Only the Strong

Right now you can watch Only the Strong on streaming — and it moves faster than most of the genre's competition. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Mark Dacascos anchors the chaos with real screen presence. Start it whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Only the Strong is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The choreography in Only the Strong serves the story instead of interrupting it. Former Green Beret Louis Stevens returns to his hometown of Miami after completing military service in Brazil, only to learn that his old high school has become a haven for gangs and drug dealers. After Stevens uses his capoeira skills to kick several drug dealers off of the school property, Kerrigan, one of Stevens' old teachers, sees the impact that Stevens has on the students. Kerrigan gives him the task of teaching Capoeira to a handful of the worst at-risk students at the school. Mark Dacascos and Paco Christian Prieto lead a cast that keeps the chaos grounded in who's actually at stake. Only the Strong came out in 1993. The geography of every set piece in Only the Strong is legible, which is rarer in the genre than it should be. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Action fans who want craft and story alongside the spectacle will find exactly that in Only the Strong. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Mark Dacascos is the obvious draw, but the supporting cast gives the action the context it needs to land. The action holds up because the character work underneath it never lets up.

Only the Strong was released in 1993, directed by Sheldon Lettich. The full 99-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.