Heavy melodrama, cheesy rock songs, and dramatically delivered lines are the main filler for this surprise US hit about an American Tae Kwon Do team gathered for a tournament against Korea's finest. Of course, there is some martial arts action in the ring and the odd scuffle here-and-there, but Philip Rhee's Best Of The Best is really a family drama with a message, full of sentiment and overcoming personal conflicts which actually makes for a decent watch...
I wasn't really a big fan when it first came out back in 1989, but I was so amazed at what Hong Kong cinema was offering there was really nothing from the West that could compare. Going back to it now, and being a fan of Rhee for some time now, its a pretty well made film - albeit with plenty of cheese, bad dialogue, and lots of U.S.A!!
Focusing mainly on the characters played by Eric Roberts and Philip Rhee, two troubled souls who play the backbone of the team, the story stays pretty focused and uses the rest of the team as comic relief or reasons for James Earl Jones to shout. And speaking of Jones; I was pretty surprised at the cast gathered for this ultimately, low-budget film. With Rhee having only starred in a few films prior such as the fun L.A. Streetfighters and Silent Assassins, it was nice to see him get the success he deserved with this and pull together some big names. The Coca Cola Kid himself, Eric Roberts (who never seems to stop working) was a great choice for Alex, and the presence of James Earl Jones just gives it something else. Although perhaps, maybe a little too much.
Given the acting talent of both Roberts and Jones, their lines and approach are often delivered a little too over-the-top. Perhaps its the fact that the rest of the cast seem a little over-shadowed by them, but it hardly detracts from what's happening really. The overrated Chris Penn plays a team member who pretty much comes across as Penn does in any film. TV star John Dye fills out the team, and fan favourite John P. Ryan from Class Of 1999, Avenging Force and Death Wish 4, also appears.
While a little flat here and there in terms of the production, and void of atmosphere in some of the drama scenes (although I can understand this given that this was director Bob Radler's first feature); Best Of The Best still proves pretty watchable and closes with a great fight-filled finale in the ring. There's some great moves on show, and plenty of emotion kicking about that makes this contact sports drama, a little different than the rest!
Overall: Not terrible by any means, Best Of The Best is dripping with American cheese but still entertains...
I wasn't really a big fan when it first came out back in 1989, but I was so amazed at what Hong Kong cinema was offering there was really nothing from the West that could compare. Going back to it now, and being a fan of Rhee for some time now, its a pretty well made film - albeit with plenty of cheese, bad dialogue, and lots of U.S.A!!
Focusing mainly on the characters played by Eric Roberts and Philip Rhee, two troubled souls who play the backbone of the team, the story stays pretty focused and uses the rest of the team as comic relief or reasons for James Earl Jones to shout. And speaking of Jones; I was pretty surprised at the cast gathered for this ultimately, low-budget film. With Rhee having only starred in a few films prior such as the fun L.A. Streetfighters and Silent Assassins, it was nice to see him get the success he deserved with this and pull together some big names. The Coca Cola Kid himself, Eric Roberts (who never seems to stop working) was a great choice for Alex, and the presence of James Earl Jones just gives it something else. Although perhaps, maybe a little too much.
Given the acting talent of both Roberts and Jones, their lines and approach are often delivered a little too over-the-top. Perhaps its the fact that the rest of the cast seem a little over-shadowed by them, but it hardly detracts from what's happening really. The overrated Chris Penn plays a team member who pretty much comes across as Penn does in any film. TV star John Dye fills out the team, and fan favourite John P. Ryan from Class Of 1999, Avenging Force and Death Wish 4, also appears.
While a little flat here and there in terms of the production, and void of atmosphere in some of the drama scenes (although I can understand this given that this was director Bob Radler's first feature); Best Of The Best still proves pretty watchable and closes with a great fight-filled finale in the ring. There's some great moves on show, and plenty of emotion kicking about that makes this contact sports drama, a little different than the rest!
Overall: Not terrible by any means, Best Of The Best is dripping with American cheese but still entertains...