0
2
It’s time to center the ring!!! Are you, like me, one of the one many action genre fans that are dying to relive the days when a martial arts tournament fighting flick seemed to hit the video store shelves every week? You know the sub-genre I’m talking about. The films where a lone hero get sucked into an illegal, underground, ancient martial arts tournament where the best of the best battle it out for supreme supremacy. The plots were, and the acting for that matter, were secondary for the adrenaline laced fight choreography that filled the screen with supreme slo-mo shots of extreme aerial kicks and combos that delivered bloody results.
Well, you’re in luck because the newest movie to harken back to the 90’s is almost upon us and it stars a bevy of action stars that were featured in these types of films. I’m talking about Cynthia Rothrock (China O’Brien), Billy Blanks (TC 2000, Expect No Mercy), Matthias Hues (the villain in essentially every one of these movies), Mohammed “Michel” Qissi (Tong Po himself), Abdel Qissi (Lionheart) and tjhe one and only Kurt McKinney, who was the first to take on a young JCVD in the cult classic No Retreat No Surrender. If that isn’t an iconic collection of fighting stars then I don’t know what is.
The movie is called, fittingly enough, THE LAST KUMITE, and it stars German martial arts phenom Mathis Landwehr who has showcased his insane on screen prowess in such movies as Death Train (The Fist of God) and my personal favorite The Challenge which was a 90 minute barrage of fierce action disguised as a movie.
The Last Kumite saw a successful crowd funding campaign a while back and now the film has been made and it comes from throwback, old school action lover Ross W. Clarkson who helmed and co-wrote the script with Sean David Lowe.
The Last Kumite is about “Michael Rivers, who is a skilled martial artist and is forced to fight in an illegal fighting tournament in order to save his daughter. Along his journey he discovers other martial artists have been forced to fight to save their loved ones.”
I know what you’re saying…“John this sounds like every other illegal, underground fighting tournament flick that came out during the VHS craze of the nineties.” Why yes, yes it is and that’s the truly sweet and satisfying thong about it because this is essentially a bloody and bone breaking love letter for the fans.
The trailer is chock full of hard-hitting unarmed battle action with Landwehr taking on anyone and everyone to make right what should be right. It’s all on display and this one checks all the boxes for genre fans looking for that fix. The high drama, the over acting, the slo-mo money shots and the blood flying towards the screen when someone gets his ass handed to him. Break out the pizza and beer because it’s time to transport yourself back to the nineties with the official teaser trailer below. ENJOY!!!
The Last Kumite is set for a digital launch in the spring of 2024 with a physical media release to follow!
