While it may not have been anything more than Rocky applied to a Martial Arts team, 1989's Best of the Best, which followed the US karate team on a challenge to take on their South Korean counterparts, charting the ups and downs of the many relationships within the 5-man team, was fun. It was really a fairly by-the-numbers sporting melodrama made entertaining by some fantastic fight sequences, especially those involving Phillip Rhee and his brother Simon. While it may not have been a classic, the film did well enough to warrant a sequel, yet, oddly enough, it took 4 years for Best of the Best 2 to see release, which, all things considered, is quite a long time to cash in on the relative success of a cheap Martial Arts flick.

Surprisingly, the 1993 picture manages to bring back a number of the main players from the first movie. Director Bob Radler, a vet from the original, has managed to bring back Eric 'Brother of Julia' Roberts to reprise his role as Alex Grady, Edan Gross to return as Grady's young son Walter, Chris Penn back as the burly, loudmouthed Texan fighter Travis and, most importantly, Phillip Rhee as Tommy Lee, Alex's friend and his brother Simon as Dae Han, the unstoppable Korean fighter they befriended at the climax of the first movie. Oddly, they couldn't, or didn't even try to bring back the last 2 remaining members of the team, as played by John Dye and David Agresta, which is made all the more puzzling given that they weren't exactly big-name actors who would have viewed the movie 'below' themselves. Speaking of bizarre decisions regarding the actors, I have to say I'm slightly puzzled by the fact the film boasts that it is 'introducing' Ralf Moeller, despite the fact that prior to it's release, he had already starred in 2 relatively popular Jean Claude Van Damme movies, so he was hardly a new face to action fans, even if this was his first 'Lead Villain' role.

This film is set in Nevada, where Alex, Tommy and Travis all now stay, Alex still raising his boy and following a relationship with a TV Sportscaster named Sue(Meg Foster - Masters of the Universe), Tommy still hanging out and teaching Walter some of his great karate skills and Travis still being a loud Texan in a cowboy hat.

As a means of bringing in money, the guys now run a Martial Arts school, but as a manner of bringing in some extra income, Travis has taken to fighting in 'The Coloseum', and underground, underworld fighting competition run for the benefit of the wealthy and sadistic who bet on the fighters as they duel, often to the death. Travis gets a solid win under his belt, but before long he is running his mouth to the event organiser Weldon(Wayne Newton - License To Kill) about how he wants to take on their champion, a man-mountain named Brakus(Ralf Moeller - Cyborg), for ownership of the coloseum. Brakus accepts, and it isn't long before Travis gets to test out the skills that made him a Karate Champ in no-rules combat.

However, Brakus proves too much for him, and for the sick amusement of the crowd, Travis is has his neck snapped, all witnessed by the prying eyes of Walter, who immediately runs off to tell his dad and Tommy about it. After performing some enquiries but writing off Walter's story, Travis turns up dead, in what the police declare 'a car accident'. This seals it for the pair, and they storm Brakus and Weldon's room, with Tommy scarring Brakus in the ensuing scuffle. Brakus is incensed that his 'perfect' face has been tarnished, and he orders a group of his thugs, lead by Finch(Patrick Kilpatrick - Death Warrant) to kill Alex and Walter, but bring back Tommy alive.

As the armed men shoot up Alex's house, the 3 manage to escape into the desert, where they take refuge at Tommy's 'grandma's(Betty Carvalho - Die Hard) farm, where Grandma informs Tommy that James(Sonny Landham - Predator), her biological, alcoholic son, is back staying with them. This angers Tommy, who has long detested James, but when it becomes clear that James may be the only person who can help them become strong enough to defeat Brakus, they put their differences aside and follow his training.

