The Perfect Weapon (1991)

Jeff, a young delinquent, is enrolled by his father in a kenpo school, in the hopes of teaching the boy some self-discipline. Years later, Jeff's mentor, Kim, is being threatened by one of ... See full summary »

Director:

Mark DiSalle

Writer:

David C. Wilson

Stars:

Jeff Speakman, John Dye, Mako

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Speakman	...	Jeff Sanders
John Dye	...	Det. Adam Sanders
Mako	...	Kim
James Hong	...	Yung
Mariska Hargitay	...	Jennifer
Dante Basco	...	Jimmy Ho
Beau Starr	...	Capt. 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
Justin Webb	...	Adam - Age 12

Storyline

Jeff, a young delinquent, is enrolled by his father in a kenpo school, in the hopes of teaching the boy some self-discipline. Years later, Jeff's mentor, Kim, is being threatened by one of the Korean mafia families. Jeff tries to help his old friend, but is too late to prevent Kim's death at the hands of an unknown hitman. Vowing revenge, Jeff takes on all of the families, using his martial arts skills to find the man who killed his friend.

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Plot Keywords:

kenpo | korean mafia | hitman | martial arts | revenge | 

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Taglines:

Just try him.

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Genres:

Action | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for martial arts violence and for some language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Korean

Release Date:

15 March 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

El arma perfecta

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$14,061,361 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min 90 min (edited)

Sound Mix:

Stereo (Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

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, in which all four voiced characters.

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Goofs

When Tanaka is being transported in a police car, he hits the driver, causing the car to lose control and flip. The gas canister used to flip the car is visible on the road as the car flips.

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Quotes

Jeff: I wonder if I could kick your ass... Wait... not just you... all three of you.

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Crazy Credits

Before the credits there is the following line: 'This film is dedicated to Ed Parker and the spirit of Kenpo.'

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Connections

References Dick Tracy (1945)

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Soundtracks

"Travel China"
Written by Henrik Nielsen

User Reviews

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.