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Only the Strong (1993)

Director: Sheldon Lettich

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Movie review

From Time Out Film Guide

A paean to the Brazilian martial art of capoeira harks back to those break-dancing quickies. The plot is the usual. Louis (kung-fu champ Dacascos) learns kicking ass to samba in Brazil with the US Army Special Forces, returns to Miami to find drug-dealers all over his old high school, kicks ass, converts a squad of delinquents to capoeira, takes on bossman Silverio (Prieto) in an ass-kick-up, and gets the green light for ass-kicking to samba on the syllabus. This martial art requires chaps to go into slow motion a lot and to be ethnically vague about the moves. In this context an average actor like Geoffrey Lewis, playing the defeated old schoolteacher, hums like a dynamo. Avoid like El Plagueo.

Author: BC

Time Out Film Guide


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