Best of the Best II (1993) 20th Century Fox/Action RT: 101 minutes Rated R (language, strong martial arts violence) Director: Robert Radler Screenplay: Max Strom and John Allen Nelson Music: David Michael Frank Cinematography: Fred Tammes Release date: March 5, 1993 (US) Cast: Eric Roberts, Phillip Rhee, Christopher Penn, Edan Gross, Ralf Moller, Meg Foster, Sonny Landham, Wayne Newton, Patrick Kilpatrick, Mike Genovese, Nicholas Worth, Betty Carvalho, Simon Rhee, Hayward Nishioka, Ken Nagayama, Matt Thomas, Edward Bunker, Kane Hodder. Box Office: $6.6M (US)
Rating: ***
Best of the Best II, the sequel to the 1989 martial arts tournament drama, is a more straight-up action flick in which our heroes go up against an underground fighting ring and a psychopathic fighter named Brakus (Moller, Cyborg). While clearly not an example of fine cinema (or, for that matter, good filmmaking), I like it very much. I went to see it with a friend on a late Tuesday afternoon (March 9, 1993) while our girlfriends saw Howards End at another theater. It’s good to get out and see a guy’s movie with a guy friend. In the spirit of honesty, I admit I was looking forward to it. I liked the first movie, this one carried an R rating and singer Wayne Newton plays a bad guy. What’s not to like? Best of the Best II is campy, corny and cheesy but it’s fun.
The story picks up a few years after the last one left off. Three of the team members- Alex (Roberts, The Pope of Greenwich Village), Tommy (Phillip Rhee) and Travis (Penn, Reservoir Dogs)- have opened a martial arts studio in Las Vegas. Alex is romantically involved with sports reporter Sue MacCauley (Foster, They Live). Alex’s now 11YO son Walter (Gross) is about to test for his black belt. He doesn’t pass, but his dad is nonetheless proud of how the boy handled defeat.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to his friends/partners, Travis participates in underground fights. Ever the braggart, he makes the fatal mistake of challenging the undefeated Brakus, an in-the-ring killer if ever there was one. Long story short, Brakus kills Travis and Walter witnesses the whole thing. Alex and Tommy show up at “The Coliseum” looking for their friend and are told by the sleazy manager Weldon (Newton) that he already left under his own power. Travis’ body is found later floating in a river, his death staged to look like an accident. Alex and Tommy don’t buy it and go back to confront Brakus and his goons. Long story short, their actions cause Brakus to order his men to kill Alex and his son, but bring Tommy back alive. He wants to kill him in the ring.
The three go on the run and end up at Tommy’s grandmother’s house. Apparently, he’s part Native American. This is never explained. What’s important is they have a place to hide while they train to avenge their friend’s murder. They receive help from Tommy’s uncle, James (Landham, Predator), a former fighter turned drunk who knows Brakus and what it’ll take to beat him. It isn’t long before his men find them and come calling.
Sonny Landham is one of my favorite character actors and I completely forgot he was in Best of the Best II. You don’t see much of him anymore; in fact, this is the last of his movies to be released theatrically. He has an impressive resume that includes 48 Hrs, Predator, Action Jackson and Lock Up. Sadly, he goes underused in Best of the Best II. The movie still benefits from his presence; I just wish he had been in it more. However, Newton camps it up very nicely as the ring announcer. His character here reminds me of Richard Dawson in 1987’s The Running Man. He gets off one of the movie’s best/worst lines when he warns Tommy, “When Mr. Brakus is finished with you, the last thing through your mind will be your ass.” I love that he says it with a semi-straight face. Moller, with his German accent, is like Arnold Schwarzenegger’s evil, murderous cousin. Roberts does a decent job in the lead while Rhee still fights like a bad ass. Simon Rhee, the real life brother of Phillip, returns as Dae Han, the Korean fighter that killed Tommy’s brother. They’re friends/brothers now and he offers up his help in avenging Travis.
Once again, the fight scenes and choreography are top-notch. There are plenty of cool action scenes too. Best of the Best II also offers up a bit of drama which is where it falters. While it’s good to see that Alex has moved on with his life and found a girlfriend, what happened to his grandmother played by Louise Fletcher in the first movie? She’s never mentioned. My guess is that the actress declined to appear in the sequel. The thing that really bugs me about Best of the Best II is the subplot about Walter going for his black belt. After failing the test, it’s NEVER mentioned again. One would think that he would finally pass the test in a closing scene but it doesn’t happen. Also, shouldn’t he be more traumatized by seeing somebody killed first-hand? It doesn’t really matter though because Best of the Best II delivers where it counts. It’s a decent martial arts action flick. It doesn’t skimp on brutal violence or dumb dialogue. It’s good for what it is; damn good, in fact. It makes for a cool double bill with the first movie.
