Best of the Best

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Best of the Best
DVD Cover Photo
Directed by	Robert Radler
Produced by	Phillip Rhee Peter Strauss
Written by	Paul Levine
Starring	Eric Roberts James Earl Jones
Music by	Paul Gilman
Cinematography	Douglas Ryan
Editing by	William Hoy
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	November 10, 1989
Running time	97 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Followed by	Best of the Best 2 Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back Best of the Best 4: Without Warning

Best of the Best is a 1989 martial arts film. The plot revolves around a team of Americans facing a team of Koreans in a taekwondo tournament (although the film refers to it as karate). Several sub plots pop up this story - moral conflicts, the power of the human spirit triumphing over adversity are some themes. The movie stars Eric Roberts and James Earl Jones. Several sequels have been made.

1 Plot
2 Martial Arts Content
3 Cast
4 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Alexander Grady, a widower and father of a five-year-old son Walter, is chosen to represent the United States of America in an international taekwondo tournament against Team Korea, chosen also for the team is Tommy Lee, whose brother was killed during a previous match with a member of Team Korea, and is now seeking revenge, and rest of the Team USA Travis Brickley, Virgil Keller and Sonny Grazo.

They are coached by Frank Cuzuo and Leigh Ann Wade, the team prepares to meet an unstoppable group of true martial arts experts, where the odds of winning are zero to none and the Koreans train all year long and are known as the best the sport has to offer, along their journey they have to deal with their personal conflicts and tragedies, before they become a team.

[edit] Martial Arts Content

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Although the martial art used in the film is referred to as karate, the format of the tournaments and the techniques used are clearly World Taekwondo Federation style taekwondo. There are several give-aways that the style used is taekwondo. The Koreans are not a world dominating force in karate as they are in taekwondo - Japan and Europe tend to dominate karate. The use of hogu (body protectors) is characteristic of WTF taekwondo, although the actual competition gear is quite different and gloves are not worn in that style. The kick-dominated style of the tournaments shown in the movie are characteristic of WTF taekwondo where punching is rarely rewarded. In the outside scenes in Korea, signs can be seen pointing to the "taekwondo" facilities.

Certain techniques displayed in the movie fights, such as grappling, throws, and punches to the face, and kicks to the legs, are illegal in WTF taekwondo sparring. Those techniques are considered too dangerous to be applied in actual competition and are reserved for self-defense training in the dojang (gym). The ITF - International Taekwon-do Federation allows kicks and punches to areas of the body above the belt (hip) excluding the back, and permits punches to the face, although no grappling or throws are allowed. The fight choreography of Best of the Best clearly shows techniques that were extracted from Hapkido.

While the makers of the Best of the Best may have chosen to use the term "karate" as it is a shorter and more familiar word to Westerners, there are many differences between karate (which is a Japanese martial art) and taekwondo (which is, of course, Korean).