Stars: Mathis Landwehr, Kira Kortenbach, Matthias Hues, Billy Blanks, Mike Derudder, Mike Möller, Cynthia Rothrock, Kurt McKinney, David “Bolo Jr” Yeung | Written by Ross W. Clarkson, Sean David Lowe | Directed by Ross W. Clarkson
As you can probably tell just from the title, The Last Kumite was inspired by 80s action films, the iconic Bloodsport in particular. And it opens like it stepped out of a time warp from the 1980s with an old-school pop song playing over a montage of scenes shot on the streets of New York City before taking us to the dojo where Michael Rivers is teaching his daughter Bree (Kira Kortenbach).
After an inspirational speech at the end of her training, it’s time to go see Mom. If you guessed that means a trip to the cemetery, you’ve seen as many of these films as I have.
The next day, Michael fights in...
As you can probably tell just from the title, The Last Kumite was inspired by 80s action films, the iconic Bloodsport in particular. And it opens like it stepped out of a time warp from the 1980s with an old-school pop song playing over a montage of scenes shot on the streets of New York City before taking us to the dojo where Michael Rivers is teaching his daughter Bree (Kira Kortenbach).
After an inspirational speech at the end of her training, it’s time to go see Mom. If you guessed that means a trip to the cemetery, you’ve seen as many of these films as I have.
The next day, Michael fights in...
- 5/24/2024
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Before watching The Last Kumite by Ross W. Clarkson, I didn’t have any prior knowledge about kumite, but as I got to know about it, it seemed very interesting. Just to give you an idea, it’s a kind of karate technique. The story revolves around a father-daughter duo who are forcibly trapped in the world of Kumite by a vile person named Ron Hall. The father, Michael Rivers, is a renowned fighter, and to get him into the kumite game, Ron Hall literally abducted his daughter, Bree Rivers, so he had to participate in the tournament. But as he went there, he realized he was not alone. There are many others who suffered the same fate as Michael and have been prey to Ron’s tactics. And it’s not a joke; they are really going to be prey to none other than Dracko, the all-time champion, because...
- 5/20/2024
- by Sutanuka Banerjee
- Film Fugitives
If you love action classics like Kickboxer and Bloodsport, a whole host of 80s and 90s martial arts superstars return to the screen in the action thriller The Last Kumite, coming to Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K Uhd/Bd Steelbook, as well as digital platforms in the UK and Ireland from 13th May… And I’ve got my pre-order in already!
When Karate champion Michael Rivers (Mathis Landwehr) wins the last tournament of his career, shady businessman Ron Hall (Matthias Hues) offers him the opportunity to fight in an illegal, deadly Kumite in Bulgaria with the world’s best martial artists. Michael declines, only to find out later that his daughter Bree has been kidnapped and that in order to rescue her, he is left with no other option but to fight in the deadly tournament. When he finally gets to Bulgaria, he finds out that he is not the only...
When Karate champion Michael Rivers (Mathis Landwehr) wins the last tournament of his career, shady businessman Ron Hall (Matthias Hues) offers him the opportunity to fight in an illegal, deadly Kumite in Bulgaria with the world’s best martial artists. Michael declines, only to find out later that his daughter Bree has been kidnapped and that in order to rescue her, he is left with no other option but to fight in the deadly tournament. When he finally gets to Bulgaria, he finds out that he is not the only...
- 4/29/2024
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Throwback martial arts action film The Last Kumite heads to streaming in 2024, and here’s the trailer.
There is no question that the 1980s was a vintage time for action films, particularly in Hong Kong. There was a fruitful period in the mid 1980s when Hong Kong directors would hire American martial artists to go toe to toe with onscreen, both to broaden the international appeal and show a wide range of styles.
From Cynthia Rothrock going up against Sammo Hung in Shanghai Express to Richard Norton’s multiple bust ups with Jackie Chan in the likes of City Hunter and Mr Nice Guy, these performers went on to headline a series of low budget American action films that have since gained a cult following, perhaps most notably the China O’Brien series and the numerous No Retreat, No Surrender sequels
The Last Kumite looks set to be a throwback to that style,...
There is no question that the 1980s was a vintage time for action films, particularly in Hong Kong. There was a fruitful period in the mid 1980s when Hong Kong directors would hire American martial artists to go toe to toe with onscreen, both to broaden the international appeal and show a wide range of styles.
