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| The Karate Kid - 1984 |
Coming up next we have 1984's mega-hit and enduring favorite "The Karate Kid", a film about a young man who moves from the East to the West Coast of the United States. There, he encounters a lot of bullying until someone unexpected steps in and teaches him how to defend himself.
The film's cast includes Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove, Randee Heller, William Zabka, and Frances Bay.
Young Daniel Larusso moves with his mother from New Jersey to Reseda, California. Even though his mother tries to get him excited with promises of a swimming pool and the fabulous California lifestyle, he isn't exactly thrilled.
And once he gets a view of the neglected apartment complex pool, Daniel knows that life in California isn't off to a great start.
But things start looking up for Daniel when he meets Ali, a cheerleader who attends the same high school he does.
Everything goes swimmingly until Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny gets jealous and decides to make it a point to teach Daniel to stay away from her.
That doesn't stop Daniel from seeing Elisabeth, though. He keeps right on hanging out with her.
Johnny has had enough and decides to take care of Daniel once and for all. As he's giving Daniel the beating of his life, help arrives from an unexpected source.
Mr. Miyagi is the handyman at the apartment complex where Daniel and his mother live. The two of them have gotten along since Daniel moved in, and Mr. Miyagi has always taken an interest in the young man.
Mr. Miyagi goes to Johnny's karate instructor (Johnny is a black belt in the sport) and asks for a truce so that he can properly train Daniel and an official match can be scheduled. The instructor agrees.
And so Daniel begins a training regimen with Mr. Miyagi that has him scratching his head in bewilderment. There's a lot of car washing/waxing, catching flies with chopsticks, and painting fences.
Mr. Miyagi even takes Daniel to the beach so that he can learn balance in the wild California surf.
Little does Daniel realize that this is all for him to learn the subtleties of the karate movements. And once he's mastered them, he can begin the more hard core training.
When the time comes, Daniel is ready for the competition. He makes it all the way to the semi-finals before a friend of Johnny's makes an illegal hack at Daniel's knee and nearly takes him out of the competition.
Daniel proves his resiliency by staying in the game even though he's severely injured. And when he wins the competition, he earns the respect of his opponent. As Daniel celebrates, Mr. Miyagi looks on proudly.
Cast rundown:
Ralph Macchio............................Daniel Larusso
Pat Morita..................................Kesuke Miyagi
Elisabeth Shue...........................Ali Mills
Martin Kove...............................John Kreese
Randee Heller.............................Lucille Larusso
William Zabka............................Johnny Lawrence
Frances Bay...............................Lady With Dog
And that's it for The Karate Kid. This film has been credited with popularizing karate in the United States. There were a lot of actors who were in consideration for the role of Daniel, among them: Robert Downey Jr., Charlie Sheen, Nicolas Cage, and Tom Cruise. The film spawned a very successful franchise and revived the career of Pat Morita, who had so far been associated with comedic roles. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance.
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