The Perfect Weapon (1991) on Netflix
After his mother dies, Jeff Sanders lashes out until his father enrolls him in a Kenpo school. Years later, mob families pressure his mentor Kim's antique store, and Jeff steps in.
- Netflix3.5/5
- IMDb6.0/105,470 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes42%
Trailer
Plot summary
By day Jeff Sanders works in construction; by night he practices American Kenpo. After his mother died, he lashed out at his family and at society, and his father, police captain Carl Sanders, took the advice of a Koreatown friend named Kim and enrolled the boy in a Kenpo school to manage his rage. When Jeff nearly killed a football player who had punched his younger brother, his father made him move out. Jeff kept training and came to see Kim as a mentor and father figure. Visiting his old neighborhood, he finds Kim refusing to pay the local Korean mob families or let his antique store be used to sell drugs, and beats up the men who come to strong-arm him.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Perfect Weapon (1991)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Ed Parker, the Kenpo grandmaster who advised star Jeff Speakman on the film, offered to play Master Lo, a character modeled on himself, but the producers turned him down, doubting he was a strong enough actor; the part went to Seth Sakai.
- The original cut of The Perfect Weapon contained a romantic subplot between Jeff Speakman and Mariska Hargitay's characters, but it was stripped out of the theatrical release, and the scenes were later restored for some television airings.
- The Perfect Weapon was the solo directing debut of Mark DiSalle, who had produced the martial arts film Bloodsport, and as of 2026 it remains the last time he directed a feature.
