BEST OF THE BEST is an attempt to do for martial arts what ROCKY did for boxing. That is, it attempts to be a feel-good, character-based movie about endurance, loyalty and patriotism, wrapping it up into a crowd-pleasing package with some great tournament battles along the way.
It doesn't work.
I found myself bored by this uninvolving film, one that's dated in the worst way of the '80s. The fashions are ludicrous, the hairstyles ridiculous, the characters overblown and boorish. Take, for instance, Eric Roberts's supposed hero, a vain, posturing and mulleted muscleman who looks like an extra from MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. His appearance alone encapsulates everything that's wrong with this movie.
Other characters fare no better. Phillip Rhee is underused and his character only springs to life during an unexpectedly poignant twist at the climax. James Earl Jones gets a few good speeches, but that's it. Chris Penn plays a loudmouthed jerk, and the others are bland and interchangeable.
The film meanders through one cliché to the next, with family drama interspersed with some rather dull bar-room brawls and the like. The tournament at the end strives for grandeur and excitement, but instead I was itching for it to be over so I could go to bed. ROCKY this ain't.
It doesn't work.
I found myself bored by this uninvolving film, one that's dated in the worst way of the '80s. The fashions are ludicrous, the hairstyles ridiculous, the characters overblown and boorish. Take, for instance, Eric Roberts's supposed hero, a vain, posturing and mulleted muscleman who looks like an extra from MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. His appearance alone encapsulates everything that's wrong with this movie.
Other characters fare no better. Phillip Rhee is underused and his character only springs to life during an unexpectedly poignant twist at the climax. James Earl Jones gets a few good speeches, but that's it. Chris Penn plays a loudmouthed jerk, and the others are bland and interchangeable.
The film meanders through one cliché to the next, with family drama interspersed with some rather dull bar-room brawls and the like. The tournament at the end strives for grandeur and excitement, but instead I was itching for it to be over so I could go to bed. ROCKY this ain't.