Best of the Best (1989) Taurus Entertainment/Drama-Action RT: 97 minutes Rated PG-13 (language, martial arts/sports violence) Director: Bob Radler Screenplay: Paul Levine Music: Paul Gilman Cinematography: Douglas Ryan Release date: November 10, 1989 (US) Cast: Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee, James Earl Jones, Sally Kirkland, Christopher Penn, John Dye, David Agresta, Tom Everett, Louise Fletcher, John P. Ryan, Edan Gross, Simon Rhee, Master Hee Il Cho, James Lew, Ken Nagayama, Ho Sik Pak, Dae Kyu Chang, Kane Hodder, Ahmad Rashad. Box Office: $1.7M (US)
Rating: ***
Sometimes when you don’t ask for much from a movie, you end up getting more than you expected. I went to see Best of the Best on a Saturday night (November 11, 1989) with medium expectations. I figured it would be just another sports flick celebrating the underdogs that rise to the challenge and, against all odds, triumph over a formidable opponent. Well, it is and it isn’t. Sure, it’s as clichéd and formulaic as they come. There’s not a single original plot element. Some of the more dramatic story developments are eye-rollingly hackneyed. Despite all this, I really like Best of the Best. I let down my guard and went with the flow. I ended up enjoying it very much.
It’s all about a major martial arts tournament between the US and Korea. After a grueling try-out, five American martial artists are chosen for the team. They are Alex Grady (Roberts, The Pope of Greenwich Village), a widowed father with a bad shoulder who hasn’t competed for three years; Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee), a martial arts teacher still recovering from a childhood tragedy; Travis Brickley (Penn, Reservoir Dogs), an obnoxious redneck with a big mouth and bad attitude; Virgil Keller (Dye, The Perfect Weapon), a devout Buddhist and Sonny Grasso (Agresta), a streetwise fighter from Detroit.
Their coach, Frank Couzo (Jones, Conan the Barbarian), expects his fighters to give all that they’ve got and more. He intends to win, not an easy feat against a team that trains harder and longer than the Americans. In fact, it’s downright impossible. While Couzo and his assistant Don Peterson (Everett, Texas Chainsaw Massacre III) see to the guys’ physical training, Kathryn Wade (Kirkland, Anna) sees to their mental training- i.e. yoga, meditation, etc. After a period of intensive training, they head to Korea to face their opponents but not before a few personal dramas play out.
Alex has a 5YO son Walter (Gross, Child’s Play) who he left in the care of his mother (Fletcher, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest). When the boy sustains a life-threatening injury, Alex is forced to choose between his son and teammates. As a boy, Tommy witnessed his older brother’s death in a martial arts match. His anger causes him to hold back and not use his full strength or finish off his opponents. He wants revenge against the fighter who killed his only brother. Guess who he’ll face off against in the climactic match? Yep, same guy!
It goes without saying that all five team members make the trip to Seoul for the tournament. It would be unfair to say that Best of the Best is completely predictable. I said something earlier about triumph, but I never specified what kind. That’s all I’ll say about that.
I guess the biggest question about Best of the Best is how actors like Roberts, Jones and Fletcher got roped into this gig. I honestly can’t say, but they do a good job with what they have to work with. Roberts tones down the crazy to play a father who loves his son more than anything in the world. He’s also a decent fighter even if he’s not a trained martial artist. Overall, the acting in Best of the Best isn’t awful. It’s no better or worse than many B-level flicks with lots of martial arts. While I never fully believed Penn’s character transformation, it’s a nice touch.
Best of the Best is a movie with a good heart. The team members learn to become a team. Personal dramas are resolved. It ends on a very nice note. Some of it- okay, a lot of it- is far-fetched but so what? The martial arts scenes are well done; the fight choreography is top-notch. The soundtrack is typical 80s-type stuff. Listen to some of the lyrics, it’s like something Survivor would come up with in a matter of minutes.
I can’t describe Best of the Best as hokey or contrived since it’s so sincere in its intentions. Directed by Bob Radler, it works much better than it should. It’s a likable movie with lots of heart. It’s a solid Saturday matinee flick.
