Highly Overrated But Still Good

Great Film overall

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

During the late 80's, early 90's a martial arts craze was happening in films, bringing us such films stars as Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme. When one of the lessor known straight-to-video stars, Mark Dacascos entered the game, he brought us something out of the box with this film which features the Brazilian fighting style, Capoeira. I love this movie so much it's one of my favorites, despite the fact that it does not really withstand the test of time. Though the message of a Teacher from the hood coming back to his hood to teach the worst kids in his old school how to respect themselves so it will influence them to not let the streets consume them is timeless, the delivery of this message could not be more early 90's.The acting was straight out of an after school special, and it feels like whoever wrote this movie was watching MTV while he did it, more concern with coming off cool rather than being actuate. Sure in the 90's this would all be more acceptable, but now it just seems cheesy in campy.However, all this is does not matter, because in the heart of this flick it's a martial arts film, and this they got right. This movie made me obsessed with Capoeira for the next few years and even thought from this obsession I learned that the filmmakers took liberties with the fighting style, that does not matter, because the movie version of Capoeira makes this one of the best Martial art films made.Watching Mark teach these kids how awesome Capoeira is, puts a smile on my face every time,and watching him use the fighting style for both self-defense and aggressively was just so cool. The filmmakers used low camera angles to really express the high flying kicks and flips. It was just mesmerizing and worth watching.It does not have the same legs as the Karate kid has but using Capoeira gives this movie an originality that most other Martial arts films don't have.

Louis Stevens (Ex-Special Forces) returns to Miami to find his former high school overrun by drugs and violence. He pledges to straighten out a dozen of the school's worst students by teaching them Capoeira . The local drug lord vows to stop. Now Stevens must fight….The film was shot on a zero budget. The story and plot are weak and predictable. The fighting scenes from Dacascos are great and the only decent acting comes from him. The story is a bit too sentimental at times and the whole thing of Capoeira changing the lives of these street kids doesn't bode much credibility,however the fight sequences are great.

I'm going to be frank, this is no Oscar winner by a long shot, but it serves well as a martial arts themed flick and I found it enjoyable.The easy to follow plot revolves Green Beret soldier and cappoiera expert Lois Stevens, who has returned from a stint in Brazil to his old high school in Miami, which is in a sad state as drugs, crime and chronic underachievement are rife.After Lois schools 3 menacing drug dealers in front of the whole school, he suggests teaching his martial arts discipline to 12 particularly bad students to see if this can focus them and broaden their horizons. He starts training them in the ways, and eventually they start to listen..and more importantly LEARN. The only obstacle is Silverio, the vicious leader of a notoriously tough city gang, who happens to have a cousin in Stevens' training group. But of course Lois isn't going to let some miscreant stand in his way.This film, despite its cheese factor, has a positive 'can do' tone throughout, and is enjoyable for this reason. Also enjoyable for its fight scenes, which sees a dedicated and determined Lois take on hordes of opponents with his amazing skills.

Mark Dacascos stars as Louis Stevens an U.S army ranger who teaches troubled kids a new style of martial arts that turns the kid's lives around, however a gang leader tries to find a way to sabotage Steven's work in progress in this dull action flick. The actionscenes themselves are the lamest since Kurt Thomas started swinging from handles in Gymkata, while Only The Strong preaches a message that will no doubt bore anyone over 15.