This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2020) |
Only the Strong | |
---|---|
Directed by | Sheldon Lettich |
Written by |
|
Produced by | Samuel Hadida Stuart S. Shapiro Steven Menkin |
Starring |
|
Edited by | Stephen Semel |
Music by | Harvey W. Mason |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by |
|
Release date |
|
Running time | 99 minutes |
Language | English |
Budget | $6,000,000 (US) |
Box office | $3,273,588 (US) [1] |
Only the Strong is a 1993 martial arts film directed by Sheldon Lettich, starring Mark Dacascos. It is considered to be the only Hollywood film that showcases capoeira, an Afro-Brazilian martial art, from beginning to end.
Former Green Beret Louis Stevens returns to his hometown of Miami after completing military service in Brazil, only to learn that his old high school has become a haven for gangs and drug dealers. After Stevens uses his capoeira skills to kick several drug dealers off the school property, Mr. Kerrigan, one of Stevens' old teachers, sees the impact that Stevens has on the students. Kerrigan gives him the task of teaching capoeira to a handful of the worst at-risk students at the school, giving Stevens an abandoned fire station as their practice area. While doing so, Stevens earns the ire of the local drug lord, Silverio Oliveiras, whose younger cousin, Orlando Oliveiras, is one of Stevens' students. Silverio is also a master of capoeira, and he engages Stevens in combat, beating him viciously. The horrified Orlando resolves to learn everything he can from Stevens. Stevens' class learns quickly, and they become very skilled at capoeira. The principal, delighted, proposes a district-wide capoeira program to the school board. After a field trip with his class, Stevens once again clashes with Silverio, who declares war against him.
Silverio's gang terrorizes the high school and sets fire to Kerrigan's classroom, resulting in the death of one of Stevens' students. As a result of this incident, Stevens is accused at fault, banished from the school grounds and the capoeira program is terminated. In retaliation to the attack, Stevens sneaks into Silverio's chop shop and defeats the workers before setting a cash-filled car on fire. Furious, Silverio orders the gang to bring Stevens to him alive. Orlando flees to get help. After a desperate battle, Stevens is finally captured and brought to a bonfire, where Silverio awaits. However, Stevens' capoeira students bar their path in an attempt to rescue their teacher. Before a brawl can ensue, the exhausted Stevens challenges Silverio to single combat to win back his students. After a grueling battle, Stevens defeats Silverio before the police arrive, sending the gang scattering in all directions. With this defeat, Silverio's reputation as crime lord is gone.
Stevens' capoeira program proves such a success that his students graduate from high school. To celebrate, they join a Brazilian capoeira team to perform for Stevens at the graduation ceremony.
Though Mark Dacascos is a talented martial artist, his background is not initially in capoeira. Just prior to his audition, he received his training from famed capoeirista Amen Santo, who was responsible for much of the fight choreography and has a small role in the film. [2]
Only the Strong (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack), composed of eleven hip hop and capoeira music songs, was released in 1993 via Fox Records. It features contributions from Jibril Serapis Bey, Marcel Branch, Patrick McCain, Donna Simon, Mellow Man Ace, Miami Boyz and New Version of Soul, as well as Kao Rossman, Scott G., Iki Levy, Stuart S. Shapiro, Blueblood, DJ Muggs, Kid Fury and LRoc on production duties. The most prominent songs in the film are Serapis Bey's "Paranauȇ" and "Zoom-Zoom-Zoom" - the latter being more well known as the theme song for Mazda's TV commercials. [3] [4] [5]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Paranauê" (performed by Jibril Serapis Bey) |
|
| 3:10 |
2. | "Miami Boyz" (performed by Miami Boyz) |
| Kid Fury of Bass Patrol | 3:51 |
3. | "Zoom-Zoom-Zoom" (performed by Jibril Serapis Bey) | Rossman | Kao Rossman | 2:53 |
4. | "Comin' Together" |
|
| 1:37 |
5. | "Babalu Bad Boy" (performed by Mellow Man Ace) | DJ Muggs | 3:43 | |
6. | "Swang da Funk" (performed by New Version of Soul) |
|
| 4:17 |
7. | "Donovan's Mix" |
|
| 2:55 |
8. | "Olelê, O'Lalá" (performed by Jibril Serapis Bey) | Vargas | Kao Rossman | 3:09 |
9. | "Enter the Dojo" | Yizhaq |
| 3:22 |
10. | "Only the Strong" (performed by Marcel Branch, Patrick McCain and Donna Simon) |
|
| 4:10 |
11. | "Only the Strong (Remix)" (performed by Marcel Branch, Patrick McCain and Donna Simon) |
|
| 3:04 |
Total length: | 36:11 |
Only the Strong earned US$3,273,588 at the U.S. box office, making only more than half of its US$6 million budget. [1]
The film was universally panned by critics, earning a 13% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 15 reviews. [6] Roger Ebert gave the film one out of four stars, saying, "The message of a movie like Only the Strong, building on the fascist undertones of its title, is almost cruel in its stupidity and naivete. It's almost a relief that few people in the audience for such a film ever remember if it even had a message or not". [7] Joe Brown of The Washington Post also wrote a scathing review, saying it "relies slightly less relentlessly on violence for its own sake than most in this genre, but the film is clumsily assembled and edited, heavy on the slow-mo, and its simplistic story plays like 'The Kids From Fame' armed with very sharp knives". [8]
Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century, capoeira is a constantly evolving art form. It is known for its acrobatic and complex maneuvers, often involving hands on the ground and inverted kicks. It emphasizes flowing movements rather than fixed stances; the ginga, a rocking step, is usually the focal point of the technique. Although debated, the most widely accepted origin of the word capoeira comes from the Tupi words ka'a ("forest") paũ ("round"), referring to the areas of low vegetation in the Brazilian interior where fugitive slaves would hide. A practitioner of the art is called a capoeirista.
