Customer Reviews

Best of the Best 2 [VHS]

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What all the other reviewers miss is the fact that ALL of the Phillip Rhee movies feature some of the best Hapkido sequences ever filmed. The only exeption would be the big brawl in "The Trial of Billy Jack", the only other known movie series to feature exclusive use of the martial art of Hapkido. Phillip Rhee is definitly a master of the Hapkido wrist, and arm locking and breaking techniques. He implements them perfectly and precisely. These moves are not made up, they are actually a part of the original form of Hapkido, which Rhee has a black belt in.

After seeing the excellent BEST OF THE BEST, I felt sure that a sequel was in the works. It took four years, but after seeing BEST OF THE BEST 2, I was hugely disappointed. Perhaps it is unfair to compare a sequel to the original. Stallone in ROCKY was so good that even if ROCKY II had been much better than it was, it would have been hard to approach the first.The problem with BEST OF THE BEST II is that director Robert Radler, who directed both, had no idea what on what plot frame to hang his martial arts sequences. Instead of a morally uplifting tournament which admittedly had revenge as a contributing element as Radler had in Part I, he took the by now weary motife of revenge, placed it squarely on center stage, and to it added a loathesome series of characters whose sliminess made my skin crawl. Wayne Newton, who is one of the richest of men in Las Vegas in real life, is here one of the most obnoxiously repulsive underground fight promoters. Now you might think that his very obnoxiousness is what marks him as a fine actor, but I have seen dozens of other actors in exactly the same role do a better job without going over the top as Newton does in each scene that he is in. The plot is your standard bad-guy-kills-my-brother-in-a-cage theme. But what I found most repellent was the audience watching the cage matches. If this film is to be believed, it suggests that the typical audience member is a mindless goon, intent only on seeing gore, regardless of whose it is. I found it difficult to watch the moral bankruptcy that filled the void that Radler calls a plot. What saved this movie from being totally repugnant were the fight scenes. Eric Roberts and Phillip Rhee reprise their roles as fellow martial artists who now find that their fighting is not restricted by the rules of a tournament but by the limits of their skill in deadly combat. Roberts has little to do except punch out the usual number of lackeys. It is Rhee who moves to center stage in a series of consecutive combats that brings to mind Van Damme in the kumite. Rhee defeats an inreasingly skillful level of fighter until he meets the Bad Guy (Moeller), who looks like (and sounds like) a more chiseled Schwartzenegger. Rhee's fight scenes during the last twenty minutes are quite thrilling, especially since Rhee had the good sense to avoid the patently phony choreographed look of kick followed by punch. He shows the varied moves that reality fighters have shown in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Moeller, who later wrestled for Vince McMahon in the WWF, is convincing as the ruthless Brakus. Sonny Ladham switches from playing a drunk to being Rhee's martial arts instructor and does creditably in both. By the time the closing credits roll, the sensational fight scenes nearly made me forget the muck I had to wade through to get there.

I have to agree with most of my fellow's reviews (especially Martin Asiner's excellent review) about what is BoTB. There is no doubt that the first movie is a real example of a well-done job in every aspect - having considered that it is the result of a combined effort of cast, crew and production staff - but the second lacks alot of good elements (cleverly pointed out by Martin) and to me, it creates an atmosphere that very much recalls those early fighting video-games (i.e. Genesis' "Bare Knuckle" / "Streets Of Rage" or the classics "Double Dragon", "Kung-Fu Master" and others), where the characters must go through various different scenarios (including dance clubs, bars, lounges etcetera) facing funny and weird-looking opponents, each one having unique fighting skills, until it's time to face "The Big Boss".

Well, the first movie's production dated 1989, so this one's about 1992/3 which also is the era of those "early games" I spoke about. Maybe the plot has really taken some elements of those games on purpose, and the formula worked fine by the standards of those early times.

