Only the Strong

"The ultimate martial art."

1993 1h 39m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 216

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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 of the school property, 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.

“The ultimate martial art.”

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Cast

Mark Dacascos
Louis Stevens
Paco Christian Prieto
Silverio
Stacey Travis
Dianna
Richard Coca
Orlando Aliveres
Geoffrey Lewis
Kerrigan
Todd Susman
Cochran
Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter
Philippe
Frank Dux
Welder

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sheldon Lettich
Writers: Luis Esteban, Sheldon Lettich
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 55% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

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33 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

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International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sheldon Lettich, shot by Edward J. Pei. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Harvey Mason. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Mark Dacascos and Paco Christian Prieto and Stacey Travis carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The ultimate martial art.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0107750 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sheldon Lettich directs. Edward J. Pei behind the camera. Harvey Mason scores. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America, France. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 55% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
233 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3International production across 2 countries: United States of America, France.
4Directed by Sheldon Lettich, shot by Edward J. Pei. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Harvey Mason. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Mark Dacascos and Paco Christian Prieto and Stacey Travis carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The ultimate martial art.".
8IMDB entry: tt0107750 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.