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Cast:
Phillip
Rhee
Eric
Roberts
Ralf
Moeller
Edan
Gross
Sonny
Landham
Wayne
Newton
Chris
Penn
Action:
Simon
Rhee
Producer:
Peter
E. Strauss
Phillip
Rhee
Director:
Robert
Radler
Score:
 
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BEST
OF THE BEST 2
AKA:
Best Of The Best II
Year:
1993 Reviewer: Phil
Mills
Alex
(Roberts), Tommy (Rhee) and Travis (Penn) all competed for the
American National Karate team and have remained strong friends
ever since. As time moved on, Alex and Tommy have
started up their own school and settled down a bit but Travis
persists in maintaining the highlife and likes nothing more
than competing in underground fighting rings for cash.
When he stumbles across 'The Coliseum', he bites off a little
more than he can chew and is brutally killed by it's champion,
the mighty Brakus (Moeller). However, unbeknownst to the
owners, his death is witnessed by Alex's son who reports back
to his father. When the police mark it down as
accidental death and the owners of the casino come after them,
Alex and Tommy have no choice but to pick up their training
regime and fight once again, only this time it's for keeps!
Following
on from the success of the tournament-based 'Best Of The
Best', this second film sees three of the previous cast
members transported into a more everyday setting. The
result of this transition is a resounding success, mainly
thanks to the all-action approach that showcases a decent eye
for fight choreography combined with a talented leading man in
the form of Phillip Rhee. Plot-wise, it's fair to say
that this is a routine outing with a clichéd script and clearly
defined good/bad guys that provides no real surprises. However,
the fast pacing and constant fight sequences distract from
these obvious flaws whilst Rhee, Roberts and Moeller are all a
touch more engaging than your typical B-movie actors. As
is to be expected though, the usual American martial arts
movie problems arise in the form of some choppy and
restrictive editing but the moves on display are strong enough
to allow you to see beyond this.
A
definite notch up from it's predecessor, 'Best Of The Best 2'
is a fine example of a low budget martial arts movie that,
whilst
nowhere near Hong Kong standards, is extremely entertaining
and fun. If you are a fan of Van Damme or films from his
ilk then you would be advised to seek this one out.
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