
The Last Kumite delivered everything I wanted due to the presence of Cynthia Rothrock, Billy Blanks, and Kurt McKinney, as well as Matthias Hues, who all felt like old friends whom I was excited to see on screen again. I would like to see a sequel where we could see Jalal Merhi, most likely as a mentor, along with, Daniel Bernhardt and Don ‘The Dragon’ Wilson, Jeff Wincott. Some Of the cast members’ low budgets are evident and there are a few dodgy performances, yet this is still an entertaining experience and one that I would gladly watch again.
Plot It tells the story of a martial arts fighter who has to face a final brutal showdown known as kumite. The opponent is no ordinary fighter, but one who on top of the fight is holding the life of the fighter’s daughter behind him. The Last Kumite is a film I have personally been waiting on since the day it was first announced and I slowly regret the fact that I have taken this long to actually watch it. A few weeks ago, I bought the DVD back in Scotland and last night, I was finally able to sit down to watch it.
The Last Kumite is an independent crowdfunded film that pays tribute to the classic martial arts films from the 80s and 90s. As for mainstream stars, it has Matthias Hues, Billy Blanks, Cynthia Rothrock, Kurt McKinney, Mohammed Qissi, and Abdel Qissi. If you were around during the 80s and 90s, you will recognize all these faces, and this film is undeniably intended for such fans.
It’s also good to see David Kurzhal, the Viking Samurai, doing what he does best, showcasing some impressive martial arts skills. He has a screen presence as well so would be interested to see what he does next. He appears sympathetic, as one would suspect of Mathis Landwehr. From the outset, we want to see the man succeed. He’s a man of principles who has no desire to participate in the Kumite, but after the abduction of his daughter, he has no choice but to participate in it.
Mike Moller did fight choreography and also appeared in a minor role as Lightning. The pantomime style matches the fight choreography very well; there is no chaos, and everything is captured perfectly. It’s a joy to watch real martial arts skills again. Mike Derudder stands out as Dracko’s only nemesis, the one whose role consists of yelling trollish comments at opponents; which is quite effective given that as soon as someone of his character walks into the screen, the audience is supposed to loathe the character.
However, the fight at the end where Billy Blanks fought Matthias Hues was amazing. It’s unfortunate that little attention was paid to Cynthia so she didn’t have much of a chance to showcase her abilities. I’m looking forward to a sequel in which Don Wilson, Loren Avedon, Daniel Bernhardt, and Jeff Wincott will appear. Although Wincott does not practice martial arts nowadays he’s unlikely to participate.
There are a lot of references to classic martial arts films like Hues’ characterization where his name is Ron Hall was just interesting. David Kurzhal also gets his chance using JCVD’s famous kick during the fight with Bloodsport. This is the kind of film that I assumed would be extinct, considering I grew up watching films like Bloodsport, so it’s refreshing to know there are others like Ross Clarkson who have a passion for this genre.
A lot of things struck me in a very good way the movie was never made like it’s a joke, and it’s a wonder that it would even be possible to make a film like this a parody with the direction The Last Kumite took and everything that I anticipated from it was delivered without a hitch. One can say that Just like other B movies this particular one also has its low-budget signature written in bold fashion throughout the film so it’s not really the shiniest looking film, some of the performances were not Oscar-level caliber or something but I have to say that The Last Kumite was like a warm blanket or meeting long lost buddies after a long time.
So no The Last Kumite isn’t an Oscar-winning picture or anything but that’s okay. If you’re like me and I feel most people will be, who grew up in a generation where Bloodsport and Kickboxer were hot movies, then you are in for a treat! There were tons of fight scenes where blood was spilled and I was left hungry for more. I would really like a sequel with a bigger budget perhaps and just name it The Last Kumite Round 2. If anything I feel that this movie might revitalize the fighting tournament genre which I feel has been stagnant for a long time and it’s about time that it makes a strong comeback.
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