IMDb RATING
4.4/10
4.6K
YOUR RATING
An American gymnast travels to a foreign country to compete in a deadly game not won by anyone other than a native in more than 900 years.An American gymnast travels to a foreign country to compete in a deadly game not won by anyone other than a native in more than 900 years.An American gymnast travels to a foreign country to compete in a deadly game not won by anyone other than a native in more than 900 years.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Edward Michael Bell
- Paley
- (as Edward Bell)
Zlatko Pokupec
- Mackle
- (as Z. Pokupec)
Slobodan Dimitrijevic
- Tamerlane
- (as S. Dimitrijevic)
Ivo Kristof
- Brockschmidt
- (as I. Kristof)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe film debut of Kurt Thomas, a former Olympic gymnast and his only starring role in his career.
- GoofsDuring the pommel horse fight scene with the "Parmistan" loonies, the ropes on the pommel horse mysteriously appear and disappear throughout the fight sequence.
- Quotes
Eastern Trainer: There are many sounds around us, each is slightly different. So small as to go un-noticed by the person who is unaware. Do not hear the wood split. Hear the only sound of axe, cutting air. Read the air itself. It has much say to you.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Movie Nights: Gymkata (2010)
Featured review
"My people...!" So bad it's hilarious
I first saw this movie with three friends at a theater in Norman, Oklahoma when it first came out. Aside from the four of us, the usher was in the theater, and the projectionist too. They should've gotten combat pay.
The US government goes to a gymnast to get him to train for and participate in The Game, a decathlon cum obstacle course held each year in the tiny country of Parmistan (the four of us immediately decided its major export was Parmesan cheese...). The Khan of Parmistan grants each winner a favor, and the US wants our hero to ask pretty please to let the US put some kind of radar installation in Parmistan to support SDI. Our hero agrees--after all, his dad mysteriously disappeared in Parmistan.
Our hero gets some help from the Khan's daughter, who turns out to be the only citizen of Parmistan who looks even vaguely Asian. (_Gymkata_ was filmed in Zagreb, then in Yugoslavia.) There are people who want to stop him, though--fortunately, every place our hero is in danger, there happens to be a convenient piece of gymnastic equipment that he can leap onto and kick some enemy behind. (It even comes pre-powdered so his hands won't slip--they think of everything!)
A high point of the film is the Khan himself, and his pronouncements from the balcony. We in the theater swore up and down that Mel Brooks was playing the Khan... He always uttered some non-English interjection that we promptly forgot (UPDATE: it's "yakmalla!"), replacing with "Uff- da!" when imitating him during and after the film, and followed it up with "My people!"
I recommend this in a double feature with _Phenomenal and the Mask of Tutankhamen_. Think you need an Abdomenizer? Nope--just watch these two movies.
The US government goes to a gymnast to get him to train for and participate in The Game, a decathlon cum obstacle course held each year in the tiny country of Parmistan (the four of us immediately decided its major export was Parmesan cheese...). The Khan of Parmistan grants each winner a favor, and the US wants our hero to ask pretty please to let the US put some kind of radar installation in Parmistan to support SDI. Our hero agrees--after all, his dad mysteriously disappeared in Parmistan.
Our hero gets some help from the Khan's daughter, who turns out to be the only citizen of Parmistan who looks even vaguely Asian. (_Gymkata_ was filmed in Zagreb, then in Yugoslavia.) There are people who want to stop him, though--fortunately, every place our hero is in danger, there happens to be a convenient piece of gymnastic equipment that he can leap onto and kick some enemy behind. (It even comes pre-powdered so his hands won't slip--they think of everything!)
A high point of the film is the Khan himself, and his pronouncements from the balcony. We in the theater swore up and down that Mel Brooks was playing the Khan... He always uttered some non-English interjection that we promptly forgot (UPDATE: it's "yakmalla!"), replacing with "Uff- da!" when imitating him during and after the film, and followed it up with "My people!"
I recommend this in a double feature with _Phenomenal and the Mask of Tutankhamen_. Think you need an Abdomenizer? Nope--just watch these two movies.
helpful•237
- jamesjones01-1
- Dec 5, 2002
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Details
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $5,730,596
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $1,261,845
- May 5, 1985
- Gross worldwide
- $5,730,596
- Runtime1 hour 30 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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