendency to be racist. There's Tommy, an Asian karate teacher who faces the toughest opponent in the one-eyed Dae Han, a master of competitive murder who killed Tommy's brother in another tournament. Finally, there's Alex. Don't be fooled by the bookish name, Alex is a powerhouse muleteer, whose only weakness is family tragedies and a bad shoulder. Best of the Best could best be described as a combination of The Karate Kid, Rocky IV, and Top Gun. The tension is palpable as the Americans realize what they are up against. After all, the Koreans practice for competition by trying to chop down trees with their hands. When they finally meet in Korea, they are in for the fight of their lives; a fight that no well-intentioned bar brawl can prepare them for. But there is no need for concern. They've got none other than James Earl Jones as their coach. This guy could knock a man down with his voice. Unfortunately, we don't get to see a demonstration of this and that might be the film's only flaw. Best of the Best is a winning combination of masculinity, martial arts finesse, American patriotism and manly emotion without a hint of homo-erotic undertone. Enjoy!

First, let's get something straight. I've seen (and will continue seeing) countless movies of all genres (I'm a fan of Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, William Freidkin, John Frankenheimer, Ridley Scott, Milcho Mancevski, John Woo...) and lately cannot even make myself finish watching over-budgeted, lame, boring, horribly scripted Hollywood crap targeted at people with an attention span of a chicken.Nevertheless, among the usually inartistic and "less-intelligent" categories such as martial arts or romantic comedies one can find a real gem. The cast is right on the spot; James Earl Jones, Sally Kirkland, Eric Robert and Chris Penn, even though not crème-de-la-crème actors, are well known and deserve credit for acting along major A-list actors during their careers (Eric Roberts was in the Dark Knight and pretty good to be honest). Now let's get to "brass tacks": a. it has a realistic, unburdened and clear plot; b. the 2 lead characters are well developed; c. the dialogue is superb, all characters seem human with fears, dreams and commitment we can relate to; d. the fights, even-though a bit unrealistic - the fighters seem intentionally slow at times waiting to receive the punches, are not over-choreographed, are entertaining and believable (injuries, tiredness, etc. are adequately expressed); e. typical American "pump-up one-liners" are kept at a minimum and only during the last showdown; f. the ending is truly fitting and unexpected. So, looking only for movies that have down to earth, realistic dialogue and believable development of events, irrespective of their weirdness, heroism or even everyday life simplicity, I truly recommend this one to all eclectic movie aficionados.Oh, the soundtrack is nice and pass on the sequels (they are not worth it).P.S. Please check also the romantic comedy "Two Weeks Notice" with Hugh Grant and Sandra Bullock for a surprising touch of great realism and dialogue.

Derek Roberts. truly the most underrated actor of our generation. now that i have stated what many of you already know...onto the film: this is the movie that truly has it all , tears , laughter , pain and tragedy . john pearl johns was never more believable than in his role as grizzled Vietnam veteran coach bullseye and Chris glen was also amazing as the retarded , fat guy come good . right from the start, this film tackles a controversial subject as Bruce lee has defected onto the American side, and proves himself a force to be tackled with. the films climatic showdown where the entire American team gang up on the last remaining Chinaman in Moscow has to be seen to be believed and all Can say is that this has to be the greatest Martial arts films of all time. as an experienced karate man i can say hand on heart that all the action scenes are as realistic as you are every likely to see on film. it of course can never truly capture the feel of fighting for your life as i have experienced many times, the tension of knowing one wrong move could be your last, the blood, the sweat and utter discipline that is demanded or the strange mixture of fury and sorrow as you see the life of another fade from this world but it comes quite close. all in all, a masterpiece

And by answering that, what I really mean is that "Best of the Best" probably is the second best martial arts movie ever made in the United States, behind "The Karate Kid" (1984). Director Robert Radler's film consists of a martial arts tournament, being held in Seoul, South Korea, between the American Karate team and the Koreans.The plot for "Best of the Best" consists of the assembly of the team, the selection of the fighters, their training by a dedicated coach (James Earl Jones), personal conflicts and triumphs, and the eventual showdown in Seoul with the Korean martial artists.Just one thing though: It's not Karate they're training in; it's Tae Kwon Do, which is Korean! Much more, why would Korean fighters be training in an Okinawan art? What's going on here? (Tae Kwon Do is constantly referred to as Karate throughout "Best of the Best" and its sequels.)The best of these Korean Tae Kwon Do artists is Dae Han (Simon Rhee), a one-eyed "Karate" machine who accidentally killed the older brother of American martial artist Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee) during a match, and he carries that guilt on his shoulders of having to watch his brother die. Coach Couzo (Jones), his assistant Don (Tom Everett), and their trainer (Sally Kirkland) have the duty of assembling Lee and four others to fight in Seoul: Single-dad Alex Grady (Eric Roberts), Travis Brickley (Christopher Penn), Virgil Keller (John Dye), and Sonny Grasso (David Agresta). Their training regiment is long and difficult, with scenes inter-cut with that of the Korean fighters showing off their skills, jump-kicks and board breaks and all, leaving us wondering if our boys are really ready for Tae Kwon Do in its purest form.It should come as no surprise to drama hounds that they don't like each other and come from all walks of life. They have their personal squabbles too, like Alex's son is hurt in an accident and he himself struggles with an old sports injury, Travis's racist remarks only burden Tommy even further and alienate the men even more, and it's obvious that Couzo is hiding some skeletons in his closet as well. But once they learn to come together and act as a team, they'll manage all right (that's "Best of the Best's" message).Considering that "Best of the Best" has not gotten much attention, it is surprisingly well-made, well-written (with a story by Phillip Rhee himself and Paul Levine, who also worked on the script), and watchable. You do make a genuine connection with the characters (some are more developed than others), and you even feel for the Korean team at some points. The Koreans aren't some evil force out to conquer the world, but still aren't to be taken lightly because they're every bit as dedicated to winning as the Americans are. The script is uneven and the direction fades at different times, but these only seem to be minor obstructions from enjoying the picture.What it boils down to, ultimately, is a brutal full-contact tournament between the 10 members of both teams; the Koreans are fighting for national pride, while we're simply fighting for the right to be called the "best of the best." We take a beating, all right, but there is something genuinely heartwarming about the ending, that will be left up to the viewer to see. What is most unexpected about this ending and events leading up to it, is that during an era rife with xenophobia and American jingoism, Radler's film sweeps all that stuff aside in favor of a somewhat balanced portrait of the other side. Bravo.8/10