Draft:Best of the Best (film series)
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Last edited by DisneyMetalhead (talk | contribs) 56 days ago. (Update) |
| Best of the Best | |
|---|---|
| Based on | Characters created by Phillip Rhee & Paul Levine |
| Starring |
|
Release date | 1989–1998 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $ (Cumulative of 4 films) |
| Box office | $ (Cumulative of 4 films) |
The Best of the Best film series consists of American martial arts sport movies, centered around an original story and characters created by Phillip Rhee & Paul Levine. The plot of ...
The series as a whole has been met with mixed...
Films
[edit]| Film | U.S. release date |
Director | Screenwriter(s) | Story by | Producers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best of the Best | November 10, 1989 | Robert Radler | Paul Levine | Phillip Rhee & Paul Levine | Phillip Rhee and Peter Strauss |
| Best of the Best 2 | March 5, 1993 | Max Strom & John Allen Nelson | |||
| Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back | May 17, 1995 | Phillip Rhee | Barry Gray & Deborah Scott | ||
| Best of the Best 4: Without Warning | October 20, 1998 | Phillip Rhee & Fred Vicarel | |||
Best of the Best (1989)
[edit]A number of martial arts athletes receive their invitations to attend the tryouts for the U.S. Tae Kwon Do team in the Olympics. Among the ranks of the attendees include a variety of competitors including Alexander "Alex" Grady, Tommy Lee, Sonny Grasso, Virgil Keller, and Travis Brickley. Though the men are initially competitive towards each other throughout their various matches, they soon discover that they have each been selected by Coach Frank Couzo to represent their country within their sport.
Throughout their experiences they soon decide that together they must put aside their differences and find synergy as a team, so that for their first invitational bout competing against the South Korean team proves successful. After enduring a brutal training regimen, each team member begins to overcome their individual trials of their past and discover that their newfound friends are key to their success. Arriving in Seoul, South Korea the underdog team determines that together they will change history by overcoming the undefeated champions.[1][2]
Retro: [3]
In his book Iceman: My Fighting Life, UFC champion Chuck Liddell cites Best of the Best as his personal favorite martial arts film.[7]
Best of the Best 2 (1993)
[edit]Retro: [10]
Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995)
[edit]Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998)
[edit]Future
[edit]In July 2015, Rhee stated that he had begun work on the script for another Best of the Best movie that he intends to produce, which featuring a new cast and is intended to relaunch the series.[20] By January 2024 after no additional developments, Roberts expressed interest in reprising his role in a couple of legeacy sequels and asked fans to begin an online campaign for the realization of the projects.[21]
Main cast and characters
[edit]List indicators
This section includes characters who will appear or have appeared in notable roles.
- An empty grey cell indicates the character was not in the film, or that the character's official presence has not yet been confirmed.
- A indicates an appearance through archival footage or audio.
| Character | Films | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best of the Best | Best of the Best 2 | Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back |
Best of the Best 4: Without Warning | ||
| Principal cast | |||||
| Alexander "Alex" Grady | Eric Roberts | ||||
| Thomas "Tommy" Lee | Phillip Rhee | ||||
| Frank Couzo | James Earl Jones | ||||
| Travis Brickley | Chris Penn | ||||
| Virgil Keller | John Dye | ||||
| Sonny Grasso | David Agresta | ||||
| Catherine Wade | Sally Kirkland | ||||
| Walter Grady | Edan Gross | ||||
| Baby Grady | Emilie Hagen | ||||
| Dae-han Park | Simon Rhee | ||||
| Yung Kim | Ken Nagayama | ||||
| Han Cho | Ho Sik Pak | ||||
| Tung Sung Moon | Dae Kyu Chang | ||||
| Sae-jin Kwon | James Lew | Hayward Nishioka | |||
| Sue MacCauley | Meg Foster | ||||
| Grandma Lee | Betty Carvalho | ||||
| James Lee | Sonny Landham | ||||
| Weldon Mardano | Wayne Newton | ||||
| Gustave Brakus | Ralf Moeller | ||||
| "The Hammer" | Lionel Washington | ||||
| Stavros | Stefanos Miltsakakis | ||||
| Khan | Myung Kue Kim | ||||
| Margo Preston | Gina Gershon | ||||
| Karen Banning | Cristina Lawson | ||||
| Shrf. Jack Banning | Christopher McDonald | ||||
| Justin Banning | Kitao Sakurai | ||||
| Donnie Hansen | Mark Rolston | ||||
| Rev. Luther Phelps Sr. | Justin Brentley | ||||
| Luther Phelps Jr. | Andra R. Ward | ||||
| Stephanie Lee | Jessica Huang | ||||
| Det. Gresko | Ernie Hudson | ||||
| Det. Jack Jarvis | Chris Lemmon | ||||
| Lukasz Slava | Tobin Bell | ||||
| Yuri Slava | Thure Riefenstein | ||||
| "Big" Joolie | Art LaFleur | ||||
| Mickey | Jill Ritchie | ||||
| Ilia | Ilia Volok | ||||
| Viktor | Garrett Warren | ||||
| Oleg | David Fralick | ||||
| Sergi | Monte Perlin | ||||
Additional crew and production details
[edit]| Film | Crew/Detail | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composer | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Production companies |
Distributing company |
Running time | ||
