Gymkata
| Gymkata | |
|---|---|
Gymkata poster
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| Directed by | Robert Clouse |
| Produced by | Rebecca Poole Fred Weintraub |
| Screenplay by | Charles Robert Carner |
| Story by | Dan Tyler Moore |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Alfi Kabiljo |
| Cinematography | Godfrey A. Godar |
| Edited by | Robert A. Ferretti |
| Distributed by |
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM/UA Entertainment Co.) |
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Release date
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May 3, 1985 |
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Running time
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90 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | Unavailable |
| Box office | $5,730,596 |
Gymkata is a 1985 martial arts film starring Olympic gymnast Kurt Thomas as Jonathan Cabot, an Olympic gymnast who combines his gymnastic ability with martial arts to enter a deadly competition in a fictional country, Parmistan. The film is based on the 1957 novel The Terrible Game by Dan Tyler Moore, adapted for the screen by Charles Robert Carner (of Blind Fury fame), and shot in Yugoslavia.Gymkata earned a Razzie Award nomination for Thomas as Worst New Star.
It has developed a minor cult following as an unintentional comedy for its dubious premise, poor production quality and strange setting. Maxim lists the film as the 17th "Worst Movie of All Time".
Jonathan Cabot (Thomas) is approached by the Special Intelligence Agency (SIA) to play "the Game". The Game is an athletic competition in the fictional country of Parmistan, a tiny mountain nation which is supposedly located in the Hindu Kush mountain range. Parmistan forces all foreigners to play the Game, which is basically an endurance race with obstacles, all the while being chased by local Parmistan warriors. If a person wins, then they are granted their life and a wish. The SIA wants Cabot to win the game so that he can use his wish to install a US satellite monitoring station, which could monitor all satellites in space and act as an early warning system in case of nuclear attack. Cabot is told that the system could save millions of lives. As an extra incentive, Cabot is also told that his father (who went missing) was actually a SIA operative who was sent to play the game but was never heard from again. After a training period with martial arts teacher, Japanese guru, and a beautiful Parmistan princess named Princess Rubali (Tetchie Agbayani) he is deemed ready and sent to the town of Karabal, on the Caspian Sea for infiltration into Parmistan.
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