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Only the Strong (1993)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
27 August 1993 (USA) moreTagline:
The ultimate martial art.Plot:
Ex-Special Forces soldier Louis Stevens returns to Miami to find his former high school overrun by drugs and violence... more | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
moreNewsDesk:
Dancing with the Stars: Spotlight on Mark Dacascos with Lacey Schwimmer(From BuddyTV. 1 September 2009, 5:14 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Unique Brazilian martial arts exhibited in a mediocre movie more (44 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Mark Dacascos | ... | Louis Stevens | |
| Stacey Travis | ... | Dianna | |
| Geoffrey Lewis | ... | Kerrigan | |
| Paco Christian Prieto | ... | Silverio | |
| Todd Susman | ... | Cochran | |
| Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter | ... | Philippe | |
| Richard Coca | ... | Orlando Aliveres | |
| Roman Cardwell | ... | Shay | |
| Ryan Bollman | ... | Donovan | |
| Christian Klemash | ... | Eddie | |
| John Fionte | ... | Hector Cervantes | |
| Joselito 'Amen' Santo | ... | Javier | |
| John Gregory Kasper | ... | Coach Kasper | |
| Phyllis Sukoff | ... | Mrs. Esposito | |
| Antoni Corone | ... | Green Beret Sergeant |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
99 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Eastmancolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby SRCertification:
Iceland:16 | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | UK:15 (cut) | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Germany:16Filming Locations:
Miami, Florida, USAFun Stuff
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When the car "explodes" you can see no flames coming out. moreSoundtrack:
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The real star of "Only the Strong" is the capoeira style of Brazilian martial arts (which is the pre-cursor of many break dancing moves) exhibited throughout the film. There are many movies that concentrate on wushu, taekwondo, karate, aikido, and many others styles from different parts of the world, but capoeira movies are far and few between, which makes "Only the Strong" that much more unique.
The story is nothing short of rehashed and predictable; a well meaning soldier (Mark Dacascos) with martial arts background from his previous station in Brazil, comes back to the U.S. and attempts to take charge of the rebellious, rival students in a troubled neighbourhood. He attempts to give them a focus in life with the art of capoeira, which combines martial arts, music and dancing, as well as stressing teamwork between the players/fighters. The troublesome students take a while to be won over by Decascos efforts, but eventually play along.
Things get complicated when it turns out that one of the students is the son of a Portuguese gangster, a capoeira maestre himself, that is the terror of the town, leading to some battles and a showdown between the ruthless criminal and his followers and the well meaning teacher.
The acting and the story is sub-par as mentioned previously, but this is , at the time of this writing, the only movie focusing on capoeira as a whole, and as such deserves a closer look by martial arts fans everywhere who are ready for something truly different.