IMDb RATING
6.0/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
An expert in "kenpo" karate avenges his Koreatown friend, slain by a mobster in Los Angeles.An expert in "kenpo" karate avenges his Koreatown friend, slain by a mobster in Los Angeles.An expert in "kenpo" karate avenges his Koreatown friend, slain by a mobster in Los Angeles.
John Koyama
- Porsche
- (as a different name)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Where can I learn to fight like that? This movie is fantastic. The fight scenes are choreographed perfectly and make Speakman out to be a good fighter, but not invincible(he does get hit a few times, quite nastily I might add). This is much better than a Steven Seagal film where he never suffers one blow from the bad guys. The way Speakman moves is breathtaking. Its almost hard to believe that what he's doing is actually a martial art. But it is. And he does it so well.
The plot in this movie is simple: its just another revenge flick. This makes the movie easier to watch because you don't have to really watch the plot, just the action. Its rather disappointing that after this and Street Knight, speakman was reduced to doing low-budget films. He deserves another big budget movie like this. Fantastic action, fantastic martial arts choreography make this a 10/10 movie. If you haven't seen it yet you must WATCH IT NOW.
The plot in this movie is simple: its just another revenge flick. This makes the movie easier to watch because you don't have to really watch the plot, just the action. Its rather disappointing that after this and Street Knight, speakman was reduced to doing low-budget films. He deserves another big budget movie like this. Fantastic action, fantastic martial arts choreography make this a 10/10 movie. If you haven't seen it yet you must WATCH IT NOW.
..But that's not to say the movie is all-around great. It's a very typical low-budget action flick. The story is pretty cookie-cutter as far as action movies go. It isn't Shakespeare believe me. And the acting is substandard at best. But Jeff Speakman to his enormous credit is a very accomplished martial artist. And having studied Kenpo for many years I can safely say that it's one of the most faithful films to capture the art. And what is even more impressive is the way the film portrays how Kenpo works when compared to different styles (like Tae Kwon Do).
So despite some minor inadequacies it's pretty awesome in many other respects. So for that I give it major credit. And to be honest it's a fun, feel good flick. I would recommend it to any martial arts fan. It's a good time.
So despite some minor inadequacies it's pretty awesome in many other respects. So for that I give it major credit. And to be honest it's a fun, feel good flick. I would recommend it to any martial arts fan. It's a good time.
This is one of my all time favorite martial arts flicks. Is the acting going to win any awards? No. But what makes it great is that Speakman takes hits when he is fighting, a lot of hits and sometimes he goes down and other times he uses incorporates the hit into his attack but he isn't Superman and he does take a beating. This gives the fight scenes a realism missing from so many movies of this kind. Unfortunately in his small catalog of movies Speakman never had another of this level. As much as I want to like LWM (and part of me still loves the movie) I hate Chuck Norris too much to separate his nonsense from his characters. I know this statement will win me no love for this review but Jeff Speakman should have had that long, successful run over crazy old Chuck Norris.
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE! This is one of the best martial arts movie I've ever seen. Way to go Jeff Speakman!!! You make Jean Claude Van Damme look like a fly on the wall. You should of been in Expendables 2! I DEFINITELY CAN NOT SAY THE SAME FOR JEAN CLAUDE! I wish you were in more movies because I only remember a good handful that are decent. This completely teaches the viewer the meaning of what it is to be self-discovering. This is just a golden gem that needs to be discovered by martial arts collectors all over the world. If you like fighting movies I would highly recommend you go on a hunting spree for this movie because it is such a rare treat that needs to be cherished by everybody in the world. R.I.P. John Dye, Mako, and Professor Toru Tanaka you guys will always be remembered for your roles in this perfectly Supreme movie, from my childhood. Jeff if you are reading this I just want you to know, you should come back to making these kinds of movies, your presence is missed dearly.
As Steve Segal's career began to decline, Jeff Speakman's was on the rise. Of the various martial arts movies Speakman did,l this is by the far the best, although Lord knows it is no masterpiece. There is very little plot other than revenge, but the fight scenes are well done and plentiful. Many familiar faces (Mako, James Hong, Toru Tanaka) are on hand to support Speakman, who is about as good an actor as Segal, which is to say not particularly good. But he looks great in the fight scenes. A young and delectable Mariska Hargitay, later of L&O: SVU, is along for the ride. Speakman was one of several actors that Hollywood briefly employed to capitalize on Segal's success. None lasted all that long. It took the arrival of Jet Li to spark new interest in martial arts flicks.
Did you know
- TriviaStar Jeff Speakman signed a multi-picture deal at Paramount. One of the two of the two planned movies was a sequel to this film, and another script Paramount optioned about a cop fighting a terrorist. After the Paramount deal fell through, that script went on to Twentieth Century Fox and became Speed (1994).
- GoofsWhen "Jeff" is fighting the gang of thugs in the antique store at the beginning, he knocks the guy through the window (same one he pulled through at the start of the fight). When the guy is shown landing, there is a glimpse of a blue landing mat just outside the window.
- Crazy creditsBefore the credits there is the following line: 'This film is dedicated to Ed Parker and the spirit of Kenpo.'
- Alternate versionsTV versions airing on TBS have two additional scenes in which Jennifer (Mariska Hargitay) has lines: one after Kim's funeral, in which she and Jeff catch up; and the other some days later, in which Jennifer and Jeff share a kiss before ninjas attack the two at the garden where she works. Theatrical and video versions have edited out any romance between Jennifer and Jeff in the story.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Hollywood Stuntmakers: Fantastic Fights (1991)
- SoundtracksThe Power
Written by Michael Münzing (as Benito Benitez), Luca Anzilotti (as John Garrett III) and Toni C. (as Tony C.)
Performed by Snap!
Courtesy of BMG Ariola Munich/Logic/Arista Records
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $14,061,361
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,934,572
- Mar 17, 1991
- Gross worldwide
- $14,061,361
- Runtime
- 1h 25m(85 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content