Funny thing is, the first time I watched BoTB2 I was about 23, and found the movie was awesome and flawless... now I'm 35 and had fun watching it again, and observing the many "ooops-es" in the plot. I certainly wasn't disapppointed as this movie, along with BoTB1 have become a part of my memories and both are very nostalgic. But I would't give BoTB3/4 a try; I never watched them, but I think that the formula has worn out at BoTB2, so I'll just settle down with those.

This one is fun. Yes you should enjoy martial arts. But basically its fun. Especially Rhee's fight at the arena.

The original Best of the Best is a remarkable blend of drama and martial arts action; it's quite arguably in a genre of its own, with virtually no other film of its kind able to top it...and that includes its first sequel. Please don't think that I'm a hopelessly deluded fanboy, a stickler for drama, or a James Earl Jones devotee - I'm not. This film simply ties itself too close to its source material to avoid a direct comparison, and in doing so, it simply doesn't live up. It would fare better as its own adventure (like the next two installments would), but even in that sector, it's got its issues. Basically, "Best of the Best 2" is a more of a typical action movie than its predecessor but tries to retain the original's heart, soul, and universal message regarding both - something it's not quite successful at. Nevertheless, it does work as a vehicle for returning stars Eric Roberts and Philip Rhee, both of whom should have displayed their physical talents more throughout their careers.

The story: following the events of the first film, returning fighters Alex Grady (Roberts, Runaway Train), Tommy Lee (Rhee, who'd own the last two sequels), and Travis Brickley (Chris Penn, The Boys Club) return to America to open up a martial arts academy in Las Vegas. However, Travis becomes infatuated with underground brawling and is killed during a fight to the death with the champion of the `Coliseum' fight club, Brakus (Ralf Moeller, Conan: The Adventurer). Vowing revenge, Alex and Tommy attack the underground lair and are subsequently targeted for forced participation.

A recurring catchphrase uttered by the circuit's dastardly promoter (Wayne Newton, "Smokin' Aces") is "What are the rules? - there are no rules!", and this pretty much describes the kind of action film you're watching: gone are the regulations, philosophy, and point-fighting of the first movie, now replaced by bloody, unbarred fisticuffs like in Bloodsport, with a car chase and a couple gunfights thrown in. Though both Roberts and Penn get some worthwhile bouts in, this really is Philip Rhee's time to shine: his expertise in tae kwon do and hapkido is extended to employing picture-perfect throwing and joint-lock maneuvers, and his final confrontation with Ralf Moeller soundly steals the show. With that said, the fight choreography isn't anything out of the ordinary (due in part to a lack of serious opponents, sans Moeller and a nunchuka-swinging combatant whom I can't name), meaning that the fights rely mostly on emotion rather than cool moves. Luckily, there's a pretty good training scene featuring plenty of sweaty muscle for action fans to appreciate.

The biggest aspect lost in transition between the two movies is good acting. The best performance of the movie is given by Edan Gross, who reprises his role from the first film and actually shows up his Oscar-nominated 'dad'. Meg Foster (They Live) replaces Louise Fletcher as Alex's post-marriage love interest in a small and atrociously-acted role. Most surprisingly, lifetime TV actress Betty Carvallho and Sonny Landham (Predator) show up as members of Tommy's family, which is a pretty nice touch. Everybody else in the film - especially ol' Ralf - resigns themselves to B-grade performances, and that's what the movie ends up feeling like: a B-movie with good production values.

Die-hard fans of the original movie can forego seeing this one and not consider it a loss, but general fight film devotees could happily add it to their collections as a slightly higher-class addition. Better yet, use it as the foundation for a shrine to Philip Rhee; why he didn't get the lead role in Mortal Kombat is beyond me, but nevertheless, the man's praises must be sung, and this is one of the best movies to tune to.

