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Best of the Best (1989)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
10 November 1989 (USA) moreTagline:
There's a kind of inner strength you never know you have...until it's ALL you have. morePlot:
A team from the United States are going to compete in the world finals in Tae Kwon Do. The team consists of fighters from all nations, can they overcome their rivalry and work together to win ? full summary | full synopsisNewsDesk:
(8 articles)
Review: Project Runway - Best of the Best (From AOL - TVSquad. 29 October 2009, 11:36 PM, PDT)
400 Screens, 400 Blows - The Best of the Best
(From Cinematical. 27 September 2009, 7:02 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
A reasonable representation of martial arts as a sport more (61 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Eric Roberts | ... | Alex Grady | |
| Phillip Rhee | ... | Tommy Lee | |
| James Earl Jones | ... | Coach Couzo | |
| Sally Kirkland | ... | Wade | |
| Chris Penn | ... | Travis Brickley (as Christopher Penn) | |
| John Dye | ... | Virgil | |
| David Agresta | ... | Sonny | |
| Tom Everett | ... | Don | |
| Louise Fletcher | ... | Mrs. Grady | |
| John P. Ryan | ... | Jennings | |
| Edan Gross | ... | Walter Grady | |
| Simon Rhee | ... | Dae Han | |
| Master Hee Il Cho | ... | Korean Coach | |
| James Lew | ... | Sae Jin Kwon | |
| Ken Nagayama | ... | Yung Kim |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
97 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorSound Mix:
DolbyCertification:
Australia:M | France:U | South Korea:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Spain:T | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:16 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:16Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The character Walter Grady is named after the father of Eric Roberts: Walter Grady Roberts. moreGoofs:
Continuity: When the fighters are holding the pressure pad for each other and Tommy kicks Virgil during this training session and sends Virgil flying to the ground, the black crash mat that he lands on to cushion his fall is visible, but when everybody rushes to see if Virgil is OK the crash mat has vanished. moreQuotes:
Commentator: [after Dae Hawn has been knocked down by Tommy Lee] This could be it! This could be it! If he doesn't get up, it's a technical knockout! The American team will win this tournament! moreSoundtrack:
TALES OF POWER moreFAQ
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Best of the best is one of those rare movie; a credible and fairly realistic representation of martial arts as a sport. Yes, it is a cheese fest but it's a good one. The characters are likable, the action scenes are brilliantly done and although the story isn't as engaging as it could have been it does work.
The story shows the selection and training of the US and the Korean national karate teams who we know from the start of the movie will face each other in a televised sporting event. All the character development is with the Americans though and this film is essentially about them. While the training and character building are good, and do make you care to some extent about the Americans, the entire movie is really all about the final fights. They are technically brilliant and very well shot. The second to last fight will send tingles down your spine, and the final fight - well, my wife hates this sort of movie but even she was in tears at the end.
I liked this movie a lot. It's in my collection and my advice to anyone who enjoys a good fight film is to give this a chance.