Review of The Perfect Weapon (1991) by David G — 09 Apr 2012

Martial arts actioner starring the little-known Jeff Speakman as a rebellious youth turned Kenpo Karate master who, following the murder of his old mentor, ventures into the seedy underworld of LA's Koreatown in the hopes of organising a dialogue and resolving the conflict peacefully.

OK, I'm kidding, naturally it's a case of beat the shit out of everyone first, ask qustions later. The film does aspire to be more than just a brainless action fest by incorporating family issues and morals of the "if you kill them you'll be no better than them" school of thought but at the end of the day it's the quality punch ups that leave the lasting impression (Speakman's charisma may be lacking but his skills aren't).

The supporting cast includes a lot of familiar faces that any 80's/90's beat 'em up fan will get a kick out of. James Hong, Mako and Professor Toru Tanaka are all on hand, as is Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, who presumably took a day off from the Showdown in Little Tokyo set in order to say a few lines and get beaten up.

Twice.