Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

The Last Kumite 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Promise?

Reviewed by Randy Miller III July 24, 2024

Clearly inspired by the likes of martial arts classics (and not quite classics) including Enter the Dragon, Bloodsport, Kickboxer and No Retreat, No Surrender, director Ross Clarkson's The Last Kumite was brought to life after the film's Kickstarter campaign exceeded its modest €150,000 goal more than a year ago. Advertised as a true passion project by fans for fans, its merits would include a cast of established fighters and actors... not to mention music by Paul Hertzog (Bloodsport, Kickboxer) and Stan Bush, who also contributed to those two films but is best known for this song.

Unlike a film such as Black Dynamite, The Last Kumite is in no way meant to be a sly send-up of what came before; everything is presented at 100% face value and must be judged that way, which is a lot to ask for a notoriously unique genre like this one. We're gonna need action, drama, plenty of blood, maybe a forced love story, and extra cheese on top, all hopefully presented in a way that's entertaining. So, did its cast and crew understand the assignment?

Not exactly. What little enjoyment The Last Kumite wrings out of its familiar premise is lost on amateur-grade acting, outright plagiarism and, worst of all, an awful script. (Perhaps a rewrite was one of its unmet stretch goals?) I'm all for "turn off your brain entertainment" under the right circumstances, but what we've got here is basically a copy-paste of The Last Kumite's 80s influences on a strict budget and with most of the base-level enjoyment removed. The story, for what it's worth, follows martial arts champion and widowed dad Michael Rivers (Mathis Landwehr), who is propositioned by the mysterious Ron Hall (Matthias Hues, No Retreat, No Surrender 2) to compete in his fighting tournament for a cash prize of... one million dollars. Michael politely refuses since retirement is just around the corner, so Ron's goons kidnap his teenage daughter Bree (Kira Kortenbach) and basically force him to enter instead. Whoops!

After boarding Ron's private jet to its international destination, Michael meets a group of fellow competitors, some of whom have also had their loved ones kidnapped including Damon Spears (Kurt McKinney, No Retreat, No Surrender), Lea Martin (Monia Moula), and Marcus Gantz (David Anthony Kurzhal). As their loved ones stew in a cage surveilled by only a few armed guards, the competitors basically get a week to prepare for this three-day tournament while Ron's reigning champion Dracko (Mike Derudder) waits to destroy them all in brutal fashion... all to the delight of an audience of wealthy elites, some of whom are played by higher-level Kickstarter backers. Aiding Michael are two secret weapons who get to just hang around Ron's property, I guess: aging fighter-turned janitor Loren (Billy Blanks of Tae Bo fame) and Dracko's former sensei Julie Jackson (martial arts film vet Cynthia Rothrock). Will they be enough?

I wanted to enjoy The Last Kumite and, to be fair, it has its moments if you're forgiving of martial arts film clichés and bad dialogue. But its extremely basic plot has holes big enough to drive a truck through, and ones that absolutely make zero sense within the context of its slapdash story. Why kidnap loved ones only to keep them on the same property as our group of elite fighters? How could any seasoned fighter like Michael not be familiar with his fellow competitors? If Dracko is champion, why does he compete randomly in lower-level bouts? And most importantly, why would Ron invite Michael and other top-tier fighters to compete... and then handicap them on purpose? Even ignoring thin subplots like police indifference and almost every character decision concerning their plight (really, they couldn't have attempted at least one pre-tournament rescue?), overwhelming chunks of The Last Kumite are just too dumb to ignore.

I'll admit that several segments of the action are decently staged, some of the supporting familiar faces are fun to see (including David "Bolo Jr." Yeung, who appears briefly in a few scenes), and it's at least competently shot. But wasted potential looms heavily over The Last Kumite, which simply apes the questionable-to-great films that came before while adding almost nothing original to the stew. Perhaps its biggest influence is Bloodsport, which was finally released on 4K UHD by German distributor Capelight Pictures last year; reportedly, that release's popularity was the main reason that MPI Media Group -- a frequent collaborator with Capelight on this side of the pond -- took a gamble with this one. Needless to say, I'd advise hungry martial arts fans to just import the 4K edition of Bloodsport instead.

The Last Kumite 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: These screenshots are sourced from the included Blu-ray edition, also available separately.

MPI Media Group's 2160p/HDR10 (Dolby Vision capable) transfer of The Last Kumite might feel like overkill for a film that cost less than a small two-bedroom house, but it yields striking amounts of fine detail in close-ups and wide shots alike... at least those shot outdoors, as the climactic arena is woefully underlit. Colors are bold and vivid when needed, and varying amounts of digital noise are decently controlled by its surprisingly high bit rate -- I'm not one for full disc scans, but it seemed to hover around the 70-80Mbps mark when I checked it on the fly. While some of the establishing shots (especially during the opening montage in New York) suffer from obvious shimmering and other such anomalies, they're likely either part of the original source material or possibly stock footage that was just borrowed. Under the circumstances, what we get here is a decently solid transfer that actually makes its case for UHD.

The accompanying Blu-ray doesn't fall far behind, only running into a bit of trouble when that digital noise creeps in; though often kept at least partially under control, occasional amounts of macro blocking and black crush can be seen. It's nothing serious and, as a whole, this Blu-ray should look pretty great on small to mid-sized displays. Of course, those not interested in 4K and/or Steelbooks may want to opt for the Blu-ray only edition linked above.

The Last Kumite 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Last Kumite's DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, presented in the original English or a German dub (with optional subtitles in both languages), offers a competently wide soundstage at key moments; it won't be mistaken with a big-budget production, of course, but it gets the job done when needed with sporadic amounts of discrete activity, decent amounts of LFE, and plenty of support for the original soundtrack by Paul Hertzog and Stan Bush, which I didn't really cover during the main review portion but provides a very solid sonic backdrop when it kicks in. This is a fine mix that could only have been improved with Atmos, but I can't imagine anyone being disappointed here.

The Last Kumite 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in sleek matte-finish Steelbook packaging with the "raised fist" tournament logo and blood-red title getting the job done; it's even enhanced nicely with well-placed embossing and debossing elements. The back cover takes a different approach with stacked images of the main fighters, while the interior spread -- which is mostly obscured by both discs on separate hubs -- features a celebratory in-ring scenario. I also really love the J-card design, which fits the Steelbook case securely rather than being completely loose. Overall, it's a well-made package.

The bonus features are identical on both discs; they're pretty by-the-numbers but still worth a look and add a bit of value to this release. All are presented in English (Dolby Digital 2.0) with optional German subtitles; they're identical on both formats, although the teaser and trailer appear to be accidentally swapped on the 4K disc.

• Behind-the-Scenes Featurette (21:49) - Key cast and crew members are recorded separately and all share their thoughts on the production with lots of brief on-set footage mixed in for good measure.

• Stan Bush: "No Surrender" Music Video (3:43) - Exactly as awesome and terrible as it sounds.

• Video Interviews - This collection of four candid interview sessions features actor Mathis Landwehr (12:14), actors Kurt McKinney and Mohammed Qissi (12:20), composer Paul Hertzog (10:54), and actors Matthias Hues and Mathis Landwehr (10:46), which are hosted by either producer Sean David Lowe, actor Jason Brant, or executive producer Sean David.

• Mathis and Sean Comment on Previs (5:37)

• Original Teaser (1:41)

• Original Trailer (0:52)

The Last Kumite 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

MPI Media' Group's 4K UHD Steelbok edition of The Last Kumite has surprisingly solid A/V merits and great packaging, but the main feature doesn't measure up by any stretch. This crowd-funded production could have at least had a more original premise or a competent script, but it sadly seems content with just regurgitating the base-level elements of its influences on a micro-budget; aside from a few stray fights and scenes, only the soundtrack by Paul Hertzog and Stan Bush walks away unscathed. Faithful fans will appreciate this release, but it's not a recommended blind buy.