Miami Connection

1987 "Greetings from the most dangerous jungle in the world: the streets of Miami."
5.6| 1h26m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 18 August 1987 Released
Producted By: Drafthouse Films
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://drafthousefilms.com/film/miami-connection
Info

In a world where ninjas dream of being rock stars and rock stars dream of being ninjas, a martial arts rock band goes up against a band of motorcycle ninjas who have tightened their grip on Florida's narcotics trade.

Genre

Action, Crime, Music

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Miami Connection (1987) is now streaming with subscription on Freevee

Director

Y.K. Kim, Richard Park Wu-sang

Production Companies

Drafthouse Films

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  • Crew
Bubba Baker as Nail Face (uncredited)

Miami Connection Audience Reviews

Evengyny Thanks for the memories!
VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.
Console best movie i've ever seen.
Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.
bensonmum2 Here's my simple and short plot summary – A group of dorky Taekwondo practitioners, who also happen to be college roommates and bandmates, find themselves doing battle with a group of motorcycle riding drug dealers, who also just happen to be expert martial artists. Miami Connection (not sure why it's called Miami Connection – most of it is set in Orlando) is a real stinker. Just look at that plot. The story is beyond ridiculous. It's actually more stupid than it sounds – singing college-going ninjas battling drug lords – yeah, right. Words fail me when trying to describe the ineptitude on display. The acting and direction are abysmal. Why am I not surprised to discover that almost no one involved with Miami Connection has any other credits on their resume? The music will annoy you long after the film ends. The song about friendship reminded me of something straight out of an ABC After School Special. It's an earworm that keeps on giving. Finally, the fight choreography is surprisingly bad. I say "surprisingly" because it's obvious that Y.K. Kim is actually a solid martial artist. Unfortunately, it doesn't translate well to the screen.So, if Miami Connection is as bad as I say, why the 5/10 rating? Well, despite the plethora of problems, this movie is still entertaining. It may be entertaining for all the wrong reasons, but it's still entertaining. I honestly laughed out loud several times. I watch movies for entertainment and I got a fair amount of entertainment out of Miami Connection. If you "enjoy" bad movies, this one should not be missed.
Idiot-Deluxe A towering testament to amateurism and a laughable movie from start to finish, let's delve into - The Miami Connection!Firstly, as far as bad movies go this is one of the best. Period. What we have here with The Miami Connection is one of the ultimate examples of when sheer enthusiasm exceeds talent many times over. The brainchild of one Y.K. Kim (karate expert and in-demand motivational speaker) who as you'll notice back when this was made in 1986, could barely speak English and he routinely butchers his lines, in fact he has some worst sounding speech you'll ever hear in any movie. However with the way that this movie rolls, it doesn't really seem to matter much, as the plots of martial arts films are never complicated affairs. It must be said when speaking of The Miami Connection and terrible acting, well... Y.K. Kim had plenty of company, because the movies entire cast is comprised of virtually nothing but amateur actors, who have a minimal amount skill or experience and that fact is proved to be true in every single scene of the movie. Think of The Miami Connection as a master class of terrible acting. One of the big dilemma's that this movie creates in the wake of it's sheer awesomeness is picking a favorite scene. Is it the fight scenes that involve ninjas on motor-cycles or is it the rip-roaring "Dragon Sound" scenes, which showcases Y. K. Kim and his band-mates jamming, while showing off their laughably lame skills of pretending to play bad music. When you watch The Miami Connection your subconscious will constantly be telling you "Only in the 80's" over and over again and to such an extent that this movie seems like a time-portal to the 80's; because in virtually every scene there's at least one or two things that directly ties it to the 80's, such as clothing, hair-styles, music, movie references, cars, and let's not forget that the 80's where the golden era of ninja flicks and The Miami Connection is absolutely crawling with ninjas! I also find it impossible not to be stricken by a few Miami Vice flashbacks when watching this ridiculous movie (particularly the opening sequence), so once again The Miami Connection draws up yet another 80's parallel, this film racks them up like no other. I won't bother to go into the plot, it's nothing more then a generic power-struggle, that centers around their band and a certain romantic relationship that causes friction with a rival gang, but to it's credit it does seem to have a bit more going on, plot-wise, then most other martial arts films. Another great thing about this movie, is the high degree of camaraderie that freely flows between Y. K. Kim and his fellow band-mates, together they exude an irrepressible spirit, that's equally matched by the bands infectious, no-holds-barred enthusiasm for their music and it's quite obvious that their a very tightly-knit group. One could say Dragon Sound offers up a glowing example of what a true band mentality is all about. ROCK ON!!! Even if their music does suck.....To mention a few more specifics about this awesome icon of crap cinema, I urge you to sit back and observe the acting of Jack McLaughlin whose credited as "Old Rock Band Leader", he's hard to miss because he's the loudest and angriest guy in the movie. I hold the opinion that he's also the worst actor ever, watch this movie and you'll see what I mean. Also be ready for this movies "Totally 80's" soundtrack, which is composed of a laughably bad collection of 80's rock/pop songs. My favorite cut (apart from Dragon Sound's own incomparably awesome musical statements) would have to be "Tough Guys", which is the tune heard during the biker rally scene, about in hour into the movie. Now that song utterly oozes with sweat, grit and badboy swagger - definitely the type of tune that'll put hair on your chest. In light of all the sarcastic admiration that this movie inspires, I almost forgot to mention the fact that there are a lot of genuinely good martial arts on display throughout the movie. Y.K. Kim and a few others are multiple-degree black belts and their fight choreography often shines - just don't expect Mr. Kim to be the second coming of Bruce Lee, no risk of that being the case. From a merchandising angle, one that's highly limited I suspect, the soundtrack to the movie is available on CD but better yet I've also seen, hilariously enough, some action figures that are based directly off the films characters! Unfortunately, I believe those were essentially prototypes, that were never produced in any great number, which when you apply stone-sober logic to the matter, makes sense, because who in their right mind would invest a lot of money in a toy-line that's based on The Miami Connection. But if your're a big fan of this movie, as I am, those action figures are a great and awesomely nostalgic sight to behold.Lastly, for those seeking additional laughter, I highly recommend that you watch the "Rifftrax:Live" edition of The Miami Connection, for it is undoubtedly the ultimate incarnation of this movie.
Comeuppance Reviews Jeff (William Eagle) and Yashito (Si Y Jo) are cocaine runners who are close to dominating the world with their drug trade. There's only one thing standing in their way, but it's of monumentally awesome proportions: a rock band called Dragon Sound, consisting of members of all different ethnicities who all practice Tae Kwon Do and perform in Karate Gi's (when not sporting their sleeveless band logo shirt). Jeff's sister Jane (Kathy Collier) just happens to sing for Dragon Sound, and he severely disapproves of her Pat Benatar-like vocal stylings, so he summons his army of biker ninjas to fight the "friends forever" in mortal combat. So while keyboard player Jim (Smith) sorts out his own personal family issues, it's up to guitarist (?) Mark (Y.K. Kim in a stunning performance) to take on the baddies, while keeping his band of brothers together. Can he do it? (P.S.: BIKER NINJAS.) Wildly enjoyable, Miami Connection defines what cinematic fun is all about. Man oh man does this movie deliver the goods you want. National treasure Y.K. Kim's line readings are worth their weight in gold, so much so that G. Gordon Liddy and William Devane are going to start recommending them as the standard U.S. currency. Sadly, this was his only film, putting him up there in the stars with Matt Hannon, Jay Roberts Jr. and Andy Bauman. His, and everyone else's acting/fight choreography is mind-boggling, and thank God for the new DVD release, which is loaded up with features, including deleted scenes and an alternate ending, so we can truly experience Miami Connection in all its glory.Yet more proof that the 80's was uber-awesome, in order to properly soak up the copious charm of Miami Connection, you have to mentally transport yourself back to the golden days when guys and girls with feathered hair wore Ratt and Motley Crue T-shirts with blue and/or black 3/4-length sleeves, Pink Floyd painter's hats existed (and baddies wore them), and Oates rocked out a wailin' guitar solo while wearing white Karate pants while Y.K. Kim did a Martial Arts demonstration on stage by grabbing a dude's nose with his toes. It's not actually possible to get more radical than that.But yet, there are action scenes with gore and violence, and a baddie saying "No More Mistakes". This from his hideout which looks like a little slice of Japan in the middle of Florida. Who knew Miami had such a large ninja population? That's just one of many life lessons you'll learn from Mr. Kim and the gang. That's the thing, there's a positive vibe, emphasizing friendship and camaraderie that you really don't see in movies anymore. And those classic songs! The songs by Dragon Sound, and the others on the soundtrack are extremely catchy and you can't help but love what you're seeing and hearing. A CD soundtrack needs to be released.It's funny, it's winning, there are great classic computers, the guy who plays Jeff looks like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (if he had been a mid-80's Florida drug dealer, of course), and there's even a Godfrey Ho-style Final Field Fight. Truly this is the movie Godfrey Ho always wanted to make, but rarely reached the heights of. Truly YKK isn't something that's cryptically imprinted on all of our zippers anymore. He's a flesh and blood man who has found his way into all of our hearts.They REALLY don't make 'em like this anymore. We would like to personally thank Drafthouse Films for reviving the majesty that is Miami Connection. We look forward to what they're going to do next. It's going to be hard to top this. Miami Connection isn't really the type of movie you see. It's the type of movie you live. Against the Ninja. We will fight the battle to win.
Wizard-8 It doesn't take long into watching "Miami Connection" to come up with a sizeable list of various kinds of ineptness to be found in it. But I want to start off by listing a few positive things about the movie. It is well photographed and lit, including the night sequences. Plus, the themes of friendship and loyalty found in the movie are commendable. And I can't say that the movie is *boring*. But more often than not, the movie gets away from being boring by being amusingly inept. The acting is incredibly bad; it's easy to see that none of the cast is a professional actor. The fight sequences are awkward. The songs are awful, but catchy enough that you won't be able to get them out of your head. And don't let me get started on the motorcycle ninjas! Is this a classic so bad that it's good movie? In my opinion, no - it isn't *quite* that aggressive in its badness. But with modern so bad that they're good movies being nearly impossible to find these days, this is adequate enough to feed your appetite for cinematic silliness.