The Last Kumite

I understand this was a kickstarter funded film wanting to go back to the 80's style of martial arts movies but this was just poor.

Ok you can't get the best actors, martial arts stars but the script/storytelling is so basic it just feels like no effort was put in whatsoever. There is nothing in this that even remotely seems like effort was involved. It is the paint by numbers version of a martial arts movie which would be fine if it was made on tight budget by a studio but this was crowd funded yet so little effort was put in. It's not unwatchable but it is also just poor even for 'this' type of movie.

The opening, hats off, images, sound and style look like a truly authentic journey through time. However, the opening tournament brings you back down to earth, not really great martial arts. Eastern Europe as the location for the kumite is the final reality check, I really would have liked an Asian setting. That might have given a real boost to the search for the longed-for old charm, but as it is it's just another cheap Eastern European action production. I don't want to grumble at this point, the budget was limited, more would certainly have been possible with more. The story meanwhile takes wild turns, logic is a foreign concept, one nonsense follows the next. The training sequences with Billy Blanks are more of a bad joke. In general, the film is obviously a reference to Bloodsport, so it has to put up with comparisons. I've already said something about the location, but the choice of fighters doesn't make it any better. The attempt at diversity is certainly the right idea, but it lacks profile. Starting with the main character Lasko, the Fist of God, no Van Damme, to the main opponent Dracko, no Bolo Yeung. Nice to see Kurt McKinney again, by far the best actor. Another highlight for me was Bolo Yeun's son, wow, an absolute spitting image. Unfortunately, barely there and already gone. Cynthia Rothrock, well, never my favourite, her age certainly doesn't make it any better. The latter also applies to Matthias Hues, but thanks to him, one of the driving forces behind the production.

Ultimately, not the review I wanted, and perhaps even too good a rating. I still recommend a viewing, simply to appreciate the idea and the effort. A gift to fans should be honoured accordingly, even if one or two things don't quite fit.

80's / 90's martial arts flicks might have been low budget affairs with simple stories, but they also held a certain level of polish, grit whilst entertaining if that makes any sense. You don't get that mix with 'The Last Kumite' which leaves it to get by on nostalgia. As is it typical of dtv movies trying to stretch their dollar - the whole thing is shot in Europe - and the overall quality is lacking. The vibe is off. Not much real fun, one note villains and though some honest effort is put into it's hand to hand sequences little is memorable.

Michael Rivers (Mathis Landwehr) wins a karate tournament in NYC with his teen daughter cheering him on under the eye of Ron Hall (Matthias Hues) and his right hand Wolf (Michel Qissi). He wants him in a Kumite tourney he hosts and when Rivers says no they kidnap his daughter to force his hand. The odds on favorite to win is Hall's champ Dracko (Mike Derudder) who's never been beaten. To muster the skills needed he gains allies in fellow fighters (Kurt McKinney, Mounia Moula) and former opponents, trainers (Billy Blanks, Cynthia Rothrock) of Drago. With the local law bought off, the only option is to win.

Blanks & Rothrock's roles aren't fancy, but they get quick moments of their own. Hues relishes being the baddie, but the name 'Ron Hall' is far from menacing and he isn't given much to do for most of the pic other than spout dialog. Ditto Qissi. Skilled stuntwoman Moula stands out as the sole female fighter for both good & bad. McKinney is game, but also too old to be here. By now you might be starting to get the idea the flick is banking on all these vintage names and you're right. It's all the cliches, obvious budget limitations not doing anyone favors.

Dracko grunts while he menacingly flexes. A bare bones hero, training montages and some Stan Bush music tracks teleport you back to the 80's. 'The Last Kumite' was partially a crowdfunded project and you can tell there's a lot of love, passion for movies of yesterday fueling it. That doesn't make it's short fight scenes, clunky story any better though. Convenient help around every corner and though you're told he owns the police yet go to them anyhow? Okay.

The Last Kumite attempts to emulate the success of "Bloodsport" but falls flat with its amateurish acting and predictable storyline. The performances are cringe-worthy, lacking depth and authenticity, making it difficult to connect with any of the characters. The fight scenes, meant to be the film's highlight, come across as clumsy and uninspired, failing to capture the intensity and skill seen in similar martial arts films. Overall, this Bloodsport rip off disappoints as a cheap imitation that struggles to rise above its low-budget origins, offering little more than a forgettable viewing experience.

I love 80s action movies, I've seen countless ones both higher budgeted and direct to video ones and you'll find some gems in the lower end spectrum if you look hard enough and I'll admit I was mildly excited to see this, some youtubers hyped this movie up during the production phase of it and seeing some people who have been in their share of martial arts movies such as Matthias Hues, Billy Banks, Cynthia Rothrock and Abdel Qissi but even that couldn't stop how bland this movie is.

The lead actor can fight but just because he can it doesn't mean he's got that "it" factor to be a lead in a martial arts film. I really dislike his accent too. They don't have to be American or British for me to like them either. I get it Kumite and JCVD we need a man with an accent but at least JCVD was charismatic and his face brought women to the theaters. The villains of this movie were hit and miss, Matthias doesn't have the right presence and showmanship to command that small audience of people in the tournament. The only thing I'll remember about his performance is his outfits. He seems too friendly. Not in the menacing sort of way of say Calypso in the Playstation 1 or 2 era Twisted Metal games. However Draco worked good enough.

Most of the fighters in this movie are middle aged or older, over the hill "fighters" especially when Matthias has them all introduce each other, I felt like the youtube personality Nostalgia Critic when he found out that Tommy Wiseau was the main star in The Room. How far did Ron Hall (Mathias Hues) look for his world class fighters, 2 bowling alleys and a super market? Yet you've got others who look more legit. The one that surprised me was how David Kurzhal (Viking Samurai) was in this. The most pointless casting hands down was Kurt McKinney. It surprised me that he was in No Retreat No Surrender. His acting was the bare minimum trying for that cool guy sort of approach which I find annoying.

The soundtrack was forgetful. Stan Bush had a great voice, I get it he's not in his mid 30s any more like he was when he sang "fight to survive" or "the touch" but his vocals are just stiff and you can tell his age, that or it's just a stale and boring song. Paul Hertzog seemed to just be recycling scores from other movies with slight twists where it feels he phoned it in. There are plenty of great bands and composers who can keep the 80s alive who could have done the same job better and or cheaper. That would have been my 2 cents to add to this movies budget. Some of the headlining actors hardly did anything, one actor was so out of shape I didn't recognize him at first and I've seen one of his movies from 30 years ago VERY recently. I couldn't get into this movie if my life depended on it. That's how boring I found the lead actor in this. I understand that this was a love letter to the 80s for all the great movies we got back then and how much they have impacted the 90s and beyond, the soundtrack being dull too makes this movie fall flat on both promises. I wouldn't have let them use the word kumite in this.

If I could turn the hands of time back and tell all the people who were in charge of this movie. Spend less on all the big named actors, some are fine but the most I could have done without. Blood Sport's many JCVD free sequels were better than this trash.