| Best of the Best | Paul Gilman | Douglas Ryan | William Hoy | The Movie Group, SVS Company Inc., Kuys Entertainment |
Taurus Entertainment | 1 hr 37 mins | |
| Best of the Best 2 | David Michael Frank | Fred Tammes | Bert Lovitt & Florent Retz | The Movie Group, Picture Securities Ltd. |
20th Century Fox | 1 hr 41 mins | |
| Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back |
Barry Goldberg | Jerry Watson | Bert Lovitt | Dimension Films | 1 hr 30 mins | ||
| Best of the Best 4: Without Warning |
David Grant | Michael Margulies | Dimension Home Video | ||||
Reception
[edit]Box office and financial performance
[edit]| Film | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Total home video sales |
Worldwide gross total income |
Budget | Worldwide net total income |
Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All-time North America |
All-time worldwide | ||||||
| Best of the Best | $1,700,000 | — | $1,700,000 | #8,225 | #13,635 | Information not publicly available | >$1,700,000 | $5,000,000 | ≥-$3,300,000 | [22][23][24] |
| Best of the Best 2 | $6,608,687 | — | $6,608,687 | #6,280 | #9,351 | Information not publicly available | >$6,608,687 | Information not publicly available | ≤$6,608,687 | [25][26] |
| Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back | — | — | — | — | — | Information not publicly available | Information not publicly available | Information not publicly available | Information not publicly available | [27] |
| Best of the Best 4: Without Warning | — | — | — | — | — | Information not publicly available | Information not publicly available | Information not publicly available | Information not publicly available | [28] |
Critical and public response
[edit]| Film | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
|---|---|---|
| Best of the Best | 33% (6 reviews)[29] |
26/100 (7 reviews)[30] |
| Best of the Best 2 | 10% (10 reviews)[31] |
— |
| Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back | TBD[32] | — |
| Best of the Best 4: Without Warning | TBD[33] | — |
References
[edit]- ^ Ebert, Roger (November 10, 1989). "Best Of The Best". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
My personal glossary of movie terms includes a definition for the CLIDVIC film: The acronym stands for Climb From Despair to Victory. It's the formula for the Rocky movies and all those other three-part formulas in which 1) We meet the competitors and learn about their personal problems; 2) their rigorous training is interrupted only by a series of crises that were predicted in part one, and 3) they overcome despair and triumph in the end. Of all of the CLIDVIC films I've seen (and who has not seen a dozen or two?), Best of the Best is the worst.
- ^ Maltin, Leonard (1989). Maltin's TV, Movie, & Video Guide - 1989 Edition. New American Library. ISBN 0452261473.
"Yet another Rocky clone...An appalling waste of talent...a top-drawer cast in search of a script.
- ^ {{cite web|url=https://worldfilmgeek.com/2017/04/06/review-best-of-the-best-1989/%7Cwork=World Film Geek|title=Best of the Best (1989)|author=World Film Geek staff|publisher=World Film Geek|date=April 6, 2017|accessdate=July 9, 2024|quote=...proved to be a hit film... Best of the Best is perhaps one of the most underrated martial arts films to come out of the late 80’s, with its somewhat breakaway from the norm of the genre and some rousing performances from the ensemble cast.
- ^ Mills, Phil (February 22, 2015). "Best Of The Best (1989) - Review". Far East Films. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
...a fan favourite that is often cited for its influence on American martial arts films ...it's a film that always entertains and definitely deserves to be viewed by all action movie fans.
- ^ Loseto, Paolo (February 16, 2018). "Best of the Best (1989)". Kung-Fu Kingdom. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
Best Of The Best is one of the first classic Taekwondo movies released in 1989... Nowadays it is considered a masterpiece of action movie cinema.
- ^ {{cite web|url=https://theactionelite.com/best-of-the-best-1989-review/%7Cwork=The Action Elite|title=The Best of the Best Series: A Retrospective|author=Eoin|publisher=The Action Elite|accessdate=July 9, 2024|quote=Best of the Best has one of my favourite endings to a fighting tournament movie...Overall, Best of the Best remains a classic and is arguably one of the most surprisingly moving martial arts movie you’ll see with great characters, epic training montages and a truly emotional finale. ...Overall, Best of the Best II is still an awesome action movie with a great cast, near constant action and a memorable villain in Brakus. It’s arguably as good as the first movie and maybe the best of the sequels making it well worth checking out. ...Best of the Best III is a different beast from the first two...It’s never dull for a second and although it’s a far cry from the first movie it’s still an awesome action flick that’s well worth your time. ...The fourth and final entry in the Best of the Best series bears absolutely no resemblance to the other movies but as an action movie in its own right it’s still massively enjoyable...The action is bigger in scale than the other entries with some ambitious set-pieces...Overall, Best of the Best 4 is hugely entertaining with no shortage of action and it rockets along at a fast pace with malevolent villains and a genuinely satisfying finale.
