Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995)

A martial arts instructor comes to the defense of a schoolteacher who has taken a stand against a local white supremacist organization.

Director:

Phillip Rhee

Writers:

Barry Gray (screenplay), Deborah Scott (screenplay)

Stars:

Phillip Rhee, Christopher McDonald, Gina Gershon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Phillip Rhee	...	Tommy Lee
Christopher McDonald	...	Sheriff Jack Banning
Gina Gershon	...	Margo Preston
Mark Rolston	...	Donnie Hansen
Peter Simmons	...	Owen Tucker
Anzu Lawson	...	Karen Banning (as Cristina Anzu Lawson)
Dee Wallace	...	Georgia (as Dee Wallace-Stone)
Michael Bailey Smith	...	Tiny
Justin Brentley	...	Luther Phelps Jr.
Andra R. Ward	...	Rev. Luther Phelps Sr.
Barbara Boyd	...	Isabel Jackson
Kitao Sakurai	...	Justin Banning
Cole S. McKay	...	Bo (as Cole McKay)
Steve Hulin	...	Tre
Jack C. Thomas	...	Mr. Morgan

Storyline

A martial arts instructor comes to the defense of a schoolteacher who has taken a stand against a local white supremacist organization.

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Plot Keywords:

white supremacist | martial arts | opening action scene | mixed martial arts | explosion | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for shootings and martial arts violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1995 (Philippines)

Also Known As:

No Turning Back

Filming Locations:

Bedford, Indiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Movie Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the 18 minute mark of BEST OF THE BEST 3: NO TURNING BACK we find our hero Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee) traveling in his old blue Pontiac on a narrow dirt road to visit his sister. Next, he is abruptly run off of this road by a careless young skinhead racist driving an old blue pick-up truck. We see Tommy swerve off of the road and damage his vehicle. When he swerves we get to see a few clear frames of his license plate. It is a Nevada license plate that reads: "H7E386." It is a reminder of the last film (BEST OF THE BEST 2) when Tommy was engaged in a no-holds-barred fighting tournament in Las Vegas.

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Goofs

Obvious rubber baseball bat used to break the sliding glass door.

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Quotes

Bo: Who the hell are you?
Tommy Lee: [dressed as a clown] I'm Homey, the killer clown!

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Alternate Versions

The 15-rated UK release of this film was cut by 44 seconds by the BBFC with edits to the scene where Margo is assaulted and her clothes cut with a knife.

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Connections

Follows Best of the Best (1989)

User Reviews

A step down from the last, but has its moments

BEST OF THE BEST 3: NO TURNING BACK steps even further away from the tournament set-up of the original movie to offer straightforward straight-to-video action thrills from leading man Phillip Rhee. Rhee is the sole returning cast member from the first two movies, although he steps up to direct here as well as star in what turns out to be a typically over the top, mildly entertaining slice of mid-'90s entertainment.

This time around the setting is the small, ubiquitous town in one of the southern states. Rhee turns up and soon uncovers a hotbed of racism and murder, brought about by the antics of the cult-ish members of the local church, which bears more than a passing similarity to Westboro Baptist Church. Cue lots of violent fist fights, shoot-outs and explosives, achieved in the best low budget '90s way.

BEST OF THE BEST 3 isn't as good as the previous film in this series - the action isn't as hard-hitting or as well staged - but it's not bad and could be a lot worse. Rhee is a dependable hero type, and the supporting cast is packed with familiar aces: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION's Mark Rolston as the baddie, R. Lee Ermey as a preacher, Gina Gershon as a potential love interest, Dee Wallace-Stone as a townswoman, and the hulking Michael Bailey Smith (THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake) as a thug.