First off, I could not figure out how a movie about being the Best of the Best, could have a sequel? I mean are not they already the Best? Why do they have to show that they are the Best again?
Anyway, this movie does one thing in that the movie does not really tell you who the Best are. (a sequel is in fact possible and I guess Phillip Rhee should be thankful since his only acting, writing, or directing work in the past decade has been the Best of The Best franchise)
Instead, this movie gets into the personal histories of really only 2 of the fighters. These fighters of course follow usual plot lines and eventually lead an under-maned and out-gunned team.
The movie is definitely lacking in some respects. It does not deliver as a full fighting movie, nor is it believable as a pure drama type (root for the underdog movie).
Basically, it jumps around and we only get bits and pieces of an interesting movie. (ie, it jumps from training to the bar to the coach to videos of the competition to history of the combatants to the kid to getting kicked off of the team to being back on the team, etc...). It seems that the makers wanted to put so much into the movie that they forgot that it needed to be a complete movie to begin with.
Still I do like James Earl Jones, although some of his character's motivation (ie. the past teams) seems far fetched.
Watched on video in 2001. Rating of 3
Anyway, this movie does one thing in that the movie does not really tell you who the Best are. (a sequel is in fact possible and I guess Phillip Rhee should be thankful since his only acting, writing, or directing work in the past decade has been the Best of The Best franchise)
Instead, this movie gets into the personal histories of really only 2 of the fighters. These fighters of course follow usual plot lines and eventually lead an under-maned and out-gunned team.
The movie is definitely lacking in some respects. It does not deliver as a full fighting movie, nor is it believable as a pure drama type (root for the underdog movie).
Basically, it jumps around and we only get bits and pieces of an interesting movie. (ie, it jumps from training to the bar to the coach to videos of the competition to history of the combatants to the kid to getting kicked off of the team to being back on the team, etc...). It seems that the makers wanted to put so much into the movie that they forgot that it needed to be a complete movie to begin with.
Still I do like James Earl Jones, although some of his character's motivation (ie. the past teams) seems far fetched.
Watched on video in 2001. Rating of 3