Sur la défensive

After "The Perfect Weapon", I just couldn't allow that this movie run away from me. And I really think that Jeff Speakman nails it again. With this film, he confirmed his low budget martial arts star status. Now, this is one of those good old low budget action films from the early 90s. Just turn off your brain and enjoy it, if you are a martial arts movies fan, you'll really enjoy it, and if you are a Kenpo practitioner, you'll enjoy it even more. Jeff Speakman is a master in Kenpo and Goju-Ryu karate, but primarily Kenpo, and he is presenting this martial art style in his films, just like Bruce Lee did with Jeet Kune Do, Chuck Norris with Tae Kwon Do, Jet Li with Wushu and Steven Seagal with Aikido. I think that Jeff deserves his place besides these great martial arts stars.

The story is one of those… the usual… Jeff plays Jake Barrett a former cop, now car mechanic, who quit the force because he filled guilty for the innocent victim's death. As I said… usual type of story, he is a "perfect weapon", "one man army" and "a tough guy"… but, he don't want to fight no more, because someone will push him later on… you know, that type of story. Jeff tried to do as much as he can with his acting, don't expect much acting in these kind of films, but besides him, and I think he steal the show… Christopher Neame, a good British actor, but in US, he constantly plays imposing villains, the good things is that he does it great. Neame was OK. We got a leading lady, Jennifer Gatti, a very lovely young actress, but… not great acting. We also have talents as Bernie Cassey and Ramon Franco. The action is good, fighting scenes are great, which makes it a good film to watch. I recommend it.

Sloppily edited action flick starring Jeff Speakman as a former cop who gets enmeshed in a nefarious plot to escalate gang violence in L.a. by a group of mercenaries who met in prison. Not nearly enough action, although the big battle at the end helps a bit. Too often, it's just people standing around spouting clichéd lines. Speakman is the only reason to see it. His best film remains "The Perfect Weapon." This one is under-budgeted and not well written. Final effort by Cannon Films, which also featured Chuck Norris in a number of his action films. Instead of the usual car chase in this one, we get Speakman riding a horse, pursued by some bad guys in an SUV. It wasn't much of a chase, but it was different.

Jeff Speakman followed up his solid action fare 'The Perfect Weapon' with 'Street Knight'. A disappointingly bland urban action which has Speakman (an ex-cop) caught between a street gang war (actually orchestrated by a third party), but instead of busting his way out of it. Everyone decided to go down a different path, which goes on to waste his talents (unlike 'The Perfect Weapon'). Instead focusing on dramatic plot cues and a script lined with probing leads and deep conversations for Speakman to sink his teeth into... yeah, not much talent there. Unless you like waiting around for over an hour to see Speakman do what you were originally hoping. When it does happen, after being slowed down by its monotonous story. It's not often, or particularly exciting. Quite half-hearted to have any real impact. So, it's a waste.

Interestingly this was the last film Cannon Films produced before bankruptcy. A forgettable way to go out on.

One of those movies where the hero is a noble white man trapped between two rival gangs on the eve of war. Here Speakman's been hired to find a kid just as the local African-American and Hispanic gangs are getting ready to kill each other. In fact, the kid's in hiding ever since he inadvertently discovered that the upcoming gang war is being fomented by evil white guys looking to knock over a jewelry store. Fifty years ago it would've been a B-Western with Neville Brand, maybe, and Apaches and Homesteaders.

Speakman's not a bad actor, although he's not especially charismatic and tends to feel more workmanlike than anything else. The fight scenes are good and a bit more extended than is common for this era, although I could've stood more fighting more generally. The plot doesn't make a lick of sense (why foment a gang war? Why not just rob the jewelry store?) and the lead bad guy's a bit, uh, flamboyant. Not especially bad, just pretty much forgettable.

Jeff Speakman is an ex cop, trying to prevent war between two rival gangs. However, a shadowy group are instigating the war, in order to take over the streets. Why are the actual cops themselves doing nothing to prevent this state of affairs? Because they aren't martial artists, and Speakman is, that's why.

Nobody is going to watch a film called "Street Knight" featuring a martial artist in order to see a heartfelt social commentary on gang violence. They're gonna watch it to see Speakman kick ass, break heads and then kick more ass.

Does he fulfill his ass kicking duties? Yeah, pretty much, and it's the actual fight scenes (including one wince inducing one with mechanic's tools) which somewhat elevates Street Knight above the usual bargain basement crap. Speakman is a competent martial artist and the scenes are well choreographed, which makes this one worth a watch, and satisfying (albeit in a purely switch brain off kinda way) for fans of the genre, or action fans.

Nothing at all special, but a satisfying enough beer/whatever flick all the same. 6/10, bonus point for decent fight scenes.