Very disappointed :(

Expected more

Best movie of this year hands down!

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This viewer isn't about to convince anybody that he's just seen something particularly "good". He acknowledges that it IS a silly potboiler, with enough goof ball aspects to it to prevent one from ever taking it seriously. It's built on a reliable "root for the good guy" formula, even if said good guy has about as much personality as a bowl of shredded wheat. The villains are easily hate-worthy, the action is always fun (if improbable), and the location shooting more than adequate. It's all set to a blatantly manipulative, rousing soundtrack composed by Alfi Kabiljo.Real-life champion gymnast Kurt Thomas stars as Jonathan Cabot, an athlete convinced by his government to participate in a "game" that takes place in the distant country of "Parmistan". The governments' motivation in this venture is that they hope to build a satellite station in this country; the winner of the "game" is not only allowed to live (!), but is also granted one request. Jonathan duels with an evil assistant (Aussie martial arts icon Richard Norton) to the country's ruler (Buck Kartalian), fights off a thuggish competitor (Bob Schott), and falls in love with the rulers' luscious daughter (Filipino hottie Tetchie Agbayani).Along with truly laugh-out-loud moments and moments of moderate excitement, we get a fairly blazing pace and a pretty colourful atmosphere. (This was largely filmed on location in Yugoslavia.) Thomas may not leave much of an impression, but his physical abilities are nothing to be sniffed at. Conveniently, a structure resembling a pommel horse is situated in one locale so he is able to do what he does best. Agbayani is amusing as she initially comes off as an ice princess, and slowly warms up to our hero. Norton and Schott are good baddies; prolific character actor Kartalian is quite likeable as the ruler.The unqualified highlight is the fact that competitors must navigate their way through a "village of the mad", where Parmistan has rounded up its criminally insane. One dude severs his hand for no obvious reason; another guy wears a cloak with no back, allowing us to get an eyeful of his posterior. This, at least, is something unusual, and helps to make "Gymkata" somewhat memorable.Is this quality filmmaking? Maybe not, but one can't deny the entertainment value, as the utter cheesiness is served to us with some style by martial arts movie veteran Robert Clouse (of "Enter the Dragon" fame).Eight out of 10.

Had enjoyed it when i saw this in the late 80s on a VHS. Revisited it recently on a DVD jus for nostalgic moments. It is obviously derived from Enter The Dragon since its frm the same director. It has stiff dialog, meh story-line, pathetic acting. The budget is low. Everything bad about this film is a proof that this cud have happened in the 80's. Hav learnt walking on hands after watching this flick. The village scene was creepy n surreal, but was hilarious too. The two faced guy, the naked guy n of course the self arm chopping scene. This movie is a must for fans of the American martial arts movies of the 80s and early 90s. Bad acting by Kurt Thomas. His hairstyle is one of the highlights of this movie.

The idea of combining gymnastics and martial arts is the basis for this movie. The hero Jonathan Cabot is played by Olympic gold medalist Kurt Thomas. While the credits roll we see Thomas swinging from the high bar exhibiting the muscular control that made him a champion. With "boy next door" good looks (still only in his 20s when this movie was made,) and a chiseled physique, he's perfect to play a young athlete chosen by the CIA for a secret mission. The Asian country of Parmistan has become a pawn in the Cold War and Jonathan's soldier father was slain there while playing a grueling martial arts endurance game. Now, if Jonathan can win the same contest that killed his father, the USA can establish a vital satellite station there. Though Jonathan is no fighter, his obvious physical abilities make him a prime candidate to compete against the other countries' competitors. The CIA begins his training, turning a boyish jock into a martial arts killer. Parmistan's beautiful princess Rubali also helps in his education and, in very little time, the two teenagers fall in love. We see him training hard and watch as his "gymkata" becomes a deadly martial arts technique. His romance with the princess heats up as well in a scene where the lovely Rubali massages his shirtless torso.Arriving in Parmistan, Jonathan meets the other champions he will have to beat to win the game. Among them are Thorg, a giant Russian wrestler, Gomez, Hao and, the movie's villain Zamir. Zamir is played by Australian martial arts legend Richard Norton. The mature Norton --- sporting an impressive physique --- is the perfect foil for the young Thomas and when Zamir begins to lust after Rubali, we know only one of them will survive. The game begins and, one by one, the competitors meet a grisly death -- some at the hands of Zamir's deadly arrows. Jonathan retains his good guy image by trying to help an injured rival, while Thorg improves his odds by ambushing Hoa using his brute strength to slay the young Asian. The game takes them through a village of homicidal maniacs and Jonathan must use every trick in his gymkata to survive, but Thorg is not so lucky and meets his death there. Just when things look dark for Jonathan he is rescued by a mysterious stranger who turns out to be his missing father. He explains that though Zamir pierced his chest with an arrow he survived and hid out all this time. The reunion is short lived however when Zamir spots them and finishes the job he started by sinking another arrow into the father's back. With his dying breath he makes Jonathan promise to win the game for him.Zamir and Jonathan square off for the final battle. Norton clearly prepared for this role with plenty of gym time and his buff physique is on full display. Matched against him is the younger Thomas, lighter and faster. Using his superior strength, Norton begins to wear down the gymnast, but then using his gymkata skills, Thomas flips into the air and lands with his legs wrapped around Norton's neck. Anyone who watches gymnastics knows they have incredibly well developed leg muscles. With the intensity showing on his face, Jonathan slowly constricts his powerful thighs until, with a savage twist, he snaps Zamir's neck. Having won the game, and avenged his father, Jonathan goes on to wed Rubali and tie Parmistan to an alliance with the USA.Though there are big holes in the plot and the Cold War theme is dated, there is plenty of action in this flick. The gymkata style is interesting and it's surprising no one else adopted it for a future action film . Kurt Thomas never made another movie which is also surprising since he had the good looks and ripped body of a Hollywood star. Maybe someday another gymnast will come along to capture the public's imagination and we'll see a Gymkata 2.

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.