The Perfect Weapon (1991)

Director:

Mark DiSalle

Writer (WGA):

David C. Wilson (written by)

Release Date:

15 March 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Tagline:

No gun. No knife. No equal.

Plot:

Jeff, a young delinquent, is enrolled by his father in a kenpo school, in the hopes of teaching the boy some self-discipline...

Plot Keywords:

Kenpo | Revenge | Korean Mafia | Martial Arts | Hitman

Cast

Jeff Speakman	...	Jeff
John Dye	...	Adam
Mako	...	Kim
James Hong	...	Yung
Mariska Hargitay	...	Jennifer
Chris Tashima	...	Bag Man
Dante Basco	...	Jimmy Ho
Beau Starr	...	Carl Sanders
Seth Sakai	...	Master Lo
Professor Toru Tanaka	...	Tanaka
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Detective Wong
Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa	...	Kai
Tom Hermann	...	Jeff (Age 17)
Micah Roberts	...	Jeff (age 11)
Ryan Bohannon	...	Adam (Age 6)

Runtime:

Argentina:87 min | Germany:85 min | Spain:112 min | Spain:90 min (edited version) | USA:83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Norway:18 | Iceland:16 | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:18 | Spain:13 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Four of the actors from this movie - 'Mako', Dante Basco, James Hong and Clyde Kusatsu - would work together again in "Avatar: The Last Airbender: The Storm (#1.12)" (2005), in which all four voiced characters.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: 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:

Jimmy: Hey Terminator... I don't know where you came from, but you better go back.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Hollywood Stuntmakers: Fantastic Fights" (1991)

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.