Phillip Rhee is best known for his role in the Best of the Best movies, and the first film in the series was inspired by real events in his life. In Best of the Best, Rhee portrays American martial arts champion Tommy Lee, who is chosen with four other fighters to join the U.S. Karate Team for an upcoming match with the Korean team. Tommy faces a greater challenge than any of his teammates in fighting the formidable Dae Han (Simon Rhee), who killed Tommy's brother in a match years earlier.
In an interview with Scott Adkins (via The Art of Action), Phillip Rhee explained that the genesis of Best of the Best, which he co-wrote and produced, stemmed from a sparring incident in his youth. During the match, the opponent of Rhee's brother Simon got him out of the ring and attempted to hit him with an axe kick. Rhee and his teacher, Grandmaster Hee Il-cho, intervened and after the confrontation had ended, Rhee approached the other very skilled martial arts fighter to say "I'm sorry I hit you, but it was out of the ring, and you were about to axe kick my brother, and I couldn't let you do that."
Rhee explained that, to his surprise, the opponent was not defensive but apologetic, stating that he'd been trained to continue attacking until his coaches gave the order to stop. Rhee then revealed that he competed alongside his old opponent in the 1980 Korean Olympics, with Rhee stating, "What was great about that was that he was my enemy and became my closest friend." This incident, as Rhee explained, partially formed the basis for Best of the Best, and had an apparent influence on Tommy's relationship with his teammate Travis Brickley (Chris Penn).
The 1980 Korean Olympics also inspired Best of the Best in another way with Rhee's fight in the martial arts tournament. Rhee faced some backlash from local spectators as a Korean-born fighter competing for the American team (via Tae Kwon Do Times). Rhee also fought against the Korean team's captain, but the historic match ended with the two fighters showing each other great respect before the audience, with Rhee commended by both for his fighting skills.
Both events shine through very clearly in Best of the Best. Travis Brickley, at first aggressive toward his fellow American fighters and Tommy especially, turns over a new leaf by the end, becoming a team player and very supportive of Tommy. The emotional final match between Tommy and Dae Han takes license with some elements, with Tommy fighting an internal battle of wanting to avenge his brother's death in the climax of the martial arts film. By the end, though the American team is defeated, the badly beaten Dae Han makes amends with Tommy for the death of his brother and offers himself as his new brother, with the two fighters tearfully embracing before the cheering crowd.
Despite fictionalizing some aspects of Rhee's story of opponents-turned-friends, Best of the Best holds true to the essence of the stories from his fighting days. The Best of the Best movies continue to stand years later as perhaps the purest and most enduring tribute to Tae Kwon Do in American martial arts films. Moreover, as the progenitor of the Best of the Best movie series, the original Best of the Best itself remains a beloved '80s martial arts classic, given greater power and impact by Phillip Rhee's real-life stories that helped shape it.