Best of the Best 2
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| Best of the Best 2 | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Robert Radler |
| Produced by | Phillip Rhee Peter Strauss |
| Written by | Max Strom John Allen Nelson |
| Starring | Eric Roberts Phillip Rhee |
| Music by | David Michael Frank |
| Cinematography | Fred Tammes |
| Editing by | Bert Lovitt Florent Retz |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | March 5, 1993 |
| Running time | 101 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $6,044,652 (USA) |
Best of the Best 2 is a 1993 martial arts film directed by Robert Radler, and starring Eric Roberts and Phillip Rhee. It is the first sequel to the 1989 film Best of the Best. The plot follows three of the characters from the original film, and was released on DVD on February 6, 2007.
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[edit] Plot
After returning home from South Korea to great acclaim, three members of the U.S. National Karate Team (Tommy Lee, Alex Grady, and Travis Brickley) set up their own martial arts studio in Las Vegas. When Travis turns up dead after taking part in a brutal underground fighting competition, it is up to the two remaining team members to investigate the murder and exact revenge upon those responsible, including the ringleader Brakus.
[edit] Cast
- Alexander Grady - Eric Roberts
- Tommy Lee - Phillip Rhee
- Travis Brickley - Christopher Penn
- Walter Grady - Edan Gross
- Brakus - Ralf Möller
- Sue - Meg Foster
- James - Sonny Landham
- Weldon - Wayne Newton
- Finch - Patrick Kilpatrick
- Grandma - Betty Carvalho
- Dae Han - Simon Rhee
- Sae Jin Kwon - Hayward Nishioka
- Yung June - Ken Nagayama
- Karate Student - Michael Treanor (uncredited)
[edit] Reception
Best of the Best 2 was a box office flop, earning only $6,607,218.[1] Furthermore, it was scathed by movie-goers and critics alike,[2][3] and as a result, further sequels were not given a theatrical release. The film currently holds an 11% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Nevertheless the movie was a great success on the VHS-to-rentals market following its theatre release, and it was this success that spawned two sequels that similarly found their niche in the direct-to-video market. The film retains a cult following, and the movie and its theme have been a direct precursor to the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), which took place the year following the release of this film, also in Las Vegas and followed the film's theme of bare-knuckle fighters from different martial arts disciplines engaging in an underground fighting tournament.[citation needed]
Film historian Leonard Maltin gave the film a negative review, but also said, "[it] actually improves on its lame predecessor, which appallingly wasted its top-drawer cast."
[edit] References
- ^ "Weekend Box Office : Oscar Nominee Boost Tapers Off". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1993-03-09/entertainment/ca-1148_1_weekend-box-office. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
- ^ "MOVIE REVIEW If You Like Fighting, It's Rah, Rah Rhee". Sun Sentinel. http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1993-03-09/features/9301140216_1_karate-team-travis-coliseum. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "MOVIE REVIEW Throwing the Dice With Death Underneath Las Vegas". The Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1993-03-08/entertainment/ca-1818_1_las-vegas. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
[edit] External links
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