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IMDbPro

L'arme parfaite

Original title: The Perfect Weapon
  • 1991
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
6.0/10
5.2K
YOUR RATING
Jeff Speakman in L'arme parfaite (1991)
An expert in "kenpo" karate avenges his Koreatown friend, slain by a mobster in Los Angeles.
Play trailer2:00
1 Video
18 Photos
Martial ArtsActionCrimeDrama

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.

  • Director
    • Mark DiSalle
  • Writer
    • David C. Wilson
  • Stars
    • Jeff Speakman
    • John Dye
    • Mako
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.0/10
    5.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mark DiSalle
    • Writer
      • David C. Wilson
    • Stars
      • Jeff Speakman
      • John Dye
      • Mako
    • 53User reviews
    • 38Critic reviews
    • 35Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

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    Trailer 2:00
    Trailer

    Photos18

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    Top cast56

    Edit
    Jeff Speakman
    Jeff Speakman
    • Jeff Sanders
    John Dye
    John Dye
    • Det. Adam Sanders
    Mako
    Mako
    • Kim
    James Hong
    James Hong
    • Yung
    Mariska Hargitay
    Mariska Hargitay
    • Jennifer
    Dante Basco
    Dante Basco
    • Jimmy Ho
    Beau Starr
    Beau Starr
    • Capt. Carl Sanders
    Seth Sakai
    Seth Sakai
    • Master Lo
    Professor Toru Tanaka
    Professor Toru Tanaka
    • Tanaka
    Clyde Kusatsu
    Clyde Kusatsu
    • Detective Wong
    Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
    Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
    • Kai
    Tom Hermann
    Tom Hermann
    • Jeff - Age 17
    Micah Roberts
    • Jeff - Age 11
    Ryan Bohannon
    • Adam - Age 6
    Justin Webb
    • Adam - Age 12
    Nikki Feemster
    • Jennifer - Age 9
    Craig Ng
    Craig Ng
    • Ponytail
    • (as Craig Ryan Ng)
    John Koyama
    John Koyama
    • Porsche
    • (as a different name)
    • Director
      • Mark DiSalle
    • Writer
      • David C. Wilson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews53

    6.05.1K
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    Featured reviews

    SoftKitten80

    Fun if b-grade martial arts movie

    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.
    7almostmetal

    Probably the best Kenpo movie ever made.

    ..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.
    6fmarkland32

    Getting your kicks...

    Jeff Speakman(The master of kempo) made his debut in The Perfect Weapon, in this he plays Jeff Sanders a construction worker/drifter who brings vengeance to the Korean mobsters responsible for his mentor(Mako)'s death, his cop brother Adam(John Dye) keeps trying to tell Jeff that there are proper procedures but Jeff proceeds to hunt and pulverize anybody who gets in his way. There was just something about martial arts movies that I loved, something to this day I can't put my finger on. The Perfect Weapon was made to rival Steven Seagal, as Warner Bros had Seagal under contract, so Paramount introduced us to Jeff Speakman. Speakman should have had a bigger career at least on the basis of this, The Perfect Weapon features everything you would expect from a martial arts action flick but also has a stronger narrative and a sharper pace. That being said there are a couple of slow moments but Speakman is always there to kick life into the movie and on this level The Perfect Weapon works as a great guilty pleasure. Also Professor Toru Tanaka makes for a great villain.

    * *1/2 out of 4-(Pretty good)
    Invictus

    Electric

    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.
    DomNickson843

    Absolute Masterpiece!

    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.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Star 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).
    • Goofs
      When "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.
    • Quotes

      Jeff: I wonder if I could kick your ass. No, not just you. All three of you.

      Bandana: Are you serious?

      Jeff: Yeah. Are you? I take on all three of you, you point me in the right direction. Deal?

      Bandana: Full contact. No protection.

      Jeff: No problem.

    • Crazy credits
      Before the credits there is the following line: 'This film is dedicated to Ed Parker and the spirit of Kenpo.'
    • Alternate versions
      TV 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.
    • Connections
      Referenced in Hollywood Stuntmakers: Fantastic Fights (1991)
    • Soundtracks
      The 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

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    FAQ19

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 3, 1991 (France)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Languages
      • English
      • Korean
    • Also known as
      • The Perfect Weapon
    • Filming locations
      • Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Paramount Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • 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
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 25m(85 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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