Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.0

Best of the Best: Without Warning Blu-ray Movie Review

Warning: it's actually a decent time killer.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman May 4, 2013

Movies like Best of the Best: Without Warning rightly or wrongly fade into obscurity as quickly as they bleep onto and vanish off of the figurative radar screens of only the most dedicated cinephiles or those who just happened to be in the right video store rental section at the right time when the movie was released straight to home video back in the day when VHS tapes still lined the shelves and were still the top delivery device for the masses for watching a movie at home. Best of the Best: Without Warning is a simple, no-frills affair, a movie built on quintessential motifs but itself no classic, unless serving as an example of basic good-versus-evil archetypes and linear plot lines may classify the odd movie like this as "classic." The film is finding another fifteen minutes of fame about fifteen years after its original release with a barebones Blu-ray edition that, like the original release way back in 1998, will find only a limited audience consisting of, now, the best Internet or retail store bargain bin hunters, the most dedicated forum enthusiasts who pore over every thread no matter how obscure the picture, or those who happen upon the review while it's still fresh at the top of the page. A memorable release Best of the Best: Without Warning most certainly is not, but those who give it a chance will be treated to a movie that won't linger in the mind but that will satiate the appetite for simple entertainment on a slow movie day.

I won't hurt you...too badly.

In a large city, a group of Russian thugs pull off the ultimate heist. They gridlock traffic, kill any nearby cops, and airlift home their prizes: pallets of money printing paper, the real McCoy, the sort used at the Fed itself. They also have something else: a disc containing the actual software and images required to print money. These guys aren't counterfeiting: they're making the real deal, undetectable and completely untraceable currency. When one of the gang's computer hackers decides she's had enough, she sneaks the disc out of the building with intentions of slipping it to a friend in law enforcement. Unfortunately, she's killed by her pursuers but manages to surreptitiously pass the disc to an unsuspecting single father and law enforcement hand-to-hand training pro, Tommy Lee (Writer/Director Phillip Rhee). Now, Tommy finds himself on the run for a murder he didn't commit and in the crosshairs of a very dedicated and closed-minded cop named Gresko (Ernie Hudson), all the while eluding capture from a gang sent out by Russian counterfeiter extraordinaire Lukast Slava (Tobin Bell).

Best of the Best: Without Warning follows one of the simplest Action movie plot device known to exist: a good man is thrust against his will into a bad situation. He has nowhere to turn and nobody to trust. He must protect his daughter's life and fend off wave upon wave of bad guys, all the while being tracked down as the primary suspect in a murder he didn't commit. Movies really don't get any more straightforward than this, and about the best such films can usually hope for is basic competency and a general release of raw entertainment, both of which this film does with minimal style and no substance but nevertheless finds for the duration. Even as the picture races through a very tangible sense of plot transparency and inevitability -- there's never a shred of doubt how the movie will end, even what the end shot will look like -- it keeps things just entertaining enough as it transitions from one predictable plot device and action scene to the next.

The key cog is star Phillip Rhee, who also writes and directs. While the picture is no technical marvel, Rhee keeps the pacing strong and the emphasis on the basics. Best of the Best: Without Warning knows its place and remains in its comfort zone for the duration, never attempting to outsmart its genre or itself, remaining within the cozy boundaries of low-end escapism entertainment, nothing more and nothing less. Just as important is Rhee's on-screen performance, which proves largely satisfying. Rhee is infinitely likable; he blends an abnormal level of physical skill with a very approachable exterior. He plays the loving father and the kindly friend just as well as he tackles the role's physical demands. He doesn't really dazzle with the agility of a Jackie Chan, the speed of a Bruce Lee, the flexibility of a Jean-Claude Van Damme, or the brute force of a Chuck Norris; what he does well is show a very high level skill set that's not superhuman but rather both relatable and extraordinary. He seems like the guy who could be the resident Black Belt over at the Karate academy on Main Street, not a machine who feels more alien than human. That's a nice combination, and Rhee uses it to his advantage and makes the movie a little bit better because of it.

Best of the Best: Without Warning Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Best of the Best: Without Warning arrives on Blu-ray with an acceptable (for the cost) but underwhelming (in the grand scheme of things) high definition presentation. The image is largely clean, with little in the way of distracting dirt and scratches, but it's also very flat, quite bland, and only adequately detailed. There are some soft shots intermixed throughout, and a few look almost artificially zoomed in. Razor-sharpness? Forget it, but the uptick in resolution does at least stabilize most of the image, even if it's not leaps and bounds superior to a standard definition source. There is a wide array of colors, but vibrant they are not; whether the explosion of hues inside a market or some of the brightly colored vehicles seen in the opening minutes, the presentation clearly lacks brilliance but at least delivers the basics with little effort. Black levels go slightly pale at times, but flesh tones never fluctuate too far from normal shading. This is no reference quality presentation, but for a budget title the results are largely satisfying.

Best of the Best: Without Warning Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Best of the Best: Without Warning features a bland, unimpressive DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. From the start, it's clear that audio was a low priority with this release. There's very little in the way of realism or accuracy. While there's a decent general presence to the whirring helicopter from film's beginning, there's not much vigor to the effect and only modest spacing, no surprise given the two-channel constraints. Gunshots -- even shotgun blasts and magnum revolver shots -- come across as puny and lacking much of any sonic authenticity. Music is fairly presented but seems as if but a shell of what it probably sounded like in the recording studio. Worst of all, dialogue is unbalanced, oftentimes sounding hollow and detached, as if it were tacked on rather than a naturally flowing part of the presentation. The track is good enough to get listeners through the film, but there's not much here beyond the delivery of the most basic elements and with only cursory clarity and precision.

Best of the Best: Without Warning Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Best of the Best: Without Warning contains no supplemental content.

Best of the Best: Without Warning Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Best of the Best: Without Warning doesn't redefine the DTV Action flick -- if anything it reinforces many of the negatives surrounding such films by falling straight in line with every linear element and cliché available -- but it does deliver good, basic entertainment with several familiar faces popping up throughout. The film benefits largely from Phillip Rhee's knowledgeable, albeit very straightforward, direction and, more, his understanding of the sort of flow and structure a movie of this sort requires. Better, he's very likable in front of the camera and helps to mask the film's shortcomings by his friendly, guy-next-door sort of personality. This isn't memorable cinema, but audiences could do a whole lot worse in the crowded DTV Action movie market. Echo Bridge's supplement-free Blu-ray release features mid-grade video and poor audio. Still, it comes recommended considering the price tag.