Best of the Best (1989)

Director:

Robert Radler

Writers:

Phillip Rhee (story) and
Paul Levine (written by) ...

Release Date:

10 November 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

There's a kind of inner strength you never know you have...until it's ALL you have.

Plot:

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 ?

Plot Keywords:

Fighting | Korea | Tae Kwon Do | Tournament | Meditation

Cast

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

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

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:16

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Movie Group, The

Trivia:

The character Walter Grady is named after the father of Eric Roberts: Walter Grady Roberts.

Goofs:

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.

Quotes:

Travis Brickley: Yeah! Drop him like a toilet seat, Tommy!

Movie Connections:

Edited into Best of the Best 2 (1993)

Soundtrack:

SOMETHING SO STRONG

Indeed

Yeah, I mean there will be critics out there who will say, it isn't the greatest acting or dialogue, but the martial arts and the final scene are excellent. Especially from actors such as Eric Roberts and Chris Penn who have had no formal martial arts training. The film is a master piece of martial art cinema, and yes I strongly say it is better than Titanic.