Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Perfect Weapon Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 14, 2024

Mark DiSalle's "The Perfect Weapon" (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new program with star Jeff Speakman; new audio commentary by Mark DiSalle and critic Mike Leeder; restored deleted and extended scenes; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Jeff Speakman appeared in several other films before he made The Perfect Weapon in 1991. However, even if one knew who Speakman was in the late 1980s, one would have had a pretty difficult time spotting him in these films because he played random characters of little importance whose time in front of the camera was extremely limited. So, it is not unfair to state that Speakman’s acting career began with The Perfect Weapon.

In the City of Angels, somewhere in Koreatown, young troublemaker Jeff Sanders is enrolled in a kenpo school by his father, Carl (Beau Star), an overworked police detective, who has concluded that it is the only way to break his rebellious spirit, prevent him from becoming a criminal, and corrupt his little brother, Adam (John Dye). However, despite working hard with Master Lo (Seth Sakai) who uses as much of his energy as possible, Jeff becomes involved in a serious incident that forces his father to kick him out of the family. Some years later, Jeff (Speakman), now a perfect replica of the young man his father would have been proud to raise, returns to Little Tokyo and visits good friend Kim (Mako), who had convinced his father to enroll him in the kenpo school. However, shortly after, Kim is gunned down by a giant killer (Professor Toru Tanaka) taking orders from the powerful Korean mobster Yung (James Hong). Heartbroken but barely able to contain his anger, Jeff vows to avenge Kim’s death and begins tracking down the giant killer. Not too long after that, he becomes entangled in a dangerous kabuki play staged to reset the balance of power between several mobsters, which quickly puts him on the radar of his brother, Adam, who has followed the steps of their father and become a detective, too.

Speakman was allowed to prove he could be a legitimate martial arts star by Mark DiSalle, who wrote, produced, and directed Kickboxer a few years earlier. Unsurprisingly, in The Perfect Weapon, the second and final film DiSalle has directed to date, Speakman is treated a lot like Jean-Claude Van Damme is in Kickboxer.

Did he meet the expectations? As far as this writer is concerned, yes, and rather impressively. The entire second and third acts where Speakman begins connecting the dots and eventually discovers why his old friend was murdered, for instance, produce material in which he looks dramatically better than Van Damme, but not because his ability to communicate in English is vastly superior. Speakman is far more relaxed and reveals a superior range of emotions, allowing his character to appear more authentic during action and non-action material. At the same time, Van Damme frequently struggled to maintain a similar balance. He was outstanding in action material but routinely mediocre in non-action material, which is why much of the latter produced odd footage many now consider cult.

Unfortunately, like the overwhelming majority of action films from the same period The Perfect Weapon lacks the ambition to surprise in a way or ways that could have separated it from the pack. Indeed, it remains firmly focused on the action, and after Speakman begins confronting the bad guys, it simply does its best to make his inevitable triumphs appear as exciting as possible. The Perfect Weapon is worth seeing for this exact reason, it is a terrific action film, but it does feel like a few tweaks could have easily transformed it into a memorable cult film. (What kind of cult film? Similar to Abel Ferrara’s Fear City, which is a lot darker and boasts a terrific neo-noir atmosphere).

Speakman signed a deal with Paramount for several films, one of which was supposed to be a sequel to The Perfect Weapon. According to old reports, another of these films was to use the material that eventually produced Speed. Unfortunately, after Speakman's mentor, Ed Parker, unexpectedly passed away, the deal collapsed.

The Perfect Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Perfect Weapon arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an exclusive new 4K master that was prepared at Paramount. There is only one thing that I do not like about this master. It is very easy to tell that the party that graded it was not matching the film's original colors at all times. The bulk of the film, and especially its nighttime footage, looks very good, but there are several outdoor sequences that reveal tealing. The most obvious example is during the big chase, where Professor Toru Tanaka is electrocuted. The teal shift in primaries and supporting nuances is unmissable because it instantly alters the color temperature of the visuals and destabilizes the film's native appearance. You can observe the unnatural effects here and here. Fortunately, after the car chase, the rest of the 4K master retains acceptable primaries and supporting nuances. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to excellent. The fluidity of the visuals is rather impressive, too. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. All in all, it is pretty easy to declare that the overall quality of the presentation is superior to that of Olive Films' original release of the film. At the same time, it is very frustrating to see that 4K masters that are prepared at Paramount are not as consistently great as those done at Warner and Sony. My score is 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Perfect Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I thought that the 2.0 track was fantastic. All dialog was very clear and easy to follow, while the action footage had the type of dynamic intensity I hope it would. If there were any age-related anomalies before the 4K master was finalized, it is impossible to tell because all registers are very healthy. I did not encounter any encoding anomalies to report in our review.

The Perfect Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Street Speed - in this exclusive new program, Jeff Speakman, a native of Chicago, recalls how he made the decision to relocation to Los Angeles and pursue a career in the film industry. Mr. Speakman also discusses in great detail what makes kenpo unique, the production of The Perfect Weapon, the complex and often quite dangerous action choreography, and the relationship with his mentor, Ed Parker. The program was produced by Kino Lorber. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Deleted and Extended Scenes - a collection of fully restored deleted and extended scenes. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for The Perfect Weapon. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by director/screenwriter Mark DiSalle and critic Mike Leeder. It is a fantastic commentary that produces a wealth of information about the genesis and production of The Perfect Weapon, the creative environment in which the film was shot, and the special quality of its action. I strongly encourage you to listen to it in its entirety if you enjoy The Perfect Weapon.

The Perfect Weapon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Perfect Weapon meant a lot to Jeff Speakman. He says that he did not hold anything back, and the people around him put it all on the line for the film. Speakman also confesses that the film irreversibly changed his life by allowing him to experience euphoric success and painful disappointment. I like it a lot and wonder what the planned sequel for it would have looked like. In The Perfect Weapon, the action is incredible, so a big-budget sequel, like the one Paramount was apparently willing to make, almost certainly would have turned out an even better film. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a good but somewhat inconsistent 4K master that was prepared at Paramount. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.