- ^ Liddell, Chuck; Chad Millman (2008). Iceman: My Fighting Life. New York: Penguin. p. 24. ISBN 978-0525950561.
- ^ Hicks, Chris (March 12, 1993). "Film review: Best of the Best II". Deseret News. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
Best of the Best was "Rocky Goes Kickboxing," though The Karate Kid did it much better. ...Needless to say, this is all pretty silly...[it] strictly for those who enjoy martial arts material no matter how dumb it is.
- ^ Bruce, Pamela (March 12, 1993). "Best of the Best Two". Austin Chronicle: ChronEvents. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
There are plenty of guts but no warm fuzzy feeling of glory by the conclusion of Best of the Best 2. As a sequel to its predecessor, it only manages to be the best of the worst.
- ^ Mills, Phill (February 22, 2015). "Best Of The Best 2". Far East Films. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
A definite notch up from its predecessor, 'Best Of The Best 2' is a fine example of a low budget martial arts movie that, whilst nowhere near Hong Kong standards, is extremely entertaining and fun. If you are a fan of Van Damme or films from his ilk then you would be advised to seek this one out.
- ^ Brumbay, Chris (February 11, 2024). "Best of the Best 2: The Best Movie You Never Saw!". JoBlo. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
The best movie you never saw! ...Surprisingly, Best of the Best 2 did a lot better than the first film theatrically...If you haven't checked them out but enjoy fight movies from that era or a show like Cobra Kai, which feels more like the Best of the Best movies than The Karate Kid, I recommend it.
- ^ World Film Geek staff (May 10, 2017). "Best of the Best II (1992)". World Film Geek. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
While the film goes the straight action-revenge route, Best of the Best II is actually a pretty good sequel that still packs its punch thanks to the performances of Eric Roberts and Phillip Rhee.
- ^ Curran, Brad (May 23, 2018). "Best of the Best 2 (1993)". Kung-Fu Kingdom. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
Making a sequel that tops the original is nothing less than a science, and the ones that manage to pull it off are all about escalation and upping the ante from what the original delivered – both feats that Best of the Best 2 practically accomplishes with its eyes closed...In a series that has never let martial arts fans down, Best of the Best 2 is the best film of its franchise.
- ^ Mills, Phil (February 22, 2015). "Best Of The Best 3: No Turning Back". Far East Films. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
The third part in this dependable series takes a step back...forcing the film to lose its identity and dip into the realms of mediocrity.
- ^ Curran, Brad (June 28, 2018). "Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995)". Kung-Fu Kingdom. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
As arguably the most ambitious film in the series, "Best of the Best 3" is a solid action-drama and an equally strong debut for its first time director, one that largely stands alone from the rest of the series without feeling superfluous. ...When the biggest problem in your movie comes as a result – not from any weakness on its own part but from the strengths of the last one, your franchise is clearly on pretty solid footing!
- ^ World Film Geek staff (May 25, 2017). "Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995)". World Film Geek. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back has our hero fight racism with Tommy having the best line that makes a valid point: "Don't forget…your blood is red like mine".
- ^ Curran, Brad (July 11, 2018). "Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998)". Kung-Fu Kingdom. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
...Returning to his signature role of Tommy Lee along with stepping into the director's chair for the second time, Phillip Rhee delivers a solid KO punch with the final film in the Best of the Best series, along with displaying his solid mastery of martial arts filmmaking once more!...As the final film...Without Warning takes the series out on an overall high note. The film improves upon its predecessor in meeting the 'villain challenge' accidentally created for the series by Best of the Best 2. And while that film remains the peak of the franchise, Without Warning will satisfy both action lovers and fans of the series alike...
- ^ Mills, Phil (February 22, 2015). "Best Of The Best 4: Without Warning". Far East Films. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
As with any movie series that lasts so long, this fourth entry into the Best Of The Best franchise takes a noticeable dip in quality. ...There really is no disputing that Best Of The Best 4 is a far cry from the quality we have come to expect from the series, and this is basically nothing more than a very faceless action movie.
- ^ World Film Geek staff (March 13, 2019). "Best of the Best: Without Warning (1998)". World Film Geek. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
Best of the Best 4: Without Warning is a nice and proper send off for the role of Tommy Lee.
- ^ Moore, David J. (July 2015). "Interview with Phillip Rhee". The Action Elite. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ Burlingame, Russ (January 31, 2024). "Eric Roberts Hopes Fans Campaign for Best of the Best Legacy Sequel". ComicBook.com. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best (1989)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best (1989)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best". The Wrap: Powergrid. The Wrap. November 10, 1989. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best II". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best 2 (1993)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best 4: Without Warning". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best II". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ "Best of the Best 4: Without Warning". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved July 9, 2024.