BEST OF THE BEST

US, 1989, 85 minutes, Colour.
Eric Roberts, James Earl Jones, Sally Kirkland, Louise Fletcher, Christopher Penn, John P. Ryan.
Directed by Robert Radler.

Best of the Best is one of those American sports films that is based on Rocky, The Karate Kid, Kickboxer and so many others. If a committee got together to pool the ingredients expected in this kind of movie, they would have come up with Best of the Best. It is enjoyable for audiences who like this easy kind of entertainment, the presentation of sport and training, victory, and the emotional conflicts. The ending is an interesting case of having one's cake and eating it.

James Earl Jones is very sturdy as the coach. Sally Kirkland is a somewhat unbelievable eastern expert, psychologist who helps in the training. Eric Roberts is a sullen kind of hero. Louise Fletcher is his mother. There is an emphasis on martial arts training, on competition - and rivalry between Americans and Koreans.

1.Entertaining sports film? Psychological drama? The background of Rocky, The Karate Kid and other sports films?

2.The settings, establishing each of the characters? Ordinary and extraordinary? Sports training, Koreans and Americans? The build-up to the competition, the choreographing of the bouts? Musical score and songs?

3.The title, Frank's emphasis on the best? Competitiveness and winning?

4.Frank as coach, his sternness, unbending? The selection of the team? His shouting and pep talks? Rigorous training, the night out and his watching them brawl? Discipline, his assistant, the information about Tommy and the death? The revelation that he was the coach and took responsibility for the death? Catherine and her arrival, his hostility? Clashes with Jennings? The crisis with Alex and his child, allowing him back? Tommy and his departure, return? Support during the bouts? Getting Walter to come with his grandmother? The genial ending? The humanising of the coach?

5.The collage of the Korean training, intercut with the American team, their backgrounds, coming together, their selection?

6.Alex, his bad shoulder, his work, dead-end job? Relationship with his mother? Coaching his little boy with riding the bike (and the later accident, his return and talking him out of the coma)? Discussion about going, his son's support? The training, friendships, phone calls to his son? His support of Tommy, rooming with him? The crisis and his going, his return? The fierce bout, the final 30 seconds and his shoulder?

7.Tommy, training children, his memory of his brother's death? In the team, his skills, pulling back? The pressure from Frank, his riding away, the scene with the ice-cream cone, his return? The fierce bout, his enemy, pulling the kick and not exercising revenge?

8.Travis and his brutality, self-centredness, surly? His pleading for Alex's return, not thinking of himself?

9.Virgil, the Buddhist background, friendly, the training, trance? His bout and his defeat?

10.Sonny, in training, his background, Detroit? His bout and defeat?

11.Don and his persistence, computers, the records, his participation in the training?

12.Catherine, the background, Frank not knowing she was a woman, participating in the training, speaking sternly to Frank?

13.Alex's mother, her concern? Walter?

14.The opponents, the Korean training, the background of giving their life to these arts? The fierce opponent and his reconciliation with Tommy, forgiveness, brother? Koreans giving the medals?

15.The popularity of this kind of American sports film - for Americans, others?