As their training nears completion, Brakus men swoop, kidnapping Tommy and blowing up the farm, leaving Alex, Walter and Grandma dead, and actually killing James. Tommy is set to be pit against all the coloseum's warriors before a showdown with Brakus, but that just gives Alex time to leave Walter at Sue's, and contact Dae Han, in the USA for Travis' funeral. They storm the Vegas hotel where the Coloseum resides, but will their efforts, taking down Weldon and Brakus' men, be enough to help Tommy, who still has to face the man who killed his friend in hand-to-hand combat?

One thing I like about Best of the Best 2, is that instead of rehashing the first movie, the folks behind simply moved it on to the next logical B-Movie action cliche story; from the sporting Martial Arts contest, to the illegal, lethal underground Martial Arts contest! And to give the film it's dues, while it certainly doesn't define the genre, and it is quite derivative of the previous year's American Samurai(even down to the Asian guy who fights with a blade on the end of his ponytail), the film does go about it's business with a degree of class, features some superior action scenes and enough nice little touches to ensure it got above the regular B-Movie rating from me.

Sure the plot isn't exactly gripping or thought-provoking, but it does it's job of pitting Grady and Lee against bad guys to show off their kicks well enough, and having Wayne Newton as a Michael Buffer style fight-announcer was an absolutely excellent idea, although for a while I wasn't sure if Newton was actually playing a sort of alternate, evil version of himself, or if his character actually had a name. Sure the film's characters still suffer from a bad dose of being cliched, especially Brakus, but the film does everything like this in controlled doses, and keeps the intensely entertaining action sequences flowing consistantly enough that action fans really won't care.

While the film may not feature any Action-Set-Pieces that stand out as being particularly memorable for premise, everyone involved, apart from possibly Roberts, I dunno, can fight, and as with the first movie, when Rhee takes center stage(ie every fight scene) he makes for a specatacular show, full of fast and flashy, yet still powerful-looking kicks, the man is the type of Martial Artist that fights in a style well suited to the camera, its a shame his career in movies never really took off.

Acting is also of a decent standard. I mean, I don't imagine Mr. Roberts has as many awards on his mantlepiece as his sister, and in fact he is probably one of the worst performers in the movie, there really isn't anyone whose acting annoyed me in any way. I mean, nobody here was hired for their abilities as thespians, but we don't have anyone notoriously cringe-worthy to stomach either, and hell, Wayne Newton is a hoot!

The film's score does let it down a little, sadly coming too far into the 1990s for film-makers to think that the 'uplifiting lyric' songs would still cut it, but therefore missing the point that these songs, showcased in Van Damme's most popular 80s movies, as well as this movie's prequel, often performed by a chap named Stan Bush, the songs didn't really act in the way they were intended...most people drew inspiration out of them for their ungodly cheesy lyrics and guitar work...Best of the Best 2 is sadly missing this, with it replaced by generic action movie music.

All things considered, while it may not be cinematic Gold, or even classic for the genre, I do still feel that Best of the Best 2 is a slicker-than-usual entry into the Western Martial Arts genre, and well worthy of a score that matches it's predecessor; 3/5 bolstered with a Recommendation, if only to fans of the genre. It makes the positive step of not rehashing it's prequel, even if it doesn't veer into territory that could at all be mistaken for original. However, with that said, a bigger budget is clear, many of the shots actually appear to have been taken on the Las Vegas strip or the surrounding area, and just for having the bravery to set the film in such a place, and rope in a genuine Vegas showman to play a character earns the movie some kudos in my book, sure it's plot may owe more than a smidgen to American Samurai, that movie was set in a grimy, run-down section of Turkey...this film has the balls to try it in the bright lights of Vegas. If you aren't a fan of action movies, there is little-to-no chance Best of the Best 2 is going to get you to alter your viewpoint on the subject. However, if you are a fan of them, especially the American-made ones of the early 1990s - chances are you will lap up Best of the Best 2, especially if you enjoyed the original.

Year: 1993
Titles: Best of the Best 2

Best of the Best Reviews
Movies
Best of the Best
Games
Best of the Best Championship Karate for Super Nintendo

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day