The Karate Kid



The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film produced by Jerry Weintraub, directed by John G. Avildsen, written by Robert Mark Kamen, that stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita and Elisabeth Shue. It is an underdog story in the mold of a previous success, the 1976 film Rocky, which Avildsen also directed. The Karate Kid was a commercial success upon release and garnered critical acclaim, earning Morita an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film became the first in a series, spawning three sequels and a remake in 2010.

Plot
High school senior Daniel LaRusso and his mother, Lucille, move from Newark, New Jersey to Reseda, Los Angeles, California. When they arrive, Daniel meets a neighbor, Freddy Fernandez, who invites him to a beach party taking place the next day. Their maintenance man is an eccentric but kind and humble Okinawan immigrant, Kesuke Miyagi.

At the beach party, Daniel meets Ali Mills, a high school cheerleader from Encino. The two fall for each other, which draws the attention of Johnny Lawrence, Ali's ex-boyfriend. Johnny is the top student of a karate dojo called "Cobra Kai," who attacks Daniel when he intervenes after Johnny breaks Ali's radio. Johnny and his gang continue to bully, bother, and harass him. At a Halloween party, Daniel douses Johnny with water, leading to a chase. Daniel is eventually caught and beaten savagely, but Mr. Miyagi arrives and rescues him and beats up the five attackers with ease. Amazed, Daniel asks Miyagi to teach him to fight. Miyagi refuses, but agrees to accompany Daniel to the Cobra Kai dojo to resolve the conflict. They meet with the sensei, John Kreese, an ex-Special Forces Vietnam veteran, who dismisses the peace offering and demands to set up a match between Daniel and the other Cobra Kai students. Miyagi proposes that Daniel will enter the Under-18 All-Valley Karate Tournament, where he can compete with all the Cobra Kai students, and he requests that the bullying cease while Daniel trains. Kreese agrees to the terms, but warns that if Daniel doesn't show up at the tournament, the harassment will continue on Daniel and Miyagi.

Daniel's training starts with menial chores he believes only makes him Miyagi's slave. When he becomes frustrated, it is explained that these actions have helped him learn defensive blocks through muscle memory. Their bond develops and Daniel learns about Miyagi's dual loss of his wife and newborn son due to complications arising from childbirth at Manzanar internment camp while he was serving with the 442nd Infantry Regiment during World War II in Europe, where he received the Medal of Honor, the Army's highest award for valor. Through Miyagi's teaching, Daniel learns not only karate but also important life lessons such as the importance of personal balance, reflected in the principle that martial arts training is as much about training the spirit as the body. Daniel applies the life lessons that Miyagi taught him to strengthen his relationship with Ali.

At the tournament, Daniel unexpectedly reaches the semi-finals. After Johnny defeats a highly skilled opponent, Kreese instructs Bobby Brown, one of his more compassionate students and the least vicious of Daniel's tormentors, to disable Daniel with an illegal attack to the knee. Bobby reluctantly does so, getting disqualified in the process. Daniel is taken to the locker room, where the physician determines that he can't continue, but Daniel believes that if he doesn't continue, his tormentors would have gotten the best of him. So he convinces Miyagi to use a pain suppression technique so that he can continue. As Johnny is about to be declared the winner by default, Ali tells the master of ceremonies that Daniel will fight. Daniel then hobbles into the ring and faces Johnny.

The match is halted when Daniel uses a scissor leg technique to trip Johnny and deliver a blow to the back of the head, giving him a nose bleed. Kreese orders Johnny to sweep Daniel's injured leg, an unethical move. Johnny, horrified at the order, insists he can beat Daniel legitimately, but obeys under Kreese's intimidation. As the match continues, Johnny seizes Daniel's leg and delivers a vicious blow, doing further damage. Daniel, standing with difficulty, assumes the "Crane" stance, a technique he observed Miyagi performing on the beach. Johnny lunges toward Daniel, who jumps and delivers a kick to Johnny's chin, winning the tournament. Having gained respect towards his nemesis, Johnny takes Daniel's trophy from the master of ceremonies and presents it to Daniel himself as Daniel is carried off by the enthusiastic crowd.

Cast

 * Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
 * Pat Morita as Kesuke Miyagi
 * Elisabeth Shue as Ali Mills
 * William Zabka as Johnny Lawrence
 * Ron Thomas as Bobby Brown
 * Rob Garrison as Tommy
 * Chad McQueen as Dutch
 * Tony O'Dell as Jimmy
 * Martin Kove as John Kreese
 * Randee Heller as Lucille LaRusso
 * Julie Fields as Susan
 * Frances Bay as Lady with Dog
 * William Bassett as Mr Mills
 * Chris Casamassa (uncredited) as Tournament guest
 * Andrew Shue (uncredited) as Member of Cobra Kai

Title
The production obtained permission from DC Comics to use Karate Kid as the title of their film.

