Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back (1995)

Overall, the Best of the Best series is one of the most enjoyable martial arts franchises in film. It took two movies before tae kwon do bigshot Phillip Rhee was properly established as the real star of the story, and I'm pleased to say that even in the disappointing absence of Eric Roberts & co., he proves to be a solid solo action hero, not to mention a better first-time director than his more-recognized cohorts Seagal and Van Damme. It's a bit strange that he chose a story dealing with domestic racial terrorism as his first project, but while not perfect, I think it came out much better than anyone could have expected.

The story: following the events of the the second film, Tommy Lee (Rhee) rides into a rural town besieged by a neo-Nazi militia. When their violent mania takes its toll on the family of his brother-in-law (Christopher McDonald, Requiem for a Dream) and his new romantic interest (Gina Gershon, Face/Off), he uses his championship-caliber martial arts skills to fight back.

Neo-Nazism, neo-Confederatism, and white supremicism remain lingering social problems, but while they've been tackled before in drama form (e.g. American History X), I'm pretty sure that Phillip Rhee is the first filmmaker to make an action film that predominantly dealt with the issue. It's a movie decision that you'd expect Steven Seagal to make, and it's quite possible that despite this one's strong production values, the storyline is what kept it from getting a theatrical release. It's kind of heavy-handed, with a rather tasteless scene early on wherein the militant leader (played by great villain-actor Mark Rolston, The Shawshank Redemption) beats a black activist priest to death with a baseball bat, but the film does make a point of differentiating between the racial separatism ideology and racial warfare, as well as depicting the kind of social hopelessness that can lead some folks to grasp at extremes. Still, it's an action flick, so don't expect a completely empathetic movie.

Speaking of action, this one's offering is pretty darn good, being mostly limited to four fights and an explosion-filled invasion scene. During his relatively short career, Phillip Rhee was one of the most consistent martial arts performers, and his outing here helps build this reputation. During three one-against-many fights and a single one-on-one brawl with bad guy Rolston, Rhee goes through an encyclopedia of strikes and throws, for the most part exquisitely choreographed and competently filmed. The showdown at the end sort of disappointed me for its change of pace, but by most standards, it's still pretty good, and it doesn't deter from the glorious scene in the first half of the film wherein Rhee dressed as a clown takes on a bunch of brutes at a fair. The segment wherein Rhee and Christopher McDonald launch an attack on the supremacists' base is also pretty good, practically at Commando levels of explosions. There are even parts with motorcycles and a rocket launcher.

The cast and their performances round off the good parts of the movie. Along with the aforementioned members, an uncredited R. Lee Ermey (Full Metal Jacket) plays a racist pastor with his usual infectious talent, and Peter Simmons (Renaissance Man) gives a pretty good performance as young supremacist recruit with mixed feelings about his actions. The fact that the film only connects with its prequels via a minute's exposition is somewhat disappointing I'd have liked to see the ending of the last movie weigh in more on the events of this one but Rhee proves himself such a consummate performer that you don't miss the other characters *too* much. This one could technically stand alone, but it still feels like a part of the series. Action fans should definitely give it a try.

It was part of my collection and is a must see if you havent seen the first one you got to see it

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Viewed: 4/13

Rate: 7

4/13: Direct-to-video or not, Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back turns out to be an entertaining action flick. The low expectations I had for it probably help the most. Compared to the second part, Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back is a lot better film because the story is more compelling to watch. The last twenty minute ending, a reminiscent of Cobra and Tango and Cash, is weak, but it doesn't take away the positive attributes of the overall film. Although Eric Roberts and Simon Rhee are missed, Phillip Rhee does a great job of holding the film together from start to finish. Every time I see a scene of doing him the martial arts, all I can think is that this is the guy who defeated a world champion in martial arts, and this guy would kick everybody's butt in the town. That's what makes it too hard to believe that Donnie Hanson would be able to hold his ground with him. And I don't think so. At the same time, the ending moment is highly doubtful. All those guns sported by the criminals are enough to undo Tommy Lee regardless of the outcome of the fight with Donnie. All in all, Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back is a solid picture.

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Good quality Blu ray and the story line is decent and the action scenes great. A good follow-up to Best of the Best 2.

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Best Of The Best 3 Was A Fantastic Movie And I would Recomend this film To Every One Who Loves Martial Art Movies.

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