Operação Kickbox 3: Sem Retorno

BEST OF THE BEST 3: NO TURNING BACK steps even further away from the tournament set-up of the original movie to offer straightforward straight-to-video action thrills from leading man Phillip Rhee. Rhee is the sole returning cast member from the first two movies, although he steps up to direct here as well as star in what turns out to be a typically over the top, mildly entertaining slice of mid-'90s entertainment.

This time around the setting is the small, ubiquitous town in one of the southern states. Rhee turns up and soon uncovers a hotbed of racism and murder, brought about by the antics of the cult-ish members of the local church, which bears more than a passing similarity to Westboro Baptist Church. Cue lots of violent fist fights, shoot-outs and explosives, achieved in the best low budget '90s way.

BEST OF THE BEST 3 isn't as good as the previous film in this series - the action isn't as hard-hitting or as well staged - but it's not bad and could be a lot worse. Rhee is a dependable hero type, and the supporting cast is packed with familiar aces: THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION's Mark Rolston as the baddie, R. Lee Ermey as a preacher, Gina Gershon as a potential love interest, Dee Wallace-Stone as a townswoman, and the hulking Michael Bailey Smith (THE HILLS HAVE EYES remake) as a thug.

I picked this up 2nd hand and really enjoyed it, in a campy way. Tommy turns up in some rural town and steps right into a race war. Tommy is basically given reason after reason to take on guys of 4 or more and throw them through various fruit stalls, ticket offices, coffee tables, and french windows. The gorgeous Gina Gershon does her best as a choir teacher helping Tommy out, but whenever she needs to be "helpless" it kinda doesn't work because she now plays such strong, female roles.

The acting and direction are seriously questionable but this film is obviously about fight scenes and they are entertaining enough, from the moment we see Gershon's house is full of glass tables, flimsy bookcases and china filled cabinets we know we are in for a treat.

Terrible, patronising attitude toward racial issues but, hey, its got a rocket launcher and plenty of flying kicks.

Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee), comes into town to visit his sister Karen, right after the mysterious disappearance of a black reverend. His chinese-american sister is married to a white sheriff, one of the few lawmen in this small southern town. As it turns out, a super-rascist skinhead cult is taking control of the town. It was a little ridiculous, as they had a huge compound with plenty of C-4 explosives and grenade launchers which would surely attract the attention of the FBI and ATF. The sheriff and Tommy Lee take the law into their own hands, and it is up to one martial arts superhero to save the day.

Best of the best 3: No Turning Back is a movie with a strong social and political message. Our hero Tommy Lee, as portrayed by Phillip Rhee, encounters and overcomes a myriad set of common problems in the deep south. From strange cuisine to white power groups who value an idea of might makes right. I'd like to digress here to applaud Mr. Rhee, not only did he star as Tommy Lee but also directed and produced. It can been seen that Mr. Lee applied his own experiences as a minority in America to his magnum opus.

Strong political message aside, the inner workings of the film, the basic craft if you will is on point throughout. From inspired lighting and set design to insightful scene transitions, a spinning chain gun into a spinning plastic flower. We can see a juxtaposition of spinning things one on the side of whimsy the other cold raw steel crafted for killing.

Every one understands that no thing, be it movie or sandwich, can be perfect. Thus I must concede that Best of the Best 3: Cool Runnings does have its faults. One half hour is spent before a showcase of Mr. Rhee's fistic acumen. In fact Lee, Rhee's character, seems to have no real competition in the film. Nearly every skinhead he fights falls with little effort, this is strange due to the basic toughness and fighting skill attributed to the skinhead stereotype. Particularly with the basic para military training they are given.

As the plot reaches its climax, beginning with a dirt bike chase no less, and ramps up to a full on assault. We learn here that Lee can outrun an explosion. In a dizzying display of action and full on violence Tommy and his partner, the local sheriff and his bother in law, take out the skin head compound. Of course in the end Tommy proves he is indeed the best of the best. Then again this really never became an issue in the movie.

All in all Best of the Best 3: the lion the witch and the wardrobe does a fine job of telling a complex story in simple terms that can be appreciated by young and old alike. 4 giant clown shoe beat downs out of a possible 10.

This was a movie that had an overused plot. The martial arts expert who comes in and single handedly saves a town. If the movie were to be rated just by the plot, I would give it a 1, but I do believe that a movie is more than just the surface appearance. This movie also had a strong anti-racism message behind it. It showed the affects of racism and the sheer hate and terror that go with it. Watching it is enough to make you want to do something about the problem of racism yourself. So on moral grounds, I would give this movie a 10. However, the plot was inconsistent at times, the acting was cheesy, and this type of movie has been made so many times that you get tired of just hearing about it. Overall, I can only give this movie a 4.