The movie: Best of the Best

[cinciman]

Anyone seen it? I remember watching it a long time ago and remembered how good it was, so I looked it up on blockbuster.com and found a location that had it. I went today to rent the movie and it was GREAT!! Watching this movie brought back many memories of how my love for Martial Arts began to grow which stemmed from the TKD in this movie. Sadly, I had a bad experience with my TKD school and didn't continue training, but that's a different story.

Just wanted to see if anyone has seen this movie. It stars Phillip Rhee, Eric Roberts(Julia's older brother), and one of the Penn brothers. The last bit of the movie really defines the total aspect that Martial Arts teaches us. Watch the movie and find out!

 

[Marginal]

The "sensei" gives me heartburn in that movie.

 

[DragonFooter]

Action scenes are wee bit slow except for those two taekwondo stars.
So.... what is phillip and simon rhee taekwondo style? ITF? WTF? Rules of sparring used are more like karate ones.

 

[terryl965]

I remember wacthing that movie, it was pretty good the ending was the alright. I do not know if you saw the best of the best two, now that was a dumb movie...... God Bless America

 

[Andi]

Philip Rhee's mainly HapKiDo isn't he? Hang on...

http://www.philliprhee.com/

"He holds ranks of 6th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a 3rd degree black belt in Hap Ki Do and a 1st degree black belt in Kendo."

"My foundation is traditional TaeKwonDo"

There y'are. Decent site.
Great movie as well. :boing2:

 

[MichiganTKD]

While I enjoyed the movie overall, there are a few sticking points with me:

1. Sally Kellerman breaking a stack of blocks with a ridgehand? Pu-lleeeaasse!

2. Hee Il Cho as the Korean Team Coach? See above. His acting is as wooden as Don Wilson's.

3. After seeing how the American team trained, I was rooting for the Koreans.

4. The tournament was conducted like point Karate. Is that how they free fight in Korea? I don't think so.

 

[tshadowchaser]

After seeing how the American team trained, I was rooting for the Koreans

That about says it except for the fact that it was the first time I saw electronic measureing devices used as a training tool.
The story was ok and the fight sceens where not bad. But the acting,well thats another story,
The follow up movies whee ugly, horrid flops.
And yes I was out of my chair cheering and yelling at the sceen the first time I saw it.

 

[cinciman]

Yes, watching the movie again around 14-15 years later, the acting wasn't the best, and the movie probably wasn't accurate. There are a lot of movies like that, but many of them are still good in my eyes. Many of them were the Jean Claude Van Dam moives, but I still loved them, back then. I used to LOVE movies like Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Karate Kid, etc.. I'd sit during the Summers, out of school, just watching these movies over and over...lol! Watching "The Best of the Best" again brought back memories of when I saw it years ago--it was NOSTALGIC. I would have been around 12 years old when the movie first came out back in 1989. I absolutely LOVED it back then, but seeing it yesterday I did find a few parts to be really cheesy. Nonetheless, it was and always will be a great film in my eyes.

I think I'm gonna go and try to track down some of those old Van Dam movies again. And, maybe some Karate Kid. For some more nostalgia!

 

[MichiganTKD]

I remember being hooked on the Sho Kosugi Ninja films of the 80's. They were great escapist fare for a lonely high school kid. Of course now I'd be going "Ay Yi Yi what was I thinking?" But at the time they were great fun. I tend to look at these films much more critically. The Karate Kid films will always be good (most of 'em, anyway). Had to put up with way too many clowns doing Crane Technique around me trying to make fun of martial arts.

 

[Touch Of Death]

I remember wacthing that movie, it was pretty good the ending was the alright. I do not know if you saw the best of the best two, now that was a dumb movie...... God Bless America

I liked it actualy. It came out the same year as "Street Knight". And that was no "Perfect Weapon II" let me tell ya.
Sean

 

[DragonFooter]

Want my reccomendation guys?
Try tracking down Hwang Jang Lee movies.He is a taekwondo expert from the military in Vietnam War. Try searching his name in google!

He is often known for his villian character in "Drunken Master" fighting against Jackie Chan. Can be said as the first taekwondo martial artist on screen in Hong Kong action films . He's even honoured with the title of King of Bootmasters and "Rubber Legs".
Check out his moves dude! No wires !

 

[Randy Strausbaugh]

Want my reccomendation guys?
Try tracking down Hwang Jang Lee movies.He is a taekwondo expert from the military in Vietnam War. Try searching his name in google!

He is often known for his villian character in "Drunken Master" fighting against Jackie Chan. Can be said as the first taekwondo martial artist on screen in Hong Kong action films . He's even honoured with the title of King of Bootmasters and "Rubber Legs".
Check out his moves dude! No wires !

DragonFooter: If you're a big Hwang Jang Lee fan, check out his instructional video, "The Art of High-Impact Kicking". It was unavailable for a while, but I just got it a few months ago through Amazon.com. If you can get past the cheesy music (it was made in the late '70s) it shows Hwang instructing kicking methods from beginning to advanced.
For more Taekwondo action on screen, "Sting of the Dragonmaster" starring Jhoon Rhee and Angela Mao (Hapkido) is OK too.

 

[Galvatron]

Anyone else notice the bricks that they break in the movie are styrofoam?
I mean obviously actors aren't going to break real concrete in a movie, but if you watch how the bricks come apart when they break, its REALLY apparent that it's painted styrofoam.
All in all that movie is pretty bad. I mean, when I was 12 it was awesome, but these days when I pick it apart because it's SO way far off from reality.
And what's up with the pirate patch guy on the Korean team? Dae Han?? DAE HAN??? They named the main 'bad guy' "KOREA" in Korean!

 

[MichiganTKD]

LOL. I noticed those as well. The styrofoam bricks were obvious. The Dae Han reference occured to me much later after I saw the film.

Can't anyone make a MA film without these kinds of stupid mistakes?

 

[Touch Of Death]

LOL. I noticed those as well. The styrofoam bricks were obvious. The Dae Han reference occured to me much later after I saw the film.

Can't anyone make a MA film without these kinds of stupid mistakes?

Money is an issue. A film maker does what he or she can, but put the word MA before a film and your are on a budget. :asian:
Sean

 

[MichiganTKD]

Yeah, good point.

Just look at the majority of Hong Kong kung fu films. Very cheaply made, with lousy acting, bad special effects, and poor makeup jobs-anything to save money. Shaw Brothers were notorious for this. Just crank'em out one after another.

Even Enter the Dragon was made on a cheap budget, with corners cut. The only thing that really saved it was Bruce Lee's amazing technique.

 

[dosandojang]

Well, I grew up with them in the SF Valley. I also studied under Hee Il Cho and Kyu Ha Cho. GM Hee Il Cho does both ITF and WTF styles, and so do the Rhee brothers (in addition to their Hap Ki Do).

 

[MichiganTKD]

I read Hee Il Cho's book that tried to teach the WTF Black Belt forms. He should stick with ITF.
Another example of a Tae Kwon Do Instructor who tries to play it both ways.

 

[DragonFooter]

He's a GrandMaster dude!

 

[MichiganTKD]

I never said he wasn't. I mean he is another guy who wants to be ITF and WTF simultaneously.