The Karate Kid
In the grey, sprawling suburbs of New Jersey State, a teenage boy and his mother drive away to a precession of kids chasing their car and waving goodbye. We quickly learn they are driving across the country – way across to California. In a car that breaks down and has to be push started, they slowly make it from one side of the USA to the other. Leaving behind his home, his friends and everything he knew, young Daniel LaRusso and his mother, start their new life in the Golden State.
Daniel’s mom is in her element, going crazy over the mere sight of palm trees. But Daniel’s not as keen and things don’t start too well. After the kitchen sink doesn’t work, Daniel goes searching for the apartment building’s maintenance man. He meets him in his den, and he’s not what you would expect. An old Asian man, wearing a bandana and trying to catch a fly with chopsticks, he’s a man of few words, and tells Daniel he will come fix the sink “After…”. The next night, Daniel gets invited to a beach party, and is instantly smitten by a pretty blonde girl called Ali. Trying to bust the moves on her, Daniel gets interrupted by some unruly youths on their motorbikes. The ring leader is called Johnny, and he’s a classic douche bag. After pushing Daniel around, and kicking him into the sand, Daniel picks himself up and heads home with a black eye.
Unfortunately Johnny and his fellow douche bags go to the same school Daniel starts at the next day. They’re not through giving him hell, but deciding he won’t be the victim of bullies, Daniel works on brushing up his karate skills, which are a little bit rusty. This catches the eye of the maintenance man, who eventually comes around to fix the sink. Daniel’s not aware of it yet, but this would be the moment a special friendship would start to form between him and the old man who says very little.
With the intent of getting back into karate, Daniel discovers a local dojo and likes what he sees. But to make matters even worse, Johnny and his pals practice there. With nowhere to train and the bullies on his back, Daniel isn’t sure where to turn or who can help him. After another run in with the bullies, the maintenance man overhears Daniel telling his mom he’s had enough and wants to go home. As chance would have it, Daniel gets to know the old man a bit better. Giving Daniel a crash course in trimming Bonsai trees, the maintenance man, Mr. Miyagi, also fixes Daniels bike following him throwing it in the dumpster after his last run in with the bullies. A generous man, who bows his head a lot and grunts more than he talks, but Daniel admires him and spends a lot of time with Mr. Miyagi, helping out with his trees and in return, getting served dishes of wisdom from Miyagi on a regular basis. It’s these conversations that stand out in the film, and carry some very important lessons, delivered brilliantly by Pat Morita as the wise karate master.
But the real turning point in the relationship between Daniel and Miyagi, and which sends the film into its second half is when Daniel is attacked by Johnny and the Douche bags so violently, that Daniel just won’t take it anymore. Seriously out numbered, they jump him after the school dance, dressed in skeleton costumes like a bunch of thugs. Kicking his but with their more refined karate skills, Daniel is on the ground and hanging on to stay conscious. Out of nowhere, Miyagi creeps up, jumps over the fence and takes care of the punks without any trouble whatsoever. Picking Daniel up and treating his wounds, Miyagi now has his mission; to teach this boy karate, the Okinawa way.
“No such thing as bad student; only bad teacher. Teacher say, student do” Miyagi says to Daniel, after his last run in with the bullies. Offering to go with Daniel down to their dojo, this is where the difference between Karate being used for fear over honour is shown. The bullies belong to the Cobra Kai Dojo, headed up by Sensei Kreese. He’s even more of a bully than the skeleton crew, and is given a few wise words from Miyagi. “Leave the boy alone” he says, to a man three times his size but a third his age. Kreese towers over Miyagi in intimidation, but the old man knows no fear; he has too much honour. But Kreese's only weapon is fear, as he challenges Daniel to enter the All Valley State Karate Championships coming up in two months time. Both sides agree. And this is where Daniels training under the wings of Miyagi begins.
