WFG RATING: B+

Capelight Entertainment and MPI Home Group presents a Quest Media GmbH/Lowe Media production. Directed and cinematography by Ross W. Clarkson. Produced by Wayne A. Graves. Written by Sean David Lowe and Ross W. Clarkson. Edited by Oliver Harper.

Stars Mathis Landwehr, Matthias Hues, Kurt McKinney, Billy Blanks, Cynthia Rothrock, Mounia Moula, Kira Kortenbach, Mohammed Qissi, David Kurzhal, Abdel Qissi, and Mike Derudder.

A meshing of 80’s and 90’s action stars along with a new generation of talent star in this passion project that marks the directorial debut of lensman Ross W. Clarkson.

Michael Rivers is a karate champion who has decided to retire when he wins the New York State Open Karate Championship. He decides to focus on his dojo and his daughter Bree. However, on the night of the tournament, he meets Ron Hall, a businessman who makes an offer. The offeris for Michael to compete in a kumite with the prize to be $1 million dollars. Michael refuses but when he returns home, Bree is missing and Michael receives a message to get on the plane. 

Heading to Bulgaria, Michael is met with other fighters competing in the Kumite. He meets two in particular who are in the same predicament. Damon Spears is a veteran whose wife was taken when he refuses and European champion Lea Martin is forced on behalf of her sister. When the competition meets Kumite champion Dracko, Michael decides to find former Kumite champion Loren and Dracko’s former sensei Julie to train under them in time for the Kumite.

This is a passion project from the mind of co-writer and executive producer Sean David Lowe. A fan of the 1980’s martial arts flicks Bloodsport and Kickboxer, he wanted to bring that to a new generation of fans as well as bring in a sense of nostalgia for those who enjoyed those brands of films. Together with cinematographer Ross W. Clarkson, they have come up with an enjoyable homage to the genre. Is it perfect? No. But it is still fun to watch.

Leading the cast is German martial arts wunderkind Mathis Landwehr as Michael, who finds himself forced to fight when his daughter is kidnapped. We get a bit about Michael’s backstory as he had lost his wife and even trained his teen daughter, played by a pretty good Kira Kortenbach as she shows some skills in a little spar. Landwehr’s scenes with Billy Blanks as Master Loren (one can only guess is named after Loren Avedon, who co-starred with Blanks in King of the Kickboxers) are nicely done with Mike Möller coming in as trainer Lightning along with the iconic Cynthia Rothrock as Julie, the vengeance-seeking former sensei of current champ Dracko. 

90’s martial arts icon Matthias Hues plays the mastermind Ron Hall, who forces the likes of Michael and others to face off in the Kumite by kidnapping their loved ones. Aside from Michael, the two fighters you may tend to have an emotional attachment to are Damon Spears and Lea Martin. Played respectively by No Retreat, No Surrender’s Kurt McKinney and stunt performer Mounia Moula, the former has had his wife kidnapped and the latter her sister. They become Michael’s closest allies in terms of the competition, which includes the debuting David “Bolo Jr.” Yeung, Li Yan Long, and YouTuber David Kurzhal, known as Viking Samurai. Kurzhal brings in some positive impact for a debut performance, showing that he could act pretty well and not just rely on his martial arts skills.

On Hall’s side, there’s two notable stars. There’s Mohammed Qissi as Wolf. You may know him better as Michel Qissi, who played the original Tong Po in Kickboxer. Wolf is vicious and wants those to know he’s business. Then there’s the champion Dracko. Played by German wrestler Mike Derudder, Dracko is all action and will kill anyone who gets in his path. His backstory is explained by Julie, who reveals Ron is the one who had corrupted him and thus, combined with Russian steroids, has become the beast. 

If there are any gripes to mention, one may complain that the kumite itself doesn’t begin until just over an hour in its 105-minute running time. Another is that one anticipated fighter is pretty much wasted. But let’s hope his next appearance in film will make up for it. One not so much a gripe but comes up unexpected in a very cringeworthy moment where one fight ended up making one nearly vomitous. 

Is The Last Kumite perfect? No. Is it enjoyable enough to make even the most rabid martial arts fan reminisce? Most likely yes. It should please many fans of the genre overall.

Now available on Digital with a 4K/Blu-Ray steelbook edition as well as DVD on June 11.