U.S. World Karate champions Alex Grady (Eric Roberts) and Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee) unite to shut down the Coliseum, a Las Vegas underground fight club, after their teammate Travis Brickley (Christpher Penn) was killed in a gladiator style fight. But first they must defeat the club's owner and star fighter Brakus (Ralph Moeller) who sets the only rule of the house-there are no rules. Now for the first time in DVD, this nonstop, action-packed martial arts feature loaded with thrilling fight scenes has been digitally re-mastered and restored-and it's packed with awesome never-before-seen special features. It's good versus evil in a martial arts showdown for vengeance!

Best of the Best 2 is about revenge. Tommy and Alex wanted to avenge the death of their friend Travis who got killed in an illegal no holds barred competition by a giant fighter. They train hard for this purpose and eventually Tommy faces this giant in the same competition, where the the audience will decide whether the loser lives or dies.

I enjoyed watching this film a lot. Even though I think it was a low budget film, I thought it was loaded with exciting action. Its different from Best of the Best 1 in the sense that it is not about winning a competition, but about avenging death of a dear friend. Best of the Best 2 delivered a lot of self defence scenes, where Tommy demonstrated some great Aikido techniques. I also loved the part where the Korean fighters from Best of the Best 1 joined and helped Alex break through the club where the competition is held. Those guys really know how to kick butt using their Tae Kwon Do.

I just wish that actors like Eric Roberts who obviously do not do martial arts would receive some training before doing a martial arts film. A real martial artist viewer can immediately distinguish between a fake and a real martial artist actor. Phillip Ree is a true martial artist, however Eric Roberts and Christopher Penn are not.

I liked too much this movie. I compare this movie and I say that is much better than the first one. The scenes where Tommy Lee (Philip Rhee) excuted Hapkido techniques to the thugs is awesome. In the other hand, I didn't like the performance of Eric Roberts. It seems that he excuted the same techniques from the first one of the series(Best of the Best 1). The movie has a great plot story and the final scene where Tommy fought the big guy "Bracus" has too much to tell. In general..I give 5 stars to the DVD. I recommended to those who never had the chance to see it on DVD.

Best of The Best 2 is one of those martial art movies that are filled with some eye candy. Just about every fighter is very ripped and glistening with sweat. The fights are not short at all and most have very fancy coreography, some unrealistic but still look great. There are many bone crushing (literally) scenes and some detailed bloody gun-shootings. The arena, named the "The Coliseum", is one of the best looking locales in any martial art film, which is also located in the heart of Las Vegas, underground. Lastly, the villain Brakus,played by Ralph Moeller (also appeared in Gladiator and Scorpion King), is just huge.

The story is average, but the amount of action makes up for it. There are some training scenes, nothing great, but some of the training is some Native American training which was nice to see (such as the sweat lodge). As for acting, its much above average for an American-made martial art film.

If you have seen the first Best of The Best movie, I can't recommend or not recommend part 2 based off of that. In fact, all 4 Best of The Best movies made are very independent from one another. The only connection from the first movie to the 2nd is that Alex, Tommy and Travis are recognized U.S. Karate champions. Simon Rhee also returns as Dae Han, with a nice little twist. Other than that, BOTB2 has a totally different feel.

As with most of these the films, the fights are the best part. As mentioned earlier, there are plenty. Tommy gets most of the action in the arena, and Travis has a few important fights. Alex is the only one who does not fight in the arena. The final fight of course is between Tommy and Brakus, and lasts about 10 minutes, with scenes of Alex fighting out security in the dance club above.

BOB2 is probably one of my more favorite martial art films. It just looks great. There is plenty of action that the movie never gets boring and moves along pretty quickly.

I had never heard of this movie before it came on cable one night. My mother liked it a lot and kept searching for it. When I saw it on Amazon I ordered it for her as a surprise. Also I found the first Best of the Best dvd and purchased it also. Now when we watch them together the story line makes more sense. Philip Rhee is totally amazing. If I could find a martial arts instructor like him I would jump up and take his course in an instant.