Best of the Best (1989 film)
Best of the Best is a 1989 American martial arts film directed by Bob Radler, and produced by Phillip Rhee, who also co-wrote the story and co-stars in the film. The film starred Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones, Sally Kirkland, Simon Rhee and Chris Penn.
| Best of the Best | |
|---|---|
Original theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Bob Radler |
| Written by | Paul Levine |
| Story by | Phillip Rhee Paul Levine |
| Produced by | Phillip Rhee Peter E. Strauss |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Douglas Ryan |
| Edited by | William Hoy |
| Music by | Paul Gilman |
Production companies | The Movie Group SVS Company, Inc. Kuys Entertainment |
| Distributed by | Taurus Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million |
| Box office | $1.7 million (US) |
The plot revolves around a team of American martial artists facing a team of South Korean martial artists in a martial arts 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.
The film has spawned three sequels: Best of the Best II (1993), Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995), and Best of the Best 4: Without Warning (1998). Phillip Rhee portrays Tommy Lee in all four films, produced all of them, directed the third and fourth films, and co-wrote the first and fourth films.