
The Last Kumite absolutely lived up to my expectations since it had Cynthia Rothrock, Billy Blanks, and Kurt McKinney alongside Matthias Hues, all of whom felt like old pals, and seeing them on the screen was thrilling enough. I’d definitely be on board for a new movie that would have Jalal Merhi in it likely playing the part of a mentor with Daniel Bernhardt and Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, Jeff Wincott. Yes, it is clear that some of the cast members worked with relatively low budgets and a few performances could be deemed as mediocre but overall, I had fun and would want to see this movie again.
Plot: The movie depicts the tale of a martial artist who participates in the Kumite, a final round against a fierce opponent whose daughter’s life is at stake.
Review: Ever since it was first revealed I remember that The Last Kumite was a film that I wanted and judging that I had to wait longer to actually watch it. But I do regret taking this long to actually see it. The Last Kumite is a film that I finally managed to sit down and watch on the DVD that I bought during my trip to Scotland weeks ago.
The Last Kumite is a film that is entirely based on fan funding and is a self-tribute to the style of martial artist films from the 90’s and 80’s era. As for the notable actors in the film, it had Matthias Hues, Billy Blanks, Cynthia Rothrock, Kurt McKinney, Mohammed Qissi, and Abdel Qissi. If you’re watching this film, then it’s apparent that you already know these actors since they were quite recommended during the late 80s and early 90’s, and this film is surely made for those fans in specific.
Furthermore, I am also quite more than pleased to see Viking Samurai, David Kurzhal in the film complimenting some of the more astonishing martial arts. I was also hoping to see him again simply because I thought he was quite fun to watch and actually had a presence on screen.
Based on their exchange, it makes sense for an actor like Mathis Landwehr to come off as compassionate. For starters, we want this individual to be triumphant. He is a principled man who does not want to get involved in the Kumite but, in the aftermath of her daughter’s abduction, he has no option left.
There is a brief appearance by Mike Möller who did the fight choreography as well, as Lightning. The pantomime style fits the fight choreography really well; it’s more like a well-orchestrated performance rather than a classic brawl. It’s wonderful to see proper martial arts techniques once more.
Mike Derudder irrefutably fills the shoes of another facet of the character Dracko, and this character assumes the role of shouting trollish insults to the players. This absolutely works because the purpose of such a really over-the-top character is for the audience to hate as soon as they are seen on the screen.
The burning hot duel at the end between Billy Blanks and Matthias Hues was a classic. Sadly Cynthia was hardly paid attention to so she had no opportunity to showcase her talent. I’m excited for a sequel featuring Don Wilson, Loren Avedon, Daniel Bernhardt, and Jeff Wincott. Although Wincott does not practice martial arts nowadays he’s unlikely to participate.
Such films had a wide scope of memorable characters, like Ron Hall where Hues portrayed him, which was easy to watch. And David Kurzhal also gets his moment when he tries out JCVD’s famous Martin in his fight with Bloodsport.
Given that I am a fan of films like Bloodsport, I truly believed that this film and its creation would be dead, so it is quite honorable to understand that there is someone like Ross Clarkson who loves these types of films.
In many different ways, I was highly impressed with this film especially because it never gave off the impression that it was a spoof. The direction of the movie goes in a completely different direction with The Last Kumite being able to deliver all of it without a hitch.
Once again, Stan Bush co-wrote a new song or two, and even better, he has also directed the music of the movie along with Bloodsport and Kickboxer.
It can be said easily, just like a lot of B movies this movie took the cake when it came to cinematography with a low budget with an overriding mark embedded in the entirety of the movie which means that it was not the most well-crafted movie while the acting was never Oscar-level but The Last Kumite did feel like a loving blanket or meeting friends after a long time.
There is no question that The Last Kumite does not stand up to an Oscar-winning movie and that is completely alright.
If you are anything like me, I believe most people will be, who were raised in an era where Bloodsport and Kickboxer were the top box office hits, then you’re in luck! There was a lot of gore in the movie and so many fighting scenes, thus leaving me craving for even more. I would love for a sequel to come out, only this one I would want it to have a much bigger budget, and simply name it The Last Kumite: Round 2. If anything my strong belief is the fighting tournament genre has taken a back seat and this is the movie that will help make its comeback.
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