“Weapon of Choice” is reminiscent of the action flicks that dominated the home video market in the 80s and 90s. It’s filled to the brim with energy and fight sequences, both of which help guide the film through its lesser qualities. The story is paint by numbers, existing solely to service the action. It’s the kind of film best enjoyed with buds and beers on a Friday night.
The film is also reminiscent of the action flicks that permeated the home video market in the 2000s. It’s much more polished than the 80s and 90s joints, but also lacks some of the breakneck pacing. The film moves at a slower pace, commendable for sure, but poses a problem when the story isn’t up to snuff. The action is understated and gritty even with the inclusion of both gunplay and swordplay. A lot of these more recent action outings suffer from subpar action that doesn’t alleviate the pressing issues that plague the production. “Weapon of Choice” thankfully doesn’t suffer this same fate.
It suffers the same fate of a lackluster story, no doubt. It’s a serviceable rendition on the rescue mission with Jack Lee (Jino Kang), a skilled martial artists and assassin, in pursuit of his kidnapped niece, Jaime (Kelly Lou Dennis). She’s held captive by Michael Banducci (Douglas Olsson), a smarmy villain of the highest order who dispatches henchmen like Pez. Along the way, Jack teams up with police officer Ash Jordan (Katherine Celio), who also acts as his love interest. She’s a strong-willed woman, able to handle herself in a fight, with her confident demeanor complementing Jack’s stoic stance well. The only problem is the two actors don’t have the best of chemistry, resulting in a lukewarm pairing.
Jino Kang, who is the star, writer, producer, and director (with assistance from Tony Urgo), does a commendable job of padding his film with character development. It doesn’t always connect, as with the aforementioned romance, but is nice to see the attempt in a genre usually not concerned with characterization. Kang is willing to share the spotlight with his fellow performers, a respectable decision though I did find my interest waning when he wasn’t on screen. The man oozes screen presence, reminding me of Steven Seagal but with more empathy. The rest of the cast, sans one person, do a fine job with their material, with everyone acting with conviction.
That one person excluded would be Kelly Lou Dennis. She was not excluded because she was terrible. No, she was excluded because she was exemplary! She exhibited confidence and a feisty attitude that commanded the screen! She is given little screen time, due to her playing captor, though she’s never presented as a damsel in distress. She holds her own, nearly escaping early on and kicking ass when the time comes for it. I found myself yearning for a sequel solely focused on her, possibly saving her uncle from captivity. It would be an interesting turning of the tables.
A sequel wouldn’t be out of the question seeing as how “Weapon of Choice” is a sequel to Jino Kang’s “Fist 2 Fist.” I haven’t seen that film yet, and by all accounts I didn’t need to in order to grasp this film. My research denotes that film was focused more on mixed martial arts, combining it with the mechanics of an action flick. There’s elements of that here, with many of the fights utilizing grapples and armlocks. It adds flavor to the fight sequences and I’d be curious to see how well Jino directed the mixed martial arts in their natural habitat. He does a superlative job here of choreographing the fights!
Where “Weapon of Choice” lacks in the story department, it more than makes up in its action sequences. The finale is an exciting combination of shootouts, sword fights, and martial arts! Jino shines the most in this environment, with me wishing he would’ve sprinkled a bit more action throughout to help with the pacing. I’d be lying if I didn’t say the film is a struggle to get through at times, especially in the middle where it sags the most. I’d also be lying if I didn’t say I had fun during the action set pieces. Get a couple of friends together to digest this film, as this is a solid party flick.
Final Rating: B-