Catching Up: Best of the Best

I'd never seen Best of the Best before this week.

Obviously that was my mistake, because the movie is a ninety-seven minute parade of badass.

Best of the Best is part of the wave of late '80s/early '90s American martial arts flicks that saw some initial success in theaters before spawning endless sequels and spinoffs straight to video. Like many of its contemporaries (Kickboxer, Only the Strong, Bloodsport), the film revolves around the competitive and transformative aspects of martial arts. In this case, it's about five men who aspire to join the U.S. National Karate Team (though really, it's taekwondo) and be the best they can be.

But really, it's mostly about asskickery.



Eric Roberts is Alex, a former fighter whose career was cut short by a shoulder injury years earlier. When he gets the call to tryout, he feels he's ready, but his mother isn't too sure.

Philip Rhee is Tommy, a taekwondo instructor who is thrilled for the opportunity, but can't seem to put everything into it.

David Agresta is Sonny, a Detroit native whose sole defining characteristic--at least according to him--is his Italian heritage.

John Dye is Virgil, the team's resident dork, a Buddhist whose offbeat sense of humor makes him a rather unusual, but no less impressive ladies' man.

And Chris Penn is Travis, the team's arrogant, loudmouthed, racist jerk who learns to put his differences aside by the end.

All five of them are chosen to represent the U.S. in a tournament against the Korean team and train under the auspices of James Earl Jones' Coach Cuozo, along with his assistant Peterson (Tom Everett) and Wade (Sally Kirkland).

There are hangups and obstacles on the way to Korea, but is there any doubt the team will prevail?


Well, perhaps a little.

I loved the first half-hour of Best of the Best, when it was at its most playful. There's a scene where the team visits a country and western bar on their last night of freedom. Virgil's quick wit helps him with a local girl, and Travis' direct approach ultimately finds success as well. Sonny's stuck on the bench, despite being Italian (as he points out), and Tommy and Alex are, despite indications to the contrary, working on their own bromance. Suddenly, a fight breaks out and all five guys are in the thick of it, as their take-no-guff coach (James Earl Jones) watches in amusement.



After that, the action movie clichés really get going, from the guys' continued friction during training, to the merciless circumstances of their opponents' preparation, to dark secrets in Tommy's past and a choice for Alex that threaten to rip apart the team. Still, it's all in the execution, and here, it's tops. The cast is pretty excellent, and James Earl Jones' overacting has never been finer. (Roberts has his moments too.) And that big tournament sequence? Tell me you don't get all wound up like I did. It's impossible not to get swept into the fervor.

So yeah, if you haven't seen the movie, you might want to give it a shot. (Netflix has it available for streaming.) Best of the Best is a great way to kill an hour and a half, an unabashed guy movie that's terrific fun even at its most brainless.