Casting
According to the special-edition DVD commentary, the studio originally wanted the role of Mr. Miyagi to be played by Toshiro Mifune, but writer Robert Mark Kamen was opposed to that casting choice feeling that Mifune's interpretation of the character lacked the warmth and humor that the role needed. Mako was also considered for the role of Mr. Miyagi, but was not available due to prior commitments to film Conan the Destroyer, though he would eventually play a similar role in the film Sidekicks. According to Randee Heller, two days after she was cast, Jerry Weintraub informed her that they intended to replace her with Valerie Harper. John G. Avildsen said that after seeing Harper's audition they decided not to replace Heller after all.

Filming
Filming began on October 31, 1983, and wrapped on December 16, 1983.

Music
The musical score for The Karate Kid was composed by Bill Conti, a frequent collaborator of director John G. Avildsen since their initial pairing on Rocky (1976). The instrumental score was orchestrated by Jack Eskew and featured pan flute solos by Gheorge Zamfir. On March 12, 2007, Varèse Sarabande released all four Karate Kid scores in a 4-CD box set limited to 2,500 copies worldwide.

A soundtrack album was released in 1984 by Casablanca Records containing many of the contemporary songs featured in the film. Of particular note is Joe Esposito's "You're the Best", featured during the tournament montage near the end of the first film. Originally written for Rocky III, "You're the Best" was rejected by Sylvester Stallone in favor of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger". Coincidentally, Survivor also performed the main theme ("The Moment of Truth" Music & Lyrics: Bill Conti, Dennis Lambert, Peter Beckett) for The Karate Kid.

Bananarama's 1984 hit song "Cruel Summer" also made its U.S. debut in The Karate Kid but was excluded from the film's soundtrack album. Other songs featured in the film but left off the album include "Please Answer Me" performed by Broken Edge and "The Ride" performed by The Matches.


 * Track listing for 1984 soundtrack
 * 1) "The Moment of Truth" (Survivor)
 * 2) "(Bop Bop) On the Beach" (The Flirts, Jan & Dean)
 * 3) "No Shelter" (Broken Edge)
 * 4) "Young Hearts" (Commuter)
 * 5) "(It Takes) Two to Tango" (Paul Davis)
 * 6) "Tough Love" (Shandi)
 * 7) "Rhythm Man" (St. Regis)
 * 8) "Feel the Night" (Baxter Robertson)
 * 9) "Desire" (Gang of Four)
 * 10) "You're the Best" (Joe Esposito)

Critical response
The Karate Kid ranked #40 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High School Movies. The film retains a 90% "Certified Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 42 reviews.

On its release, Roger Ebert called the film one of the year's best, gave it four stars out of four, and described it as an "exciting, sweet-tempered, heart-warming story with one of the most interesting friendships in a long time." Janet Maslin of The New York Times also gave a positive review.

Upon release of the 2010 remake, Dana Stevens wrote, "The 1984 original ... may have seemed like a standard-issue inspirational sports picture at the time, but (as with another box-office hit of the same year, The Terminator) a generation of remove reveals what a well-crafted movie it actually was. Rewatched today, the original Kid, directed by Rocky's John G. Avildsen, feels smart and fresh, with a wealth of small character details and a leisurely middle section that explores the boy's developing respect for his teacher."

Legacy
The film spawned a franchise of related items and memorabilia such as action figures, head bands, posters, T-shirts, and a video game. A novelization was made by B.B. Hiller and published in 1984. The novel had a scene that was in the rehearsal when Daniel encounters Johnny during school at lunch. Also at the end, there was a battle between Miyagi and Kreese in the parking lot after the tournament which was the original ending for the film and used as the beginning of The Karate Kid Part II.

A short-lived animated series spin-off aired on NBC in 1989.

The music video for the song "Sweep the Leg" by No More Kings stars William Zabka (who also directed the video) as a caricature of himself and features references to The Karate Kid, including cameo appearances by Zabka's former Karate Kid co-stars.

In 2015, toy company Funko revived The Karate Kid action figures. Two versions of character Daniel Larusso, a version of character Johnny Lawrence and a version of Mr. Miyagi were part of the line. The toys were spotted at retailers Target and Amazon.com.

Sequels
The original 1984 film had three sequels, and it launched the career of Macchio, who would turn into a teen idol featured on the covers of magazines such as Tiger Beat. It revitalized the acting career of Morita, previously known mostly for his comedic role as Arnold on Happy Days, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance as Mr. Miyagi. Morita reprised his role in three subsequent sequels.


 * The Karate Kid Part II: A 1986 sequel in which Daniel accompanies Miyagi on a trip back to Okinawa, where he is reunited with loved ones, and is challenged by an old adversary.
 * The Karate Kid Part III: A 1989 sequel in which Kove reappears as Kreese, seeking revenge on Daniel and Miyagi with the help of allies played by Thomas Ian Griffith and Sean Kanan.
 * The Next Karate Kid: A 1994 revamp sequel in which Hilary Swank appears as Mr. Miyagi's new student, Julie Pierce.
 * The Karate Kid: A 2010 remake starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith.