A typical actioner in the vein of an early Steven Seagal flick, this one marks the debut of stubbly Jeff Speakman, once marketed as the new action hero of the 1990s. The film is cheap but enlivened by plenty of fight sequences, executed with style and speed by the surprisingly impressive Speakman whose chop-socky skills could prove to be a fair match even for Seagal himself in his prime. The main problem the film has is that it's incredibly clichéd: right down from the "avenging the death of mentor" storyline to the street attack by a gang of thugs. Every plot twist is well choreographed in advance, so it's best to just concentrate on the plentiful action the film offers, from a stunt-packed car chase to plenty of one vs. many street battles. Speakman is typical as a martial arts actor, largely wooden but getting by on his skills alone and watching him fight dozens of bad guys dynamically is great stuff.Filling out the one-dimensional roles are plenty of notable faces. As the film takes place in a Korean district and is made in America, all of the staple Asian actors show their faces in various roles: Mako as the Kempo teacher, James Hong as the slimy villain, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as a henchman and my personal favourite, Professor Toru Tanaka. Tanaka has a great role here, stereotyped as a massive bodyguard who proves to be indestructible until the fiery climax, where he dies an impressive death. Perhaps a bigger budget would have resulted in some better locations and effects work, but THE PERFECT WEAPON works well as a perfectly serviceable B-movie full of action but no brain. My only complaint is the running time; clocking in at under eighty minutes I think I must have seen some truncated version.

Strictly by-the-numbers American-made martial arts revenge outing that's a product of the times, which sees Jeff Speakman (in attempt to make him somewhat an action star) as a Kenpo karate expert (there's no acting there - as watch the concentration in the hypnotic intro backed by the tune "I Got the Power") who returns home and goes about avenging the death of a family friend that was killed by the Korean mafia. Watch as Speakman remembers the good times, but also the bad. However when let loose, he pummels anyone who gets in his way. The perfect weapon you could say, but at the same time quite a loose cannon with an attitude. But it's the confrontation with the powerful man-made mountain that is Professor Toru Tanaka we are waiting for. This might not happen until the end, but it's a crackling showdown in its set-up and an unforgettable adversary. The villains are an imposing lot too with the presence of James Hong and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. But let's not forget about Mako and Beau Starr in small, but important roles. Then there's Mariska Hargitay in a nothing part. Director Mark DiSalle (who produced / acted in some early Van Damme fares) crafts out some style and seedy violence. The raucous narrative takes some turns, but it's foreseeable in plot developments and the frenetic combat is bruising in the beatings. Strong, quick and furiously to the point. Watch as Speakman kicks hard, showing no fear and sometimes thinking outside the square to get things done while balancing family issues."The punishment must fit the crime."

THIS is a REAL martial arts film. Note (to Seagal, Van Damme, et al): Once your character uses a firearm prevalently, it's no longer a martial arts movie. ALSO - I remember when Van Damme hit it big, then I stumbled across an art house theatre showing "Fist Of Legend" and realized what TRUE martial arts movies were supposed to look like. And not that tacky wire-work kung fu master crap. In the two minutes it takes Van Damme to throw one punch or kick and make that growling face, Jet Li would land a furious flurry of strikes all over his @$$. Jeff Speakman's "Perfect Weapon" stands the test, rises to the level of Li's - and now Tony Jaa's - standard of representing true martial arts ability on film. And the storyline is great.I waited YEARS for Costner's "Fandango" to finally grace DVD. Now I'm just waiting for "The Perfect Weapon". And HOPEFULLY (someone PLEASE hear me!) they'll put out the long version I've seen on TNT!

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.