independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independe ...
martial arts film
Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expr ...
starring
Y.K. Kim
Young-kun Kim (김영군,‘마이애미 커넥션’ 내달 DC서 상영 " '', who also wrote and produced the feature. Originally, the film was critically maligned and received poor box office return upon release. It remained unseen for decades until Drafthouse Films restored the film for a proper release in 2012. The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray, limited-edition VHS, and various digital download options on December 11, 2012. Since then, the film has been better received by audiences and has garnered a cult following.
Plot
A
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
deal in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...
is interrupted by a group of motorcycle-riding
ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp ...
s led by Yashito, who steal the drugs and ride back to
Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures r ...
to party. At a club, Yashito's close associate, Jeff, sees his sister Jane onstage. She has become romantically involved with John, the bassist of the club's band, Dragon Sound, which consists of an ethnically diverse group of five men who are best friends. They live together, train
Taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast kicking techniques. ...
together, attend
University of Central Florida
The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...
together, and are all orphans. Jeff disapproves of his sister's relationship with John and confronts him at school, but Mark, rhythm guitarist of Dragon Sound, and Taekwondo instructor and father figure to the other band members, stands up to him.
Another band confronts the owner of the club over his hiring of Dragon Sound, but gets beaten up. The band leader brings a large group of rowdy guys to Dragon Sound directly and fights them in the street, but Dragon Sound defeats them with Taekwondo. Consequently, the rival band enlists the help of Jeff, who summons Dragon Sound to fight at a train depot, but he and his gang are badly defeated by Dragon Sound's superior martial arts skills. Jeff tries again by kidnapping Tom, the lead guitarist and singer of Dragon Sound. The remaining band members stage a rescue, wherein they free Tom and accidentally kill Jeff. Yashito is angered by Jeff's death and sets out for revenge.
Meanwhile, the keyboardist of the band, Jim, has revealed that he is searching for his long-lost father. He finally receives word that his father has been located, so the band pools their money to buy him a suit and then heads to the airport. Along the way, Yashito and his gang of ninjas surround Mark, Jim and John and chase them into a park, where they do battle. Jim is critically injured, but John and Mark manage to kill all of the ninjas, and Mark kills Yashito in
single combat
Single combat is a duel between two single warriors which takes place in the context of a battle between two armies.
Instances of single combat are known from Classical Antiquity and the Middle Ages. The champions were often combatants who repre ...
. At the hospital, Jim survives his wounds and reconnects with his repentant father.
Cast
*
Y.K. Kim
Young-kun Kim (김영군,‘마이애미 커넥션’ 내달 DC서 상영 " '' as Mark, Korean rhythm guitarist of Dragon Sound, and Taekwondo instructor and father figure to the other band members
* Vincent Hirsch as John, Irish-American bass guitarist of Dragon Sound, and Jane's boyfriend
* William Ergle as Jeff, leader of a gang of hooligans which is closely associated with Yashito's gang of ninjas, and Jane's brother
* Siyung Jo as Yashito, leader of a gang of ninjas which is closely associated with Jeff's gang of hooligans
* Kathie Collier as Jane, guest vocalist of Dragon Sound, John's girlfriend, and Jeff's sister
* Joseph Diamond as Jack, Israeli-American drummer of Dragon Sound
* Maurice Smith as Jim, Korean/African-American keyboardist of Dragon Sound
* Angelo Janotti as Tom, Italian-American lead guitarist/vocalist of Dragon Sound
*
John Leeson
John Francis Christopher Ducker (born 16 March 1943), known professionally as John Leeson, is an English actor, voice artist and freelance wine educator. He is known for portraying Bungle in ''Rainbow'' and voicing K9 in '' Doctor Who'' and ...
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...
''. November 9, 2012. Retrieved on February 12, 2013.) saw
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
''. August 26, 1988. E1 Style. Retrieved on February 12, 2013. "The prospect of making a movie was pitched to imby Korean filmmaker Richard Park, who had the film's basic storyline in mind when he saw Kim being interviewed in Korea about three years ago. Kim was there promoting a book he had written on Tae Kwon-do, and Park was interested enough to follow Kim back to the United States." and " ..ouldn't help but exchange tales they had heard about the film's star, YK Kim." Park met Kim and convinced him to make a film. Park conceived the story while watching Kim's interview. Early plans involved casting Bobby Kim (no relation to Y.K. Kim) as one of two brothers, with Y.K. Kim playing the other. The working title was ''TaeKwon-Do''.
Kim borrowed from friends, took out loans, spent all of his savings, and mortgaged his taekwondo school to finance the film. He had never made a film before. Erin Sullivan of ''
Orlando Weekly
''Orlando Weekly'' is a liberal progressive alternative newsweekly distributed in the Greater Orlando area of Florida. Every Thursday, 40,000 issues of the paper are distributed to more than 1,100 locations across Orange, Osceola and Seminole cou ...
'' said that Kim "had no idea what he was doing".Sullivan, Erin. "Orlando's Grandmaster Y.K. Kim just wanted to make a good taekwondo movie." ''
Orlando Weekly
''Orlando Weekly'' is a liberal progressive alternative newsweekly distributed in the Greater Orlando area of Florida. Every Thursday, 40,000 issues of the paper are distributed to more than 1,100 locations across Orange, Osceola and Seminole cou ...
''. December 12, 2012 1 Retrieved on February 12, 2013. Kim said that he hoped to find a distributor so the film would play nationally, but hundreds of distribution companies and studios rejected the film, including all of the major film distributors and several independent film distributors. He later said, "Every distribution company rejected it after screening and said to me, 'Don't waste your time. Just throw it away; it is trash.'"
After the rejection, Kim continued work on the film by refilming and reworking portions. A small distribution company purchased the film for $100,000. Sullivan states that Kim planned to "make a movie that draws attention to 'exciting martial arts action (not computer-generated).' "Sullivan, Erin. "Orlando's Grandmaster Y.K. Kim just wanted to make a good taekwondo movie." ''
Orlando Weekly
''Orlando Weekly'' is a liberal progressive alternative newsweekly distributed in the Greater Orlando area of Florida. Every Thursday, 40,000 issues of the paper are distributed to more than 1,100 locations across Orange, Osceola and Seminole cou ...
''. December 12, 2012 2 Retrieved on February 12, 2013.
Release
The film opened in August 1988 in eight theaters in
Greater Orlando
The Orlando metropolitan area, commonly referred to as Greater Orlando, Metro Orlando, Central Florida as well as for U.S. Census purposes as the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, is a metropolitan area in the ...
and was also screened in
Daytona Beach
Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population was 72,647 ...
and
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
, Florida. The film also opened in
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
. Kim said "I was so excited, and I had no doubt that we would pack every theater and it would be a blockbuster." Instead, ''Miami Connection'' had a poor critical reception and its run in theaters ended after three weeks. The ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'' called it the worst film of 1988. The film had a cost of about $1 million and almost bankrupted Kim.
Rob Humanick of ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...
'' commented that the film should have been featured on an episode of ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000
''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1 ...
'', and that it "would have likely been seen as a prize specimen and went icfor the jugular".
Re-release
As time passed, ''Miami Connection'' became an underground
cult film
A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...
.
Y.K. Kim
Young-kun Kim (김영군,‘마이애미 커넥션’ 내달 DC서 상영 " '' said that in a period of several years before 2012 several magazines and television talk shows requested interviews about ''Miami Connection'', and that Kim ignored most of the requests.
In 2009, Zack Carlson, a programmer at the
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is an American cinema chain founded in 1997 in Austin, Texas, which is famous for serving dinner and drinks during the movie, as well as its strict policy of requiring its audiences to maintain proper cinema-going eti ...
in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
, found the film on
eBay
eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became ...
and made a winning blind bid of $50. Carlson screened the film in the theater in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
and found a positive reception, so he gave the film to the creative director of Drafthouse Films, the distribution division of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. The director, Evan Husney, called Kim, and asked to get permission to re-release the film. Originally Kim believed that his requests were jokes, so he terminated the calls multiple times. Kim said "I was wondering why they wanted to distribute this movie that the public had rejected and Hollywood treated like trash 25 years ago." Husney and Kim negotiated for several months before reaching a deal to re-release the film. In the summer of 2010 it was screened as part of the Alamo Drafthouse Weird Wednesdays. Rob Humanick of ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...
'' said "The response was immense, almost transcendent, leading to encore presentations and ultimately a limited re-release."
The film received screenings in the
New York Asian Film Festival
The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...
and the Everything Is Festival, where it met with a positive reception. Erin Sullivan of the ''
Orlando Weekly
''Orlando Weekly'' is a liberal progressive alternative newsweekly distributed in the Greater Orlando area of Florida. Every Thursday, 40,000 issues of the paper are distributed to more than 1,100 locations across Orange, Osceola and Seminole cou ...
'' said "Drafthouse has helped connect this film to its audience with a series of midnight showings at film festivals and theaters in New York, Miami, Atlanta, Seattle and this week, Orlando."
Reception and legacy
Initial release
During its original release, the film was ignored by the public. The ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'' called it the worst film of 1988. Roger Hurlburt of the ''
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The ''Sun Sentinel'' (also known as the ''South Florida Sun Sentinel'', known until 2008 as the ''Sun-Sentinel'', and stylized on its masthead as ''SunSentinel'') is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, as well as surrounding Bro ...
