Director: Joseph Merhi, Stephen Smoke
Screenplay: Stephen Smoke
Starring: Lorenzo Lamas, Michael Worth, Kathleen Kinmont, Jeff Langton, Frank Rivera, Mike Toney, Gary Daniels
Country: USA
Running Time: 100 min (Blu-ray)
Year: 1992
Fokus Media have got another PM Entertainment classic coming our way, with their forthcoming release of Final Impact, starring Lorenzo Lamas.
I’m not usually a fan of underdog sports movies like that but, coming from PM, I was willing to give it a shot. So I got hold of a copy, and my thoughts follow.
Final Impact was Lamas’ first film for PM. He’d been in a number of films already though, including Grease, and had a major role in the soap opera Falcon Crest. So, he was a good acquisition for the company, even if Lamas wasn’t exactly a megastar. He went on to star in another pair of films for PM, following this, and was also given the chance to direct himself in CIA II: Target Alexa.
Final Impact sees Lamas play Nick Taylor, who was once a celebrated kickboxing champion before his life unravelled after a brutal defeat at the hands of Jake Gerard (Jeff Langton). Since then, Nick has become a bitter alcoholic, much to the disappointment of his girlfriend Maggie (Kathleen Kinmont – who was married to Lamas in real life at the time).
This all changes, however, when Danny Davis (Michael Worth), a talented up-and-coming fighter from Ohio, shows up seeking Nick’s guidance. Danny proves his worth by defeating one of Nick’s fighters in a test match and boldly claims he’s “invincible”, though Nick quickly grounds him with a reality check. Despite his reservations, Nick decides to take Danny under his wing. As they train together, a bond forms, restoring a sense of purpose in Nick’s life and inadvertently healing his strained relationship with Maggie.
Their shared goal becomes clear: prepare Danny for the kickboxing world championship in Las Vegas, where he will face Jake Gerard – the fighter who destroyed Nick’s life. As Danny racks up victories, however, Nick’s unresolved trauma resurfaces.
As mentioned, I’m not always a massive fan of these types of sports movies. They tend to follow a particular formula that doesn’t interest me. However, this was better than I expected.
There’s not a great deal of drama in the first two-thirds of the film, other than the fight build-up, and a slightly clunky relationship twist later on that brings in some soul-searching. However, a shocking incident brings some affecting drama that leads you into a suitably rousing finale.
Yes, the film can feel pretty corny, particularly in some of the lines and performances, as well as the music, but that’s part of the charm.
Lamas is like a walking cliche much of the time, but he has charisma and is perfect for the role of the washed-up fighter Nick.
Though it’s Lamas’ name on the poster, it’s Michael Worth who’s the true ‘hero’, if you will, and he does most of the fighting too. His character isn’t that interesting but Worth sells the determination and naive ego. He’s great in the fight scenes too.
Speaking of which, there are a lot of fight scenes, more than in a lot of these types of films. The fights are quite varied in style and moves too. It even gets pretty brutal in spots – particularly a scene where someone gets continuously headbutted in the groin!
Eric Lee and Art Camacho did the action choreography, and their fight scenes are convincing, more so than a lot of similar Hollywood efforts back then. This is likely due to the fact that the stars here were genuine martial artists.
In the first half, the film also spends time on the training scenes rather than summing them up in a montage. This can make the film feel a little laid back in places, but it makes for a more convincing transformation.
Also helping the film stand out is some slick, colourful and atmospheric cinematography. It was shot by PM co-producer Richard Pepin. You could say the film looks ‘of its time’, but not in a bad way. I wish films these days had that boldly colourful but richly atmospheric style. Vegas looks particularly good in the latter half.
The film does show its budget in places though, particularly in the fight scenes, where you see the same faces in each fight’s small audience.
Like a lot of these 80s & 90s action movies, you could claim there’s a homoerotic subtext to it all. Danny seems repelled by the women in the club at the start. He’s only set on meeting Lamas and getting to fight. Plus, there’s a lot of manflesh on display, as well as a number of suggestive lines. Personally, I think that’s just how these ‘macho’ films were back then and find it kind of amusing, but you could seek out some ‘inner meaning’ if you like.
All-in-all, Final Impact isn’t going to win any awards for originality, and it can get a little cheesy in places, but, as fighting tournament/sports movies go, it’s a decent example. Boasting plenty of fights and the usual PM sheen, fans of the genre will enjoy themselves.
Film: 
Final Impact is out on 30th September in a 2-Disc Blu-Ray/DVD Collector’s Mediabook Edition (presumably with a standard Blu-ray edition to follow), released by Fokus Media (you can order it on the Fokus Media website or you might be able to find it on various import sites). The transfer is fantastic, with rich colours, crisp details and strong contrast. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed.
You get a choice of German or English language audio options (both 2.0 stereo). I opted for English, and I thought I heard some pops around the 1hr 13m mark but I wasn’t watching under ideal conditions, so it might have been an issue with my setup. German or English subtitles are also available on the disc.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
– Commentary by Michael Worth
– Interviews with: Lorenzo Lamas, Michael Worth, Kathleen Kinmont, Art Camacho, Gary Daniels
– Career-spanning Viking Samurai interview with Lorenzo Lamas
– Image and poster galleries
– Original trailer
Worth appears in both a commentary and a 23-minute interview. In the latter, he talks mainly about his experiences making Final Impact. It was his first leading role in a feature film, so it was a big deal for him. He tells some great stories and there’s a little behind-the-scenes footage included, as well as some photos.
In his commentary, Worth expands on this and talks in detail about the production as the film plays out. It’s an excellent track that’s very easy to listen to.
There’s a 50-minute interview with Lamas about his career as a whole. This is from the YouTube channel Viking Samurai. It’s a decent piece.
Lamas also speaks for 17 minutes about Final Impact in another piece. Like a number of the Fokus interviews, it has a fairly conversational style. I like these, as the subjects feel natural and are allowed to talk about their lives rather than just churn out the same back-slapping comments.
Kathleen Kinmont is interviewed. In the 20-minute piece, she talks about her career as a whole. She’s had a long and interesting career and is still active, so it’s an enjoyable listen.
Art Camacho speaks for 7 minutes about the film. As usual, he’s lively and passionate. He talks about the people he worked with and his experiences on the production.
Gary Daniels talks about Final Impact and his own personal philosophy. Again, he talks about the friendly atmosphere on the PM sets. It’s only short, running under 6 minutes, but he’s positive and inspirational, which I appreciated.
You also get a booklet included with the package. This was in German, so I couldn’t read it, but it’s nicely illustrated with posters and other promotional material.
Overall, this is a fantastic package, with a hefty amount of extras to complement a solid film. Fans of the genre and PM Entertainment films in general should definitely pick it up.
Disc/package: