HE TAUGHT HIM THE SECRET TO KARATE LIES IN THE MIND AND HEART. NOT IN THE HANDS. 

Teenager Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) moves with his mother to California, meets a girl, makes enemies with the young members of a local karate dojo, and befriends a mysterious, elderly Japanese repairman (Noriyuki Pat Morita).

John G. Avildsen returned to the formula that made his Rocky a hit in 1976; geared toward younger audiences, this underdog story was also very successful. Done with immense charm, an engaging soundtrack of pop hits, and a genuine feeling for the challenges of growing up as a teenager. As expected, Avildsen makes the final showdown in the karate ring exciting.

Great efforts by Morita and Macchio (who’s believable even though he was well over 20 at the time).

1984-U.S. 126 min. Color. Directed by John G. Avildsen. Screenplay: Robert Mark Kamen. Song: ”You’re the Best” (performed by Joe Esposito). Cast: Ralph Macchio (Daniel LaRusso), Noriyuki Pat Morita (Kesuke Miyagi), Elisabeth Shue (Ali Mills), Randee Heller, Martin Kove, William Zabka… Larry Drake. 

Trivia: Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn and Robert Downey, Jr. were considered for the lead role; Toshiro Mifune as Miyagi. Followed by three sequels, starting with The Karate Kid, Part II (1986), and two TV series, an animated one in 1989 and Cobra Kai (2018-2025). Remade as The Karate Kid (2010). Karate Kid: Legends (2025) is a sequel to the original films, the reboot and Cobra Kai.

Last word: “I had a terrific casting director, Caro Jones, and Pat was the first person she brought in to audition for Mr. Miyagi. He came in, had a video camera setup and he just knocked it out of the park. I went and told the producer, Jerry Weintraub, I said, ‘This guy is it. You don’t have to look anymore.’ He said, ‘Who?’ I said, ‘Pat Morita.’ He said, ‘Pat Morita? Give me a break. He’s a comedian. We need a real actor for this guy.’ So I blew a couple weeks looking at other actors and finally convinced Jerry to give the guy a proper screen test. When he saw it, he realized what I was talking about.” (Avildsen, Crave)