As Eoin recently reported, the script for Best of the Best 5: Honor the Brave, has been completed according to franchise architect and leading man, Phillip Rhee. Starting in 1989, the Best of the Best franchise has been a showcase for Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido across four films. Phillip Rhee, Eric Roberts and Christopher Penn start off on the U.S. National Karate Team taking on the revered South Koreans with Phillip’s brother Simon playing the seemingly unbeatable captain. 1993’s Best of the Best 2 cuts to Rhee and Roberts avenging Penn’s death on the Las Vegas underground fight circuit. 1996’s BotB: No Turning Back finds Phillip Rhee in front and behind the camera fighting Neo-Nazi’s while visiting his sister in the South and 1998’s BotB 4: Without Warning has single dad Phillip Rhee on the run from Russians over a computer disk.
Phillip and Simon Rhee are talented martial artists, first showcased in high kicking tournament action and evolving into bone crunching fights, gunplay, no rules bouts, redneck stomping and on the run from Russian gangster excitement. With 90’s nostalgia in full swing, it’s been awesome to see the Rhee brothers embracing Best of the Best in 2025 at convention signings, martial arts show Dragon Fest and the upcoming Best of the Best Experience in Los Angeles on Saturday, August 30. The Rhees will host a film fighting seminar, answer questions about the films, working in Hollywood and have memorabilia on display. Sounds like they’ll be joined by legendary special guests James Lew (Best of the Best, Big Trouble In Little China) and Rick Avery (Heat, The Dark Knight). It’s been a while since I’ve thrown a roundhouse kick but I’ll definitely be there to learn and listen to a room full of badasses.
On Sunday, October 12, the brothers will team up with Eric Roberts for a Las Vegas Best of the Best Expo for Meet & Greet, Q&A and photos. Maybe some industrious fan can arrange a tour of Las Vegas locations used in Part 2…