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The Perfect Weapon (1991) More at IMDbPro »

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8 out of 8 people found the following comment useful :-
Probably the best Kenpo movie ever made., 4 June 2005

Author: almostmetal from United States

..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.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun if b-grade martial arts movie, 2 December 2004
Author: SoftKitten80 from not stated

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.

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4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Jeff Speakman's first and best, 14 June 2000
Author: alfred_zamora from somewhere in Australia

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.

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4 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Fun little time waster, 6 January 2003
Author: borg9of9235 from California, USA

Personally, I watched this movie(video version) to see some of Hargitay's earlier stuff. Very disappointed in that respect. She does little more than stare at Speakman's character and smile at him while letting him into the dojo at the end. I understand the TV original actually had her as more than just window dressing and made their final scene together not so, well, strange and out of place. Makes me wonder why the heck her other scenes were cut out. Especially considering she's really the only female(other than her younger self) at all featured in the movie.

A few small problems. First, I realize Asian actors and actresses are hard to come by, but it was a little annoying to see most of the main mafioso members were actors I have seen playing Chinese AND Japanese characters before. Secondly, they insist the mafiosos are Korean yet pepper in Japanese terms. Third, it always seemed to me that right before a fight, or during a drill Speakman would suck his gut in to make himself seem more trim.

I did like the fact that Speakman's character got hurt. It was a refreshing change from most martial arts action flicks. In the end, I think this is a fun little way to pass the time, but not really something to add to one's collection.

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3 out of 4 people found the following comment useful :-
Electric, 12 July 2002
Author: Mike Helfield (Invictus) from Montreal West, Quebec

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.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Violence, noisy action, fights, and revenge by one army man, 12 January 2009

Author: ma-cortes from Santander Spain

When his mentor(Mako) is killed, Jeff(Jeff Speakman) plots revenge only to find Korean mobsters and hoodlums. Training at the hands of an instructor-master who trained him on lethal martial art skills and the combat in Kempo Karate . He must exact his own form of justice turning into the ¨perfect weapon¨. He's a new hero in Los Angeles , an avenger who woos to revenge against the murderers.Jeff naturally takes on multiple opponents , cleaning up nasties Koreans and he beats, punch, knocks, kicks and defies the gravity with bounds and leaps.

The film packs lots of violence,action-filled,thrills, and fierce combats with spectacular fighting.The story leave no cliché untouched, and the struggles are well staged.The movie is starred by Jeff Speakman, he's 6th degree blackbelt in American Kenpo Karate . He's director of American Kenpo , an International Kenpo Karate organization with more than 50 schools.This is his greatest hit but his career failed in ¨C grade¨ movies(Hot Boyz, Deadly outbreak,Memorial day), becoming himself a failed star.Secondary cast is formed by habitual oriental good guys: Mako,Clyde Kusatsu and bad guys played by ominous villainous with offensive racial stereotypes, such as Cary Hiroyuky Tagawa, James Hong and Professor Tanaka. The Professor was a wrestler who possessed incredible strength and was arguably the successor to Harold Sakata(the Chinese baddie in James Bond vs. Goldfinger) as the archetypal Asian Henchman. The motion picture is professionally directed by Mark DiSalle who tried repeat similar success to 'Kickboxer-Jean Claude Van Damme', but he didn't achieve. The movie is dedicated to Ed Parker and the spirit of Kenpo Karate. The result is a strong entry for action buffs and martial art enthusiastic.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Getting your kicks..., 14 June 2006

Author: Frank Markland from United States

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)

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Sweet flick, 3 January 2005

Author: Segal is Past His Prime from United States

Another great, B level action film. Speakman is a great martial artist. He can really rip up a group of Koreans in a club or on their own turf at their gyms. He uses a lot of punches which I like cause after a while guys look pretty silly flipping through the air with gravity defying kicks that level small country sides. It had a few plot twists which is rare for the caliber of movie it was, a deep history that needed resolution and a club scene with exotic Asians. Who could ask for more? Well OK maybe you could, but still this movie is pretty sweet. Especially when they bring in Tanaka, that really big guy that seems to dip his hand in every little karate or bond movie to come around his olfactory senses. The ending was a bit anti-climactic but Ill let you decide that.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
Not bad for new comer Jeff Speakman, 5 September 2000

Author: tshodan from Fall River MA

I must say Speakman puts on one heck of a show here. his martial arts choreography is very well done, demonstrating the effectiveness of his techniques and style. As an actor, he has the basic goods, but is still a little rough around the edges. Certainly better than Jean Claude, maybe a step bellow Seagal. ANYway, the movie is not bad at all, a little twist in the plot about using Jeff as a weapon for the Korean mafia to use against a rival gang. Worth seeing for the martial arts or action fan.

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful :-
An excellent Jeff Speakman film--certainly his best., 20 October 1998

Author: Cory Hoffman from Austin, TX

By far Jeff Speakman's best movie, this film demonstrates his martial arts expertise. The plot isn't bad, although it is truly the amazing fights that make this movie a must-see. If you like fast-paced martial arts battles, this is definitely the movie for you!

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