Gymkata (1985)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Instant Favorite.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

One of the greatest 'bad' movies of all time. A ridiculous but enjoyable comic book of a movie. It was done as a showcase for Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas. In this film, Thomas is recruited to go into the tiny country of Parmistan and win "The Game" in order for Parmistan to allow the United States to install a satellite monitoring station as part of the Star Wars program. This is already pretty stupid and I haven't even scratched the surface yet. "The Game" is Parmistan's tradition of making foreign warriors run a race along a set course, all the while being chased by soldiers. If they succeed, they get a wish granted. It all makes the kind of sense that doesn't.Mulleted Kurt Thomas is perhaps the most unlikely action star ever, with his all-American boyish looks and diminutive size. Whatever else there is to say about him, it's damn impressive watching him do all of his own stunts. Princess Rubali (Tetchie Agbayani) is his love interest. Filipino Agbayani is the highly unlikely daughter of the very white King of Parmistan, played by Buck Kartalian. Richard Norton plays the principal villain, the rat-tailed and dangly earring-wearing Zamir. One of my favorite roles in the movie, however, was that of Bob Schott as Thorg. The top-heavy Thorg wears a sweatshirt in all of his scenes, resembling Hans & Franz from the old Saturday Night Live sketches.It's a good movie to laugh at, for sure. But I want to be fair and say that there were some genuinely good points to it. As I mentioned, Thomas does all his stunts and they are impressive. Yes, they do silly things like place a pommel horse in the middle of a town just so he can jump on it and kick people. But it's part of the movie's nonsensical charm. I also enjoyed the location shooting. The film was shot in Yugoslavia and there's some great scenery and lovely old buildings. The "village of the crazies" part is actually pretty cool with some creepy atmosphere as Thomas is chased through the foggy streets by lunatics.The '80s was a wonderful decade for "fun" movies. Many of those are legitimate successes while some, like Gymkata, are misfires that succeed in spite of themselves. If you love '80s action movies or you love movies that you can have some fun with, you have to check this one out.

What do get when you combine gymnastics along with karate? "Gymkata"! This movie wasn't the best made, but it was the best thing to show what you can do to combine the best moves to make the ultimate martial artist! Gymnastics champ Kurt Thomas plays Jonathon Cabot, a gymnast who is approached by a federal agent to participate in a tournament called "The Game". Many other competitors from all around join, but only one would win. He put his skills to the test when the princess (Tetchie Agbayani) get kidnapped. When he arrived with the other competitors, there's more sinister things going on. The king's right hand man Zamir (Richard Norton ) is plotting to overthrow the king with his coup. If it wasn't for Cabot's gymkata skills, he would never have made it far. However, other than Zamir, he had to deal with a treacherous competitor: Thorg (Bob Schott). He kills one of the other competitors , while Zamir and his army do the rest. This movie could have been made better. The quality was bad, but the plot was excellent. Kurt's gymnastic skills are one of a kind. I don't agree with the critics on this movie, I seem to enjoy it well enough. 2 out of 5 stars

despite the fact that this film is pretty poorly done from from every every aspect you can think of,it's still manages to be a guilty pleasure.it comes off more as a Mel Brooks parody type of a movie than an actual serous attempt at film making,although it does try to take itself seriously,which of course makes it all the more funny.there are definitely a lot of eye rolling moments here.and yet,this is nowhere near as bad as many so called movies floating around out there.there's some entertainment value here,and it isn't all that painful to watch,relatively speaking.try Dark Town,or Dracula 3000,if you really want to know pain,and then get back to me.as for this one,i give it a 7/10

This movie beckons the question : What does men's gymnastic and cloaked, ninja henchmen on horses have in common ? Both are an intricate part of director, Robert Clouse's, vision. After his collaboration with Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon and Game of Death, Jim Kelly in Black Belt Jones and Jackie Chen in the Big Brawl, Robert Clouse cleverly blended campy masterpieces like the Ultimate Warrior (with Yul Brynner), Lee Van Cleef as the "stunt-ed" Master and this relatively unknown gem.Gymkata's protagonist is "faster than fire" Johnny Cabot (adequately played by Kurt Thomas, a gold medalist at the 1978 World Championships in gymnastics). Cabot's father was on a secret mission for the US government to secure "favors" of a country call Parmistan (actually filmed in the former Yugoslavia). They have a certain custom there which involves "the Game" and the 1 wish imparted to its survivor (a.k.a. winner). Major countries across the world are competing to win. Apparently, Mr. Reagan's "Star Wars" project is on the line. Johnny is sent in as a backup to his father and to win the game. To do so he is given the help of the Princess of Parmistan (who doesn't utter one word until 16 minutes into the movie and seems to be the mentor and acting coach of Devon Aoki) and her "gymkata" grand masters. Their training turns him from an adequate fighting gymnast to a lean, and relatively polite hopping machine.The most important and relevant question one needs to ask oneself is "what is gymkata"? Gymkata seems to be a fighting form that combines gymnastics with some generic un-named martial art. Its principles involve lots of running and jumping around. To be proficient in gymkata, one must also master the lost weapon skills of pommel horse, high bar and floor exercise. Martial arts veteran, Richard Norton (Zamir), bares his chest and hams it up as the villain. Norton's fighting skills are severely in check and underused, however, this movie's influence can still be seen in other movies (for example, the pommel horse scene seems to have been a huge influence on the Wachowskis and a certain scene involving Neo and many Smiths). The "Game" of Parmistan is an "iron man"-like event. There is first a race that leads to cliff rope climb, followed by a rope bridge, more running, hill climbing, running through the forest and then surviving the Village of the Damned. Whomever survives gets just 1 request and is revered by the local population. Big Whoop !! Unfortunately, the director's pedigree and the presence of Norton does not provide for anything more than laughable combat scenes. This movie is in no way to be taken seriously. From the 80's hair and 80's clothes, to the ridiculous plot and silly fighting is sure to put a smile on the face of the most disgruntled person. Johnny is whiny and annoying as the hero (think of Luke except much, much whinier). The plot, acting and action is laughable. It is enjoyable and easy to watch, but is geared towards showing off the talents of Kurt Thomas. I am sorry, Kurt, but you are no Bruce Lee. You aren't even good enough to lick the boots of Bruce's #1 fan and impersonator, Bruce Li. That's okay, though. You may not be the best of the best, but you sure look funny trying. Keep up the good work, Yorick.