'' wrote, "for lack of a better synopsis, Miami Connection is a cocaine-war- rock-ninja- motorcycle-gang film, with aspirations of being an action-adventure musical," and that Y.K. Kim "simply cannot talk". The title of the review by Jay Boyar of the ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'' was "If You Can't Say Something Nice".
Reassessments
The reception has been more favorable post-2009. The film's re-release was met with mostly positive reviews. On
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, the film has an approval rating of 65%, based on reviews from 20 critics. On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, it has a score of 56 out of 100, based on reviews from 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
Erin Sullivan of the ''
Orlando Weekly
''Orlando Weekly'' is a liberal progressive alternative newsweekly distributed in the Greater Orlando area of Florida. Every Thursday, 40,000 issues of the paper are distributed to more than 1,100 locations across Orange, Osceola and Seminole cou ...
'' wrote that "the movie has been surprisingly well-received since its rerelease – or at least, received for what it is and not held up to unrealistic standards." Rob Humanick of ''
Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yo ...
'' gave the film three and one-half stars out of four stars and wrote that "love it or hate it, it's doubtful you'll ever forget it, and it may just force you to redefine your definition of what constitutes 'good' cinema." Rich Juzwiak of ''
Gawker
''Gawker'' is an American blog founded by Nick Denton and Elizabeth Spiers and based in New York City focusing on celebrities and the media industry. According to SimilarWeb, the site had over 23 million visits per month as of 2015. Founded ...
'' wrote that the film was "So Bad It’s Essential." David Schmader of '' The Stranger'' wrote that "to say that ''Miami Connection'' is bad is a crushing understatement. ''Miami Connection'' is so bad it makes
Tommy Wiseau
Thomas P. Wiseau ( or ) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for writing, producing, directing, and starring in the 2003 film '' The Room'', which has been described by many critics as one of the worst films ever made and has gained ...
's ''
The Room
''The Room'' is a 2003 American drama film written, produced, executive produced and directed by Tommy Wiseau, who stars in the film alongside Juliette Danielle and Greg Sestero. The film centers on a melodramatic love triangle between ami ...
'' look like '' Wild Strawberries'' and that "but out of this tragic mess of failure and incompetence, a distinctly sweet spirit emerges. Its source is the cumulative gameness and good sportsmanship of everyone involved in ''Miami Connection'', which is drenched in a goofy joy that is contagious." Jacquie Allen of ''Tucson Weekly'' said "''Miami Connection'' is quite possibly the most hilariously terrible film made in the ’80s, which is no small feat...the film has gained a cult following over the years and with good reason: it is one of the best bad movies ever made."
''Miami Connection'' was featured during an October 2015
Rifftrax
RiffTrax is an American company that produces scripted humorous commentary tracks which are synced to mostly public domain feature films, education shorts, and television episodes. With the talents of former ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (''M ...
Live event. Y.K. Kim, speaking with ''
Paste
Paste is a term for any very thick viscous fluid. It may refer to:
Science and technology
* Adhesive or paste
** Wallpaper paste
** Wheatpaste, A liquid adhesive made from vegetable starch and water
* Paste (rheology), a substance that behaves a ...
'', appreciated that the Rifftrax event brought the film to movie screens again, even if they would make fun of it, and planned to watch the event himself.
''Miami Connection'' is referenced in the music video to
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom h ...
's #1 hit song "Happy" (2014), where the first dancer is seen sporting a ''Dragon Sound'' cutoff tee.
In 2017 the film was the subject of a live episode of the comedy podcast '' How Did This Get Made?'' that was later published on their website on September 15, 2017.
During the first season of
Red Letter Media
Red Letter Media, LLC is an American film and video production company operated by independent filmmakers Mike Stoklasa (formerly of GMP Pictures) and Jay Bauman (formerly of Blanc Screen Cinema). It was formed by Stoklasa in 2004 while he was li ...
’s web series ''Best of the Worst'', ''Miami Connection'' was featured as one of three films viewed by the panel. By a 3-1 vote, the film was chosen as “Best of the Worst” beating out David A. Prior’s '' Deadly Prey'' and
Andy Sidaris
Andrew W. Sidaris (February 20, 1931 – March 7, 2007) was an American television and film director, film producer, screenwriter, and actor.
Early life
Sidaris was born in Chicago, Illinois, to first-generation Greek immigrants. He grew u ...
’ '' Hard Ticket to Hawaii''. The episode concludes with Jack Packard opining, “Y.K. Kim had a vision, and his vision is a horrible glory.”
See also
* '' Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon'', a 2013 video game that uses the film's song "Friends" during its end credits. Its cover art also appears to be inspired by ''Miami Connection''.
* '' Samurai Cop'' - Rediscovered 90s film similar in content
Vice Media
Vice Media Group LLC is an American-Canadian digital media and broadcasting company. , the Vice Media Group included five main business areas: VICE.com (digital content); VICE STUDIOS (film and TV production) VICE TV (also known as VICELAND); ...