Saturday, October 13, 2018

The Perfect Weapon (1991)

Starring Jeff Speakman, John Dye, Mako, James Hong, Mariska Hartigay, Dante Basco, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
Directed by David C. Wilson

Jeff Sanders (Speakman) returns to his old neighborhood in Santa Fe to visit Kim (Mako), a friend who served with Jeff's father in the Vietnam War. Kim is in the process of being shaken down by the local crime boss who wants his help in moving heroin. When Kim refuses he is executed by Tanaka, the local crime boss' enforcer.

Jeff is then tricked by Yung (Hong), the man behind Kim's murder, into targeting the wrong man. It is only with the assistance of a teenage boy (Basco) that Jeff avoids killing the wrong man and captures Yung.

I believe I saw this in the theater when it was first released. I liked it then. I can't say the same now. It is okay but it isn't good or great. The fight scenes are decent but the acting, especially Speakman's, leaves a lot to be desired. He falls into the mold of tough guy actor who shows very little in the way of emotion or personality. He is just a tough guy. Most of the actors in the movie are Asian. I believe the community where the story takes place is supposed to be Korean-American.

Speakman didn't do more than a dozen movies after this one. I think I saw the next one at some point back in the 1990s, possibly in the theater but possibly not.

Mariska Hargitay is in the movie but is only in a few scenes and doesn't have any lines.

Based on my research and what I saw in the movie it was probably set in Santa Fe, TX, which is along the gulf coast, south of Houston.

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