L'arme parfaite

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.

Jeff Speakman's performance in "The Perfect Weapon" is awesome. This plot is able to magnificently interweave furious action sequences with the literary theme of the return home. While the plot differs markedly from that of "The Odyssey" by the epic bard Homer, there is still one vital thread that can be explored: both heroes return home after a long exile to kick ass and reclaim their positions in society. The ensuing list of possible contrasts and comparisons is exhausting if not infinite. However, if one is to understand one point, it is that in both works, martial arts are employed to signify the process of social transition; the re-integration of the hero into society.

To be a little less formal, let use the martial arts aspect as a segue into a nifty little observation. Jeff Speakman is a reasonably well known proponent of Ed Parker's Kenpo Karate, developed in U.S. during the 1940s and 1950s. "The Perfect Weapon" is an excellent primer on the power and wisdom of this art. The clearest example of this exposition is at Master Lo's Kenpo school, where Speakman learns both the skills and valuable lesson he will keep with him for the rest of his life; the most important being the difference between the tiger and the dragon. Yet, the movie is set in Koreatown, where Tae Kwon Do is the martial art du jour. The korean flags are prominent in the gym scene, and the references to Korean culture abound. There appears then, to be a subtle not so subtle match up between Kenpo Karate and Tae Kwon Do. The climax of this tension comes as Speakman confronts Leo Lee (Bandana) in the gym, looking for a guy who is 'good in Tae Kwon Do.' Does the ensuing three on one fight symbolize the clash of fighting styles? No one will ever know what Ed Parker or Mark DiSalle wanted to achieve here, but the contrast is too present to be simply a coincidence.

Alas, all reviews must end somewhere, and though I have much more to say, I will end my two cents with a small criticism of the action in the film. Anyone with a decent amount of martial arts experience will note that in the final warehouse scene, the knife attacks are undoubtedly more akin to training exercises than to real street techniques, but then again that may have been purposely done. It is also worth noting that this author has minimal training in Kajukenbo (an art based on Kenpo) and is far from an expert in the field.

The one thing that I can say with reasonable auctoritas is that this movie is electric from start to finish.

..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.

This is my favorite martial arts movie. The plot is easy to follow, which makes it good for non-martial arts viewers like me. Jeff has an easygoing personality and is very easy on the eyes. There are some elements of Asian-American meets Asian, and Jeff melts into that world almost effortlessly. The opening scene is memorable as Jeff shows us some of his martial arts moves in full condition, and has a good opening song. The film never drags. Great movie for couples to watch together as it isn't necessarily a "guy" film. Unfortunately, Jeff never followed through on the promise he showed in this, his best film. He later started doing mellow kind of dad movies. His time would have been better spent developing his acting abilities, which are rather wooden. But it's a good kind of b-grade acting.

The Perfect Weapon is my all time favorite martial arts 90's movie and it is the best off Jeff Speakman he ever did. This is the only movie I like the rest of the films Jeff Speakman did were just pure garbage. It is my favorite martial arts karate action movie. It is a style of one man army with no guns but with his bare hands using Kenpo karate martial arts skills to fight the evil on the streets. I love this film to death and I have watch it as a teen. I rented this movie on VHS in 2003 and I watched this movie with my mom. It is a bit underrated martial arts action film and my opinion and it is a good film.

The movie was directed by Mark DiSalle who also directed Kickboxer (1989) Jean-Claude Van Damme film and the music score and composer is Gary Chang who made music scores for other action movies and that really good such as: Dead Bang, Death Warrant (another Jean-Claude Van Damme movie), Under Siege, Sniper, Double Team and other movies.

"Full contact. No protection. No problem."

So the story tell about a young 11 year old boy Jeff (Micah Roberts) who loses his mom and he becomes a troublemaker. His father a police officer Capt. Carl Sanders (Beau Starr) want's to sent him to military school, so that Jeff will learn a hard discipline. Kim (Mako) friend of the family sends Jeff in to Kempo Karate school instead so that Jeff will learn the discipline on the hard way and control his anger and energy with a hard work. 6 years later a teen Jeff (Tom Hermann) becomes one of the best students and a martial arts expert in six degree black belt. But in the school in the football field Jeff get's in to an argument with one of the football players but when the football player punches his younger brother Adam (Justin Webb), Jeff uses his martial arts skills on the football player and kicks the living sh** out of him. Which he lands in the hospital. After that incident his father kick's him out of the house and throw's him out off his and his younger brother life away forever. Jeff goes on his own way but stay's in touch with Kim (Mako) as his father figure. Many years later Jeff is a now young man (Jeff Speakman) who practices his karate moves every day. When he hears his best friend Kim is in trouble he rushes back home to safe his friend from Korean mafia but he is too late, his best friend is killed. Now he goes on his own brand of justice for the killer with his martial arts skills without any back up or weapons he's "The Perfect Weapon."

This movie has everything it has a heart it has martial arts likable one man army martial arts expert Jeff Speakman. You mourn with the hero when he is kicked out of his home from his dad. It has full contact it has memorial bad guys James Hong and Professor Tanaka great fighting skills, great soundtrack and you can easily root for the good guy hero. The movie has a great action, great dialogues, great cast of actors, the acting from everyone is excellent. I love the setting of this movie, I love the final fights in the factory and it is filled with great action.

All tough to movie tagline say's: "No gun. No knife. No equal." Jeff uses a different kind of weapons by the end of the movie two oak stickers (Bo) and he does uses two knives on the end of the movie.

Great performance from Jeff Speakman I heard he had a throat cancer but he recover it. Wonderful performance from Mako and excellent performance from James Hong and Professor Tanaka. There is no wire, no fake, all real actions. The fight scenes are unbelievable, the story is good as well. In here they are real fights real practical effect no shaky cam no CGI everything is made for real. Watch the final fight with Jeff and Professor Tanaka on the end of the movie one of the best fighting scenes in the intier movie ever!!!

This movie is one of the reasons that I have signed in the Karate school training karate for 2 years and I have earn orange belt In the Shotokan karate. The only problem I have is with the director to actress Mariska Hargitay who play's Jeniffer (Jeff's childhood friend) she has nothing to do in this movie she doesn't have even any lines. She keeps appearing and disappearing I don't know why director put her in the screen and he didn't gave her nothing to do she is a great actress.

R.I.P. Mako, John Dye,Seth Sakai, Professor Toru Tanaka and my mom Jelka Jamar when she died in 2007 thank you my mom for paying all the karate lessons for me I love you and I miss you. This review is dedicated to my mom.

The Perfect Weapon get's by me a score B 7/10 a good underrated martial arts action movie.

The Perfect Weapon is a 1991 martial arts action film directed by Mark DiSalle and starring Jeff Speakman, Mako Iwamatsu, James Hong, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa.

7/10 Grade: B Studio: Paramount Pictures Starring: Jeff Speakman, John Dye, Mako, James Hong, Mariska Hargitay, Dante Basco, Professor Tanaka Director: Mark DiSalle Producers: Pierre David, Mark DiSalle Writter: David C. Wilson Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hr. 23 Mins. Budget: $10.000.000 Box Office: $14,061,361