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For fan of martial arts films , theBest of the Bestseries continues to persist a cherished favourite . To this 24-hour interval , theirRocky - esque training montage and astonishing fight sequence stay on to beat and inspire , with the serial publication being held in the same form of esteemed regard as the the like ofBloodsportandKickboxer . Furthermore , the enfranchisement would also turn Phillip Rhee into a cultus favorite as the serial ' protagonist Tommy Lee .
Despite receiving modest billing in the first two films , it was clear as day to anyone who position eyes on them that Rhee was the star of the show ( he also co - produced the first two movies , and has a write up credit on the first ) . Rhee ’s blending of Tae Kwon Do kicks and Hapkido throws was unlike anything other action at law star were doing at the fourth dimension , and still unique today . Rhee would subsequently take the third and 4th movies , which transitioned the serial publication away from the competitive theme that had been present in the first two , but both of which still had plenty of marvelous action .
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In fact , looking over the intact serial , something the jumps out is how unlike it is from one pic to the next . TheBest of the Bestseries would involve everything from a down to Earth tourney and an underworld arena where anything go to a battle against blanched supremacists in rural America and a opposition with Russian gangster , while its clenched fist and foot action would always persist a consistent core element .
4. Best Of The Best 3: No Turning Back
For the first time in theBest of the Bestseries , Phillip Rhee was whole in the number one wood ’s seat withBest of the Best 3 : No Turning Back , with Rhee directing andTommy Lee now persuade the entire film on his shoulders . No Turning Backsees Tommy devote a visit to his sister and her family in the American south , right as a local Neo - Nazi radical is profit a major foothold in the town . Despite being the small scale pic in the series , that ’s obviously by design due to the modest town mount , and Rhee keep the action heavily - hitting and impactful , if not quite a frequent as the other three movies . Rhee also adds a touch of levity here and there , such as in Tommy contend off some enemies at a local average while robe in a clown wooing , giving way to the best line of the movie : " I ’m Homey , the grampus antic " .
However , the fight scenes also face an offspring with the fact that no other case is anywhere near Tommy ’s skill level . To be fair , this is a conundrum thatBest of the Best 2is part to blame for . With the core group of the story being center on a white supremacist group ’s spreading influence , the dispute is focus on Tommy ’s efforts to put a stop to the violence as peacefully as potential . Peter Simmons ' Owen Tucker incarnate the new impressionable minds that Tommy hopes to free from the group ’s indoctrination , while his confrontation with the group ’s drawing card Donnie Hansen , make for byAliens ' Mark Rolston , is the movie ’s most exhilarating - even with Donnie demand a knife to flush the acting playing field . No installment of theBest of the Bestseries is in truth underwhelming , and recent events have arguably madeNo plow Backacutely topical , but it ’s at long last the softest of the franchise .
3. Best Of The Best: Without Warning
Rhee returned to the director ’s chair with the fourth and final chapter of the dealership , good of the Best : Without word of advice , taking the series out on note that ’s mostly disconnected from the three that comes before it , but which gives its hearing everything they loved about it in droves . Tommy Lee is now a single father living in Los Angeles . He finds himself on the run from Russian gangster and the LAPD likewise when a disc from the U.S. Treasury out of the blue precipitate into his possession . The return of Tommy Lee aside , Detective Gresko , portrayed by the always engage Ernie Huson , is the character highlighting of the movie . sceptical of Tommy ’s ego - defense example for his fellow military officer , the verbal sparring between them is at once restrained and direct , with the movie even fix room for a brief forcible encounter between the two .
Without Warningfaces the similar struggle of pit Tommy against challenging adversary , handling it skilful thanNo Turning Backwith real martial creative person being among the bad guys . There are many well - orchestrated activeness scenes , with one seriously atrocious - looking weapon system click in a public lavatory shop smackdown , but the clear high point of the movie is the stick and blade battle in a gymnasium between Tommy and a collection of enforcers for the ring . Like something out ofFist of Fury , Rhee ’s control of the action here is staggering , while the slow - motion successiveness of Tommy ’s police self - defense class over the terminal credit acts as a heartfelt curtain nigher for the dealership . Without Warning’sinternational criminal offense plot perhaps foretells what might have been the first of aFast Five - esque transition for the franchise , but it ’s a gripping last chapter however .
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2. Best Of The Best
Kicking off the series in 1989,Best of the Bestis as timeless an ' 80s classic asThe Karate Kid . fetch five set American fighters together for an upcoming match against South Korea ’s squad , Best of the Bestis the most preparation - focused of the whole serial . On that criteria alone , Best of the Bestwould already belong in the hall of fame of training montages , with James Earl Jones also appropriately overbear as Coach Frank Cuozo . The late Chris Penn brings his well - known snark to the squad ’s obligatory non - team player Travis Brickley , withEric Robertsembodying the movie ’s ex - battler with another shot at the swelled time , Alex Grady . Still , as early as the competition from which the American squad is get , it was blatantly obvious that Phillip Rhee was going to steal the show , with Tommy Lee bringing the thunder once more in the flick ’s bar brawl , itself an all - fourth dimension great in that family .
The climactic tourney in South Korea is packed with breathtaking action at law while bringing the emotional core of the motion picture full R-2 , mark Tommy against the formidable Dae Han , who infamously wipe out his chum in a premature match . Dae Han is played none other than Rhee ’s existent - life brother , Simon Rhee , and theirs is a unrelenting showdown on both strong-arm and emotional levels , with the true victory emerging out of the coarse dry land the two manage to receive . As the first chapter in the series , Best of the Bestis a lawful gem of its time that no collection of either martial arts or 80 ’s movie would be complete without - and no playlist of work - out medicine should be without Stubblefield & Halls ' roue - pumping theme Song dynasty " ripe of the Best " , either .
1. Best Of The Best 2
Arriving in house in 1993,Best of the Best 2upped the bet of the serial higher than they ’ve ever been . Set a few days after the first picture , Tommy Lee and Alex Grady come up themselves battle for retribution against the towering Brakus , play by Ralf Moeller , after he murders Travis Brickley in an underground couple . respectable of the adept 2is well the marvelous the serial publication has ever felt , with battle to the death hold in an arena dubbed The Colosseum like a cross of ancient Rome and modernistic MMA , even snagging Wayne Newton as the sleazy host Weldon . The movie also get in the correct amount of training for Alex and Tommy ’s impending confrontation with their adversary , while a few member of the first flick ’s Korean team are also back for the fun , including Simon Rhee ’s Dae Han .
Brakus is by far the best villain the dealership has ever figure , unite the torso of a Hellenic god with comic book villain level of pure narcissism , his determination to defeat Tommy carry entirely out of a scar left on his face . His and Tommy ’s final showdown is almost scientific in how well its built up , with Tommy first having to face three other opponents of increasing formidability in The Colosseum , the third manage a set nunchuku with astonishing technique . When it finally arrives , Tommy ’s battle with Brakus is among the well soldierly art movie duels of the ' XC . So good , in fact , that it would make a major challenge for the third and fourth films in how much the series had clearly top out in the villain department with Brakus . Add in a new electric guitar theme call , andBest of the skillful 2is simply a powerhouse of everything that made its predecessor work call on up to eleven . Every installing of the serial is a genuine concert dance of incredible warriorlike arts action , but among all four , skillful of the Best 2stands marvellous .
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