From Cynthia Rothrock going up against Sammo Hung in Shanghai Express to Richard Norton’s multiple bust ups with Jackie Chan in the likes of City Hunter and Mr Nice Guy, these performers went on to headline a series of low budget American action films that have since gained a cult following, perhaps most notably the China O’Brien series and the numerous No Retreat, No Surrender sequels
The Last Kumite looks set to be a throwback to that style,...
- 12/13/2023
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
"It's time!" Capelight Pictures has unveiled a first look teaser for an upcoming 80s / 90s throwback movie called The Last Kumite, directed by filmmaker Ross W. Clarkson. This indie project has been funded on both Kickstarter and Indiegogo, being readied for release in 2024. It's going direct-to-vod in the spring. The Last Kumite is a new spin on the great martial arts films of the 80s & 90s that are still loved amongst action film fans as much today as they were decades ago. The filmmakers describe it as "a new take on the tournament movie inspired by the likes of Bloodsport, Kickboxer and No Retreat No Surrender." Following a martial arts fighter who discovers other martial artists have also been "forced to fight to save their loved ones." Starring newcomer Mathis Landwehr as Michael in the lead role, with a massive throwback cast including Cynthia Rothrock, Michel Qissi, Matthias Hues, Richard Norton,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Stars: Lie-ri Chen, Bryan Larkin, Mr. Waka Waka, Jared Robinsen, Luc Bendazza, Julian Gaertner, David Johnson Wood, Ryan Logan, Jai Day, Max Repossi, Catherine Du, Tian Guo-Xiong, Hai Bing Huang, Ray Li | Written by Bey Logan | Directed by Ross W. Clarkson
You might not recognise the name of director Ross W. Clarkson but its safe to say he has one hell of an action-movie pedigree. Vixen marks his directorial feature debut but Clarkson has had a Lot of experience in genre cinema, working as a cinematographer on films such as Undisputed 2 and 3, as well as the Scott Adkins starrer Ninja and its sequel, and the Van Damme flick Derailed… Like I said, one hell of a pedigree – something that shines through each and every frame of Vixen, from opening to close.
It also helps that the film comes from the pen of Bey Logan, the former editor of the classic action movie magazine Impact,...
You might not recognise the name of director Ross W. Clarkson but its safe to say he has one hell of an action-movie pedigree. Vixen marks his directorial feature debut but Clarkson has had a Lot of experience in genre cinema, working as a cinematographer on films such as Undisputed 2 and 3, as well as the Scott Adkins starrer Ninja and its sequel, and the Van Damme flick Derailed… Like I said, one hell of a pedigree – something that shines through each and every frame of Vixen, from opening to close.
It also helps that the film comes from the pen of Bey Logan, the former editor of the classic action movie magazine Impact,...
- 5/15/2019
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
.
Western Sydney based filmmakers Maria Tran and Trung Ly have scored an Australian theatrical release for their Us$1 million bugdet Vietnamese action flick Tracer (Truy Sat).
The film, from Korean production company Cj Entertainment and directed by Cuon Ngo, will have its Australian premiere on May 6 at Event Cinemas Liverpool.
It will then be screened in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide from the 5 May through distribution company Dreamwest Pictures.
This follows a 100 screen release across Vietnam for the high-octane martial arts action film..
Tran, whose Australian acting credits include My Place, The Story of Us and the upcoming Love Child season 3. was brought on board to fulfill the role Phuong Lua as well a supporting the production team in understanding the process of "fight story".
Maria Tran as Phuong Lua in Tracer (Truy Sat).
.
Tran and Trung have been running Dong Thanh Martial Arts Centre, based in Chipping Norton for the past 2 years.
Western Sydney based filmmakers Maria Tran and Trung Ly have scored an Australian theatrical release for their Us$1 million bugdet Vietnamese action flick Tracer (Truy Sat).
The film, from Korean production company Cj Entertainment and directed by Cuon Ngo, will have its Australian premiere on May 6 at Event Cinemas Liverpool.
It will then be screened in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide from the 5 May through distribution company Dreamwest Pictures.
This follows a 100 screen release across Vietnam for the high-octane martial arts action film..
