MovieChat Forums > Best of the Best II (1993) Discussion > James and Brakus

James and Brakus

posted 8 years ago by Chrisbc-1
3 replies | jump to latest

James seems to know how to defeat Brakus, and indeed he is still alive at this point in the story and it is clearly established that the audience always chooses death. This begs the question. What is the story between James and Brakus?

These are possibilities in my opinion.

1. James was the previous champion and was soundly beating Brakus, until he was caught with a cheap shot. Out of respect, the audience decided to let him live. In shame, he went home and became a drunk.

2. James won the fight, and like Tommy, refused ownership of the Colosseum due to its cruel nature. Weldon, furious, at James' non-cooperation threaten the lives of his family unless he left town. Feeling guilty that he risked the lives of his family, he resorted to drinking.

3. James never actually fought Brakus, but was his trainer. Afraid to face James in the Colosseum, Brakus beat him to a pulp while he was sleeping and defenseless.

[–] tenantennae 8 years ago

I haven't seen this in a while, so these might not hold water, but here are some other possibilities I thought of:

4. Brakus THOUGHT he killed James in the coliseum and disposed of his body, but somehow James survived.

5. Is it possible their fight took place outside the coliseum, and that's why they both survived?

6. James defeated Brakus in the coliseum, but was too severely wounded to finish him off (bleeding severely out of that hole in his torso, perhaps), so the match was ruled a draw. Brakus kept the coliseum, and James walked away from that life.

[–] jakethemuss3-579-270853 7 years ago

I never understood his wound? Looks like he got stabbed with a knife or an ax, but Brakus only fought with a metal pole, and that was in round 2. He could not have inflicted that wound with his hands, or his legs. The pole is a blunt object. So I never understood it. If James did indeed fight him in The Coliseum, then that would imply Brakus had been the champion for a pretty long time. I always took it that James had been living on his mothers property for years.

[–] averagejoeman2013 8 years ago

I believe otherwise. I do not recall there being the guarantee each fight had to be to the death. It was subject to the whims of the crowd which was influenced by the quality of the opponent. I believe James put up one hell of a fight against Brakus....but was still soundly defeated. As Brakus' wife said regarding Tommy: "Darling, I think you've finally found your worthy opponent". I take this to mean that anyone else before (James included) didn't measure up to be perceived as a real threat to Brakus.

We also see from his wounds that "Brakus was the car...I was the accident".... they definitely fought inside the Coliseum as James knew as well about the metal staff fighting "If you ever get passed the preliminaries., you'll have to learn to fight with these"..and he produces the metal staffs.

So in short, James fought Brakus so he understood how he fought but was left alive as he was perhaps the only one who fought courageously enough (I am one of only three people in the world who can train you to defeat Brakus" (the other two being Brakus and the host)) to earn being spared. He was maimed and incapable of further challenges..but was left alive.

Stay tuned for the documentary: "From Wheaties to Fruit Loops...the Bruce Jenner story"