Point of No Return is a 1993 American action film directed by John Badham and starring Bridget Fonda and Gabriel Byrne. It is a remake of Luc Besson's 1990 film La Femme Nikita.
Bloodsport is a 1988 American martial arts action film directed by Newt Arnold and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Leah Ayres, Forest Whitaker, Donald Gibb, Roy Chiao and Bolo Yeung. The film centers on Frank Dux, a United States Army Captain and ninjitsu practitioner, who competes in an underground, full-contact martial arts tournament called the Kumite in Hong Kong. It was one of Van Damme's first lead roles and showcased his athletic abilities, launching his career as a mainstream action star.
Mark Alan Dacascos is an American actor and martial artist. He won numerous karate and kung fu championships between the ages of 7 and 18. He is known for his roles as Wo Fat in Hawaii Five-0, Louis Stevens in Only the Strong, Mani in Brotherhood of the Wolf, Toby Wong in Drive, Ling in Cradle 2 the Grave, the titular role in Crying Freeman and as Zero in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
Manuel dos Reis Machado, commonly called Mestre Bimba, was a Brazilian capoeira mestre. He founded the capoeira regional school, one of the art's two main branches.
Stacey Elaine Travis is an American actress. She has appeared in films Hardware (1990), The Super (1991), Only the Strong (1993), Traffic (2000), Bandits (2001) and Intolerable Cruelty (2003).
Double Impact is a 1991 American action film written and directed by Sheldon Lettich, and written, produced by and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme as Chad and Alex Wagner. The film marks Van Damme's third collaboration with director Sheldon Lettich and second collaboration with Bolo Yeung. Double Impact was released in the United States on August 9, 1991.
My Bodyguard is a 1980 American family comedy drama film directed by Tony Bill, and written by Alan Ormsby. The film stars Chris Makepeace, Adam Baldwin, Matt Dillon, Martin Mull, and Ruth Gordon.
Lionheart is a 1990 American martial arts film directed by Sheldon Lettich, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Deborah Rennard, Harrison Page and Lisa Pelikan and Brian Thompson. It also features the acting debut of Ashley Johnson. Van Damme plays a French Foreign Legionnaire stationed in Africa, who must desert to the United States and enter the underground fighting circuit to raise money for his murdered brother's family.
Drillbit Taylor is a 2008 American coming-of-age comedy film directed by Steven Brill, produced by Judd Apatow, Susan Arnold and Donna Arkoff Roth with screenplay by Kristofor Brown and Seth Rogen based on an original story by John Hughes. In the film, three high school pupils decide to hire an adult bodyguard to protect them from a bully who endlessly harasses and abuses them.
China Strike Force is a 2000 Hong Kong action film starring Aaron Kwok, Norika Fujiwara, Leehom Wang and Ruby Lin alongside American stars Mark Dacascos and Coolio. It was directed by Stanley Tong and written by Tong and Steven Whitney.
The Brazilian martial art of capoeira, noted for its acrobatic movements and kicks, has often been featured in and influenced popular culture.
Double Dragon is a 1994 American martial arts film, based on the video game series of the same name. The film was directed by James Yukich, whose previous credits include the Genesis music videos "That's All" and "Invisible Touch".
Sheldon Lettich is an American screenwriter, film director and producer. He is best known for his collaborations with Jean-Claude Van Damme and his work in the action film genre.
Crying Freeman is a 1995 action film starring Mark Dacascos, Julie Condra, and Tchéky Karyo, and directed by Christophe Gans. It is an adaptation of the best-selling manga of the same name by Kazuo Koike and Ryoichi Ikegami, drawing primarily upon the "Portrait of a Killer" arc. The film was an international co-production between Canada, France, and Japan, and was filmed on location in British Columbia in October 1994.
American Samurai is a martial-arts action film directed by Sam Firstenberg and starring David Bradley and Mark Dacascos and produced by Cannon Films. Filmed in Turkey, it was released in the United States in 1992.
Angel Town is a 1990 martial arts film directed by Eric Karson and starring Olivier Gruner, who made his film debut as a French martial artist and foreign exchange student who helps his borders by using his skills against a local gang.
"Zoom-Zoom-Zoom" is the title of a capoeira song, made popular by the 1993 movie, Only The Strong, for whose soundtrack it was recorded by Jibril Serapis Bey. It is one of three Serapis Bey recordings which appear on the soundtrack to the film. Another recording of "Zum Zum Zum" was made by Spank for the year 2000 Mazda car commercials in conjunction with the company's slogan "Zoom-Zoom."
Sérgio Luiz Pereira, stagename Sergio Kato, is a Brazilian-American actor, television host, comedian and former martial artist. He found greater fame in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, after a stage play at the Scala Rio music venue. Since then, Kato have been working for a number of advertising campaigns, TV shows and films. Former model and active actor 2019. Aside from the acting career, Kato still modeling not as much. Print-adds, campaigns and TV Commercials for grief clothing.
Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a 2021 American animated superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. It is the 42nd film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The film is directed by Sam Liu and executive produced by Bruce Timm featuring an original story not based on any comic. It features the voices of David Giuntoli as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Mark Dacascos as Richard Dragon, Kelly Hu as Lady Shiva, Michael Jai White as Ben Turner / Bronze Tiger, James Hong as O-Sensei, Jamie Chung as Jade Nguyen and Josh Keaton as Jeffrey Burr. The film was dedicated to comic book writer Dennis O'Neil who died on June 11, 2020, at the age of 81.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)