Best of the Best

Best of the Best is a 1989 American martial arts film directed by Bob Radler, and produced by Phillip Rhee, who also co-stars in the film. The film also starred Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones and Chris Penn.

The plot revolves around a team of American martial artists facing a team of South Korean martial artists in a karate tournament. Several subplots pop up in the story - moral conflicts, the power of the human spirit triumphing over adversity and the meaning of life are some themes.

Set and filmed in Los Angeles, California, and Seoul, South Korea, between February 13 and April 6, 1989, Best of the Best was released on November 10, 1989.

Plot
Alexander Grady (Eric Roberts), a widower and father of a five-year-old son is chosen to represent the United States of America in an international martial arts tournament against Team Korea. Once a rising star in the martial arts world, he suffered a shoulder injury that forced him into retirement. Also chosen for the team are Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee), a skilled fighter and martial arts instructor, Travis Brickley (Chris Penn), an extremely brash fighter with a short fuse; Virgil Keller (John Dye), a devout Buddhist; and Sonny Grasso (David Agresta), a streetwise fighter from Detroit.

Coached by veteran trainer Frank Couzo (James Earl Jones), the team begins training. Their chances of winning are virtually non-existent, as the Koreans train all year long, enjoy the full funding of the country's government and are known as the best the sport has to offer. Travis starts out deliberately antagonistic to the other members of his team, particularly Tommy. More drama arises when a second assistant coach, Catherine Wade (Sally Kirkland), is hired, whose more spiritual approach leads to conflict with Couzo's more aggressive coaching techniques. Further complicating the situation is the fact that Tommy is pitted against the Korean team's best fighter; Dae Han, a merciless opponent who'd killed Tommy's brother in a similar tournament, leading to an internal conflict as Tommy struggles to balance his rage over his brother's death with his firm pacifist beliefs. When Wade learns of Tommy's past with Dae Han, she berates Coach Couzo for putting Tommy in the ring with him. The two come to an understanding after Couzo reveals that he was coaching the team in the tournament in which Tommy's brother died, and has since lived with the guilt, realizing that he didn't push his team hard enough. In a conversation with Alex, Tommy reveals he's not scared of Dae Han, but rather scared that when faced with his opponent, he'll kill him.

When his son is hit by a car, Alex returns home despite Couzo's warnings that he will be cut from the team over any missed training. When he returns asking to be let back on, Couzo stubbornly refuses. Tommy later quits after knocking out Virgil with a powerful spinning heel kick during practice. The three remaining teammates approach Couzo and try to convince him to get Alex and Tommy back, as they need them to win. Impressed by how the team has come together, The coach allows Alex back on the team. Tommy changes his mind and just catches the team at the airport where he learns that the coach has already gotten his ticket.

In the first two matches of the tournament, Virgil and Sonny are out classed by their Korean opponents. Travis does his best to psyche up the team with his brash attitude, going point for point with his Korean counterpart, but loses in a tie-breaker brick-breaking competition. Alex dominates his match with his opponent, Sae Jin Kwon, but takes a devastating axe-kick to his shoulder which dislocates it. Instead of giving up, he implores Tommy to "pop" the shoulder back into place and resumes the fight, ultimately defeating his opponent with one arm. Finally, Tommy faces Dae Han. After a slow start, Tommy gets the upper hand and delivers a series of blows that forces Dae Han solely on the defensive (including having to resort to illegal strikes). As the match nears its end, Tommy has brought the American team within two points of outright victory, and Dae Han can barely stand. Tommy prepares to end the fight using the same spinning heel kick he used on Virgil during practice, but the team and their coaches; realizing that his battered opponent would likely not survive his final attack, implore Tommy not to follow through, contradicting Couzo's statement advising him beforehand "Don't hold back, you can do it." As a result, Tommy hesitates and lets the clock run out, saving the man's life but forfeiting the overall victory. Couzo consoles Tommy afterwards, telling him, "You won that match, don't ever forget that".

At the medal ceremony, Dae Han unexpectedly approaches Tommy and praises him for his honorable act. He then apologizes for the death of Tommy's brother, and in return offers himself as a brother. Tommy accepts, and Dae Han places his medal around Tommy's neck before the two men embrace. Sae Jin Kwon then walks up to Alex and states his long-time admiration for him as a fighter, before also handing over his medal. The other members of Team Korea then follow suit, awarding their medals to their respective American opponents.

Cast

 * Eric Roberts as Alexander "Alex" Grady
 * James Earl Jones as Coach Frank Couzo
 * Phillip Rhee as Tommy Lee
 * Chris Penn as Travis Brickley
 * John Dye as Virgil Keller
 * David Agresta as Sonny Grasso
 * Tom Everett as Assistant Coach Don Peterson
 * Sally Kirkland as Kathryn Wade
 * Louise Fletcher as Mrs. Grady (Alex's mother)
 * Edan Gross as Walter Grady (Alex's son)
 * Hee Il Cho as Korean Coach
 * Simon Rhee as Dae Han Park
 * James Lew as Sae Jin Kwon
 * Ken Nagayama as Yung Kim
 * Ahmad Rashād as Broadcaster
 * Ho Sik Pak as Han Cho
 * Dae Kyu Chang as Tung Sung Moon
 * Emilie Hagen as Baby Walter (Alex's son)