1993 film
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.
Plot [ edit ]
Former Green ♠ Beret Louis Stevens (Mark Dacascos) 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 (Geoffrey Lewis), 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 (Paco Christian Prieto), whose younger cousin, Orlando Oliveiras (Richard Coca), 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.
Cast [ ♠ edit ]Production [ edit ]
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]Soundtrack [ edit ]
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) Kao Rossman
Stuart Shapiro Kao RossmanStuart S.Shapiro 3:10 ♠ 2.
"Miami Boyz" (performed by Miami Boyz) A.Cuff
Brian Graham Kid Fury of Bass Patrol 3:51 3.
"Zoom-Zoom-Zoom" (performed by Jibril Serapis Bey) ♠ Rossman Kao Rossman 2:53 4.
"Comin' Together" Scot Wendell Greene
Levy Yizhaq Scott G.Iki Levy 1:37 5.
"Babalu Bad Boy" (performed by Mellow ♠ Man Ace) Ulpiano Reyes
Lawrence Muggerud DJ Muggs 3:43 6.
"Swang da Funk" (performed by New Version of Soul) Brion H.Gibson
James Elbert ♠ PhillipsJames Ray Hall
Michael Bernard CrockerMichael O.Johnson
Phillip Madison JonesS.Owings BluebloodLRoc 4:17 7.
"Donovan's Mix" Rossman
Tony Vargas Kao RossmanStuart S.Shapiro 2:55 8.
"Olelê, O'Lalá" ♠ (performed by Jibril Serapis Bey) Vargas Kao Rossman 3:09 9.
"Enter the Dojo" Yizhaq Scott G.Iki Levy 3:22 10.
"Only the Strong" ♠ (performed by Marcel Branch, Patrick McCain and Donna Simon) Marcel BranchPatrick McCainDonna Aileen SimonYizhaqGreeneRossmanShapiro Scott G.Iki Levy 4:10 11.
"Only the ♠ Strong (Remix)" (performed by Marcel Branch, Patrick McCain and Donna Simon) BranchMcCainSimonGreeneYizhaqRossmanShapiro Scott G.
Iki Levy
The Baka Boyz ( add.
) 3:04 ♠ Total length: 36:11
Box office and reception [ edit ]
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]
