An American gymnast travels to a foreign country to compete in a deadly game not won by anyone other than a native in more than 900 years.
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Title: Gymkata (1985)
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1 nomination.
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Kurt Thomas | ... | Jonathan Cabot | |
| Tetchie Agbayani | ... | Princess Rubali | |
| Richard Norton | ... | Zamir | |
 |
Edward Bell | ... | Paley |
|
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John Barrett | ... | Gomez |
|
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Conan Lee | ... | Hao |
| Bob Schott | ... | Thorg | |
| Buck Kartalian | ... | The Kahn | |
|
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Eric Lawson | ... | Colonel Cabot |
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Sonny Barnes | ... | Western Trainer |
| Tadashi Yamashita | ... | Eastern Trainer | |
| Sharan Lea | ... | Connie | |
|
|
Zlatko Pokupec | ... | Mackle (as Z. Pokupec) |
|
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Slobodan Dimitrijevic | ... | Tamerlane (as S. Dimitrijevic) |
|
|
Ivo Kristof | ... | Brockschmidt (as I. Kristof) |
Edit
Plot Summary
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Add Synopsis
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Storyline
Johnathan Cabot is a champion gymnast. In the tiny, yet savage, country of Parmistan, there is a perfect spot for a "star wars" site. For the US to get this site, they must compete in the brutal "Game". The government calls on Cabot, the son of a former operative, to win the game. Cabot must combine his gymnastics skills of the west with fighting secrets of the east and form GYMKATA! Written by Max Halperin <halperin@usc.edu>
Plot Keywords:
gymnastics | kung fu classic | martial artist | kung fu | chop socky |Taglines:
You are invited to witness the deadliest martial art of them all... See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Language:
EnglishRelease Date:
3 May 1985 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Asia Mission See more »Edit
Box Office
Opening Weekend USA:
$1,261,845, 5 March 1985, Wide ReleaseGross USA:
$5,730,596Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Metrocolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Written by Alan Nathanson and Roger Stone
Performed by Remote Control
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The film's title refers to the combination of Gymnastics training and Karate martial arts. Kurt Thomas is a real life gymnast and for the film had to combine both attributes for his role. See more »Soundtracks
Get EvenWritten by Alan Nathanson and Roger Stone
Performed by Remote Control
See more »
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 (UPDATE: it's "yakmalla!"), 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.