10 Things You Didn’t Know About Best of the Best II
One of the smartest purchases I made back in 2022 was picking up a DVD copy of 1993’s Best of the Best II. Not only did it allow me to finally check out a movie that numerous friends had recommended to me over the years, the DVD also contained a commentary track with Director Robert Radler and the star of the Best of the Best franchise, Phillip Rhee.
And it was that commentary track that was the source material for this post as I present 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Best of the Best II…
1. The casting of the Brakus character proved to be challenging. None of the actors who auditioned for the role were exactly what Robert Radler was looking for. Ironically, it was a chance meeting that landed Ralf Moeller the part. Radler was leaving his agent’s office one day and bumped into Ralf who was on his way in. Radler asked Moeller if he was an actor and Moeller responded with an intimidating “WHY?”. The two went into the agent’s office and immediately began hammering out a deal.
2. The Coliseum was a set built in a warehouse in Vernon, California. Radler raved about the set and how you could shoot it from any angle and have a great shot. For old school Supermarket Sweep fans, that warehouse was located near the Farmer John meat processing plant.
3. Wayne Newton, who played Weldon Mardano (the host of the Coliseum fights), was still doing two Las Vegas shows a night during the filming of the movie. Newton would wake up early every morning and fly to Los Angeles in his personal jet. A helicopter would then take Newton to the set, where he’d work all day. Then after shooting was over, he’d fly back to Vegas for his shows. At one point, Newton came down with the flu, but even that didn’t slow him down or change his always positive mood. That’s a true professional!
4. The kid playing basketball with Walter Grady (Edan Gross) was Jonathan Strauss, the son of executive producer Peter Strauss… Robert Radler, not to be outdone, also had his wife and son in the crowd during Walter’s brick breaking test… And Radler himself played the floor manager at the TV station where Sue MacCauley (Meg Foster), the girlfriend of Alex Grady (Eric Roberts), works as a sportscaster.
5. In another bit of friends and family casting… the spotlight operator at The Coliseum was played by Eddie Bunker. Radler described Bunker as a world famous ex-con. Bunker is not only an actor, he also did some writing, most famously 1985’s Runaway Train, a movie that starred Eric Roberts and presumably the movie where they became friends.
6. The location that served as the childhood home of Tommy Lee (Phillip Rhee) was a practical location in the desert town of California City. This posed a problem when it came time for the big explosion scene, since they weren’t blowing up a set, they were blowing up an actual building made of steel and cinder blocks. Even with extra precautions in place, the explosion still caused some damage… it melted the camera closest to the explosion!
7. The production did have a few challenges along the way, including the 1992 Los Angeles riots, a huge sandstorm in California City, and a crew that may have enjoyed the nightlife a bit too much while they were shooting in Las Vegas.
8. Patrick Kilpatrick, who played Finch (Brakus’ right hand man), rewrote and improvised most of his lines. Kilpatrick was also constantly making suggestions to Radler, which Radler appreciated.
9. At least one camera operator received a black eye while getting in close for The Coliseum fight scenes.
10. The nitrogen that was used to create the smoke effect in The Coliseum proved to be problematic. First, was getting the amount of nitrogen that they needed. Second, it was extinguishing the fire that was also being used as an effect at the same time. Third, it made breathing difficult for the fighters who were out there doing take after take.
