The Perfect Weapon is a 1991 martial arts action film directed by Mark Di Salle and starring Jeff Speakman, Mako Iwamatsu, James Hong, Toru Tanaka and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa. Set in Los Angeles, the film relates the story of a young man (Speakman), who is trained in the martial art of American Kenpo, and his fight against the Korean mafia.
Speakman was a student of and was advised closely by Ed Parker in the making of this film.
The film's Tag Lines included "No gun. No knife. No equal." and "Just try him.", and it is the only well-known Hollywood depiction of Kenpo techniques on-screen.
The hit 1990s song "The Power" by Eurodance rap group Snap! is featured extensively in the movie's soundtrack.
The Perfect Weapon contains examples of:
- Absurdly Ineffective Barricade: When Kim's shop has the window broken by the Korean mafia, they simply nail a few wooden boards across it.
- Artistic License – Law Enforcement: When Tanaka cannot understand Detective Adam Sanders's commands, the latter tases him, knocking him out to be put in the police car, and doesn't get in any trouble for it. In Real Life, he would have been fired.
- Badass Normal: Jeff is a construction worker and skilled in martial arts.
- Big Bad: Yung
- Big Brother Instinct: During a flashback to Jeff's youth, a football player named Erickson continuously attempted to provoke Jeff into a fight, but Jeff refused and walked away. The tipping point was when Erickson slapped his little brother...
- Bringing Running Shoes to a Car Chase: As Kim's murderer is driving away, Jeff gives chase on foot, with predictable results.
- Chekhov's Skill: Jeff is proficient in pole vaulting and uses this skill to get over a high fence when infiltrating Yung's factory.
- Cool Old Guy: Kim, Jeff's mentor, is quite wise and a father figure to Jeff.
- Creator Cameo: The director, Mark Di Salle, makes a brief cameo as the football coach who checks on Erickson's condition after Jeff injures him.
- Flashback: The film begins with a series of flashbacks to Jeff's childhood.
- Forced from Their Home: Jeff's father, Captain Sanders, forces Jeff to move out of home after Jeff pulverizes the football player Erickson for slapping his little brother Adam.
- Give Me Back My Wallet: Jeff is confronted by 4 muggers who want his wallet - after saying "You want it? Take it!" and throwing it to them, he dispatches all four of them effortlessly with his Kenpo skills, before casually picking up the wallet again and walking off.
- Hollywood Healing: Jeff cops a battering of kicks and punches to the face during the gym fight which, at a minimum, should've resulted in a concussion or severe bruising and bleeding. Likewise, when fighting Tanaka, his only visible injury is a bleeding lip.
- Interchangeable Asian Cultures: James Hong is Chinese, Toru Tanaka is Hawaiian, while both Mako and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa are Japanese, yet they're all playing Korean characters.
- Limited Wardrobe: Jeff wears the same grey jeans, dark green shirt, and brown jacket for almost the entire film.
- Language Barrier: Tanaka neither speaks nor understands English, and nobody understands him.
- Mr. Fanservice: Jeff does his Kata training wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants.
- Perma-Stubble: Jeff sports a five o'clock shadow that's actually just painted on.
- Police Are Useless: Jeff's brother Adam is a cop but not a particularly competent one. He draws his gun on his own brother when frustrated and doesn't even bother to handcuff a dangerous suspect properly with hands behind his back.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Jeff's insane punch combos against his first opponent at the gym fight need to be seen to be believed.
- Static Stun Gun: Detective Sanders uses a Taser to knock Tanaka out.
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Jeff is a construction worker but is only seen very briefly actually doing his job in the opening scene. Even then, he's barely breaking a sweat and is ushered over for a water break immediately.
- The Voiceless: Jennifer, played by the beautiful Mariska Hargitay, never utters a single word on-screen.
- Throwing Down the Gauntlet: Jeff needs information regarding a suspect from a mook at the nearby gym - his solution? Challenge him, and his two sidekicks, to a full-contact fight, with no protective gear!
- Training Montage: A flashback to Jeff's childhood of Kenpo training is shown early in the movie, with him progressing through the various belts.
- You Have Failed Me: After failing to convince Kim to use his store to peddle drugs, one of the henchmen is headbutted and killed for his failure by Tanaka.
