By Geno McGahee
“No.” – Frank (James Earl Jones)
There are many great action movies that spawn sequels. Then there are some that are decent enough to merit a follow up or two, or three. The 1989 film “BEST OF THE BEST,” written and starring Phillip Rhee is a bad drama blended with a mediocre action, but somehow, it turns out to be pretty good. How is that possible? It just is.
Alex Grady (Eric Roberts) is seeking meaning in life and redemption and when the opportunity comes up to represent the US Team against the Korean team in a martial arts tournament, he seizes the moment. Tommy (Phillip Rhee) has his own baggage and is entering the tournament with a dark secret. His brother was killed by the guy that he is pitted against, Dae Han (Simon Rhee), and there is a chance for revenge and he may just take it.
Another member of the team is the overweight cowboy, Travis (Chris Penn). He is rude and aggressive and even slightly racist…at least against Asians. We then have a couple other teammates that are totally forgettable. Rhee wrote this thing so he probably ran out of steam after developing his character. Amazingly, he cast himself as the righteous and unbeatable fighting force.
The coach of the team, Frank Couzo (James Earl Jones), is intimidating and does want to lose. They cast this role perfectly. James Earl Jones is great as the booming coach, and amazingly, he has a secret too going into this. Is it a crush on one of the members of the team? You’ll have to watch and find out.
The teams for the US and Korea train in a bunch of montages as they prepare for the ultimate showdown, leading to an incredibly overdramatic conclusion. They just piled on ridiculous moments to pull the heartstrings of the viewer, but they are just funny. If it’s entertaining, it’s good, and this is entertaining stuff, especially the fights with Alex and Tommy. Dae Han’s last speech is as silly as it gets.
BEST OF THE BEST delivers. It has bad acting across the board and continuous overdramatic moments. It’s so absurd, but it’s very entertaining too. I think that Rhee thought that he created something that would really hit people hard, but instead, he made something so incredibly silly that it hits the viewer in a different way. I laughed throughout most of it, and, in the end, who cares why they watch it as long as they watch it? I recommend it!
Rating: 7/10 – The Pretty Good of the Pretty Good
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