Tran, whose Australian acting credits include My Place, The Story of Us and the upcoming Love Child season 3. was brought on board to fulfill the role Phuong Lua as well a supporting the production team in understanding the process of "fight story".
Maria Tran as Phuong Lua in Tracer (Truy Sat).
.
Tran and Trung have been running Dong Thanh Martial Arts Centre, based in Chipping Norton for the past 2 years.
- 4/28/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
It's a pity that Assassin's Bullet, possibly the first Isaac Florentine film to receive a Stateside theatrical release, happens to be one of his weakest. A martial-artist-turned-filmmaker, Florentine (born Yitzhak Florentin) has carved out a niche in the direct-to-video world as an old-school action director with a knack for choreographing and composing fight scenes. Wide-angles lenses, longish shot durations (by contemporary standards, anyway), and a sense of follow-through are the hallmarks of Florentine's action-directing style—an appreciative aesthetic where every element serves the bodies and movements of the athlete-performers (Florentine's leads are more often than not Mma fighters, more than capable of doing their own stunts).
Originally titled Sofia (as in the city), Assassin's Bullet is a sub-De Palma riff on the Bulgarian capital's status as a popular B-movie shooting location. This identity disorder—Sofia is one of contemporary cinema's most filmed cities, yet rarely plays itself— is personified by...
Originally titled Sofia (as in the city), Assassin's Bullet is a sub-De Palma riff on the Bulgarian capital's status as a popular B-movie shooting location. This identity disorder—Sofia is one of contemporary cinema's most filmed cities, yet rarely plays itself— is personified by...
- 8/3/2012
- MUBI
It's Kung-Fu mofos!! British actor Scott Adkins is no stranger to martial arts flicks. I mean, he's already gone toe to toe with Jet Li in numerous films, has traded punches with Jason Bourne and even gone up again mutants in that new Wolverine movie. Now Adkins is about to make a big splash in the lead role of Isaac Florentine's upcoming martial arts throwback, Ninja.
We were recently in touch with the film's director of photography, Ross W. Clarkson, who told us that Ninja will not only be a fast paced can of action packed whoop-ass but it's gonna look absolutely stunning. As proof, he passed along some beautiful stills for us to oggle.
Synopsis:
A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja.
We were recently in touch with the film's director of photography, Ross W. Clarkson, who told us that Ninja will not only be a fast paced can of action packed whoop-ass but it's gonna look absolutely stunning. As proof, he passed along some beautiful stills for us to oggle.
Synopsis:
A westerner named Casey, studying Ninjutsu in Japan, is asked by the Sensei to return to New York to protect the legendary Yoroi Bitsu, an armored chest that contains the weapons of the last Koga Ninja.
- 4/17/2009
- QuietEarth.us
[Our thanks to Mike Leeder of Impact Magazine for passing on his first impressions of Jean Claude Van Damme’s The Eagle Path.]
Hi Todd, I thought you and everybody at Twitch might be interested in hearing a bit more about Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 2nd directorial outing “The Eagle Path”, formerly known as “Full Love’.
I had the great pleasure of watching the first cut of the movie recently, with Jean-Claude in Hong Kong literally a day or so after he completed editing. I’d previously visited the set in Thailand and been shown several scenes during editing, but this was the first time he screened the full cut of the movie to anyone.
The plot has already been discussed in a couple of newspieces, and as for the title change, “The Eagle Path” title is very relevant when you see the movie. The movie looks very big, with cinematography by Doug Milsome who shot “Full Metal Jacket’, and some great camerawork from Ross Clarkson. The film has a very good ‘visual...
Hi Todd, I thought you and everybody at Twitch might be interested in hearing a bit more about Jean-Claude Van Damme’s 2nd directorial outing “The Eagle Path”, formerly known as “Full Love’.
I had the great pleasure of watching the first cut of the movie recently, with Jean-Claude in Hong Kong literally a day or so after he completed editing. I’d previously visited the set in Thailand and been shown several scenes during editing, but this was the first time he screened the full cut of the movie to anyone.
The plot has already been discussed in a couple of newspieces, and as for the title change, “The Eagle Path” title is very relevant when you see the movie. The movie looks very big, with cinematography by Doug Milsome who shot “Full Metal Jacket’, and some great camerawork from Ross Clarkson. The film has a very good ‘visual...
- 2/15/2009
- by Todd Brown
- Screen Anarchy
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