IMDb > Gymkata (1985)
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Overview

User Rating:
3.5/10   1,458 votes
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Down 16% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Robert Clouse
Writers:
Charles Robert Carner (writer)
Dan Tyler Moore (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for Gymkata on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
May 1985 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | Drama more
Tagline:
The skill of gymnastics, the kill of karate. more
Plot:
Johnathan Cabot is a champion gymnast. In the tiny, yet savage, country of Parmistan, there is a perfect spot for a "star wars" site... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
'Jennifer's Body' bad boy Adam Brody takes the EW Pop Culture Personality Test
 (From EW.com - PopWatch. 18 September 2009, 10:58 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
"My people...!" So bad it's hilarious more (56 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Kurt Thomas ... Jonathan Cabot
Tetchie Agbayani ... Princess Rubali

Richard Norton ... Zamir
Edward Bell ... Paley

John Barrett ... Gomez
Conan Lee ... Hao
Bob Schott ... Thorg
Buck Kartalian ... The Kahn
Eric Lawson ... Colonel Cabot
Sonny Barnes ... Western Trainer
Tadashi Yamashita ... Eastern Trainer
Sharan Lea ... Connie
Zlatko Pokupec ... Mackle (as Z. Pokupec)
Slobodan Dimitrijevic ... Tamerlane (as S. Dimitrijevic)
Ivo Kristof ... Brockschmidt (as I. Kristof)
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1986) | UK:18 | USA:R | Germany:BPjM Restricted
Filming Locations:
Yugoslavia
Company:
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Richard Norton who plays the villain Zahmir in the film, was also the stunt coordinator and choreographer on the film was well. more
Quotes:
Colonel Cabot: [wounded] Win, Johnny... more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Master Ninja II (#4.24)" (1992) more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
12 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
"My people...!" So bad it's hilarious, 5 December 2002
Author: jamesjones01-1 from Des Moines, IA

I first saw this movie with three friends at a theater in Norman, Oklahoma when it first came out. Aside from the four of us, the usher was in the theater, and the projectionist too. They should've gotten combat pay.

The US government goes to a gymnast to get him to train for and participate in The Game, a decathlon cum obstacle course held each year in the tiny country of Parmistan (the four of us immediately decided its major export was Parmesan cheese...). The Khan of Parmistan grants each winner a favor, and the US wants our hero to ask pretty please to let the US put some kind of radar installation in Parmistan to support SDI. Our hero agrees--after all, his dad mysteriously disappeared in Parmistan.

Our hero gets some help from the Khan's daughter, who turns out to be the only citizen of Parmistan who looks even vaguely Asian. (_Gymkata_ was filmed in Zagreb, then in Yugoslavia.) There are people who want to stop him, though--fortunately, every place our hero is in danger, there happens to be a convenient piece of gymnastic equipment that he can leap onto and kick some enemy behind. (It even comes pre-powdered so his hands won't slip--they think of everything!)

A high point of the film is the Khan himself, and his pronouncements from the balcony. We in the theater swore up and down that Mel Brooks was playing the Khan... He always uttered some non-English interjection that we promptly forgot, replacing with "Uff-da!" when imitating him during and after the film, and followed it up with "My people!"

I recommend this in a double feature with _Phenomenal and the Mask of Tutankhamen_. Think you need an Abdomenizer? Nope--just watch these two movies.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Gymkata (1985)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
So bad it's good! burningmonk
What are the things you learned after watching Gymkata? alserve
Lets get this on the top one hundred worst movies ever keithpridgeon
Banned in Finland?? kenmorefield
IT GOES 2 SHOW U....... sirvan64
Region 2 DVD. Spartan0428
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