Simply A Masterpiece

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Alex Grady (Eric Roberts) stopped competing after a shoulder injury and is now an auto worker. He gets invited to fight for one of five spots on United States Karate Team competing against South Korea. Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee) teaches little kids in Fresno, California and forced to avenge his brother. Travis Brickley (Chris Penn) is rash, Virgil Keller is a Buddhist, and Sonny Grasso is from Detroit. Jennings pushes Catherine Wade (Sally Kirkland) on head coach Frank Couzo (James Earl Jones) as an eastern sensitive coach who understands how tough the Korean team is going to be.This starts trying to be a somewhat serious competitive sports movie. Then it turns more into a Kung Fu Chop Suey area. It never excel with either. This movie needs a more definitive protagonist. Eric Roberts is the big star and seems to be the functional lead. However, Phillip Rhee has the emotional arc but he doesn't have the acting skills to pull it off. This split keeps the intensity down. There is a bit of cheese value but this movie is not bad enough to be good.

One of those films that comes out of nowhere and connects with everyone. There are a zillion fight films, a zillion martial arts films and if I am not mistaken even the UFC has lately taken to putting its brand on the occasional movie (Ugh). But nothing before or since BEST was quite like it, and therein lies a lot of the charm. Its a sports movie, its a team movie, its a success movie, its a personality movie, its a revenge movie, its a martial arts movie. Pick one, pick all. It not only worked, it worked well. The talent was extraordinary. Eric Roberts, a talented actor whose body of work in the B-movie sector has unfairly branded him. James Earl Jones? Are you kidding me? There are people who would happily watch commercials if they knew in advance JEJ was in them. The actor from left field, however, a face no one recognized, was Phillip Rhee. Lots of irony here. Irony because he was the writer and the inspiration for the project. Irony because he was also the only real martial artist on the set -- and it showed. He was poetry in motion and the other players had to work to "act" like they knew what they were doing. Films either work or they don't. This one worked. The sequels, and there were many, did not. Even the one where Rhee - in frustration -- did a Best of the Best sequel starring only himself (budget issues, Phillip?) did not come close to the appeal of the original. Gets better with successive views.

This series gets better as it progresses, but in this seminal episode, the formula is very derivative and lacks originality.US team goes to Korea to engage the Koreans in a tournament. The strange thing is, the tournament only contains the US and the Korean team. There's an A hole coach (James Earl Jones) that has a chip on his shoulder, and a fighter (Rhee) that lost his brother in the previous tournament, and is a grudge match to avenge the guy who killed his brother.There's no fresh element in the story until way at the end. So the movie is bit of a bore. They should have shown Rhee as an individual contestant who's a sensei at at his Tae Kwon Do school. Someone who has outstanding humanity, and fighting skills. Focus of the story would have been lot clear that way, and Phillip Rhee's unbelievable martial arts skill would have been highlighted more.This is middle of the road martial arts movie that didn't cash in fully on the star's potential.

Basically this film is one of the better low budget martial arts films to come our way in the late 80's and early 90's. The plot is for all to see within the first 20 mins or so, it doesn't really get anymore complicated than that other than 1 vital bit of info that is kept from us until 20-30 mins to go. Oh, and also the film doesn't end like most and was quite refreshing to see to be honest.....(I won't spoil it for you, you have to watch it to find out). Yes it's cheap but it is also chearful in a "got nothing else to do or watch one evening kinda way". The VOICE of Darth Vader - James Earl Jones is in a starring role as well as Oscar winner Eric Roberts (Julia's older brother) in a weird role for him, guess money must have been tight back then.....Go see it......worth a watch.