It is these key scenes where Daniel is put to the test by Miyagi that became the signature moments of The Karate Kid. Believing he is going to learn to defend himself, Daniel is surprised and frustrated when Miyagi gives him one laborious chore after another. These include hand scrubbing clean Miyagi’s large collection of antique cars, or as it’s more famously know as “Wax on…wax off”. Followed by sanding the deck, i.e. “Right the circle – left the circle”. Miyagi disappears as Daniel spends the rest of the day sanding the old mans expansive decking. Then to top it all off, Daniel’s biggest job of them all will be painting. “It’s all in the wrist. Up…down” Miyagi instructs, then once again buggers off to leave Daniel to paint his never-ending fence. And just when he thinks he’s done fixing up the old mans house, Daniel has to paint the entire house while Miyagi goes fishing for the day.
Returning late that night, Daniel vents his anger at being used as a slave. Pissed off that he’s not being taught karate, Daniel starts to walk away, when Miyagi orders him back just to show him exactly what he’s learned over the past few days. Asking Daniel to repeat the labour induced actions he did a thousand times or more, Daniel begins to see that the hand coordination’s he’s mastered are in fact karate moves, and not just waxing or painting.
Obviously, Miyagi’s teaching techniques are unorthodox and unusual, but it’s all part of his plan to take this skinny teenager, toughen him up and teach him the true meaning of karate. “First learn stand, then learn fly” Miyagi says, when Daniel asks to be taught more. With little patience and a passionate heart, Daniel wants to learn karate the fast way. He will have to forget that approach, because Miyagi has his own brand of karate training; it’s not about strength, size or speed - it’s about concentration, focus and power. And when Daniel discovers that Miyagi was an old war hero, he learns what honour really is. The hot headed teen now becomes the Karate Kid, ready to state his claim on the fighting floor, and face his enemies.
The peak in kids taking up karate classes in the mid to late eighties can be attributed directly to this film. What kid can’t relate to Daniel LaRusso? He’s the Everyman, and the Hero. Getting outside of his fear, he steps up, uses his new skills and fights for his honour, even in the face of fear. Donning his white suit and emblem with the Bonsai tree, he faces every member of the Cobra Kai team one by one. This martial arts montage is sound tracked to perfection by the hit song “You’re the Best”, which would go onto to become the workout song for every aspiring karate kid after this movie. What the kids of the eighties couldn’t understand or find interest in with “Rocky”, they got out of The Karate Kid. In fact, both films had the same director.
Round by round, Daniel starts to show that he might just be The Best, even in his first official tournament. Facing all the bullies who gave him hell, he fights back and does it with respect and courage, until he reaches his arch nemesis, Johnny the douche bag, on centre floor.
Even with a sore leg caused by one of the other Cobra Kai Dicks, Daniel takes to the floor to finish the tournament his way, and not on a stretcher. This was inspiring to watch. The final fight was so well staged and filmed, you feel like you’re there in the arena, and can’t help but cheer for the kid from New Jersey as he faces his bully for the last time. Johnny exudes himself on the floor with his cockiness and aggressive moves, but Daniel keeps his dignity and fights the traditional way. “No Mercy” the Sensei says to Johnny, forcing him to fight dirty. It’s with this full force attack, that Daniel steps up and shows his bullies what real karate is.
Going on to be perhaps the most copied and recognisable karate move of all time, Daniel positions himself to perform The Crane. Lifting one leg up, he balances himself on his weaker leg, and looks his enemy in the eye, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Johnny had no idea what was coming his way, and in a flash, Daniel kicks his leg high and fast, striking Johnny in the face and winning the tournament. The arena erupts in an all mighty cheer, as the kid no one was betting on, the Underdog, takes the title and even gets handed the trophy by the guy he just beat. “We did it!” Daniel screams to Mr. Miyagi, who looks on with a confident smile; he knew Daniel San would pull through and do it.
The Karate Kid is “Rocky” for kids, and went on to become one of the favourite films of the eighties. It was believable, moving and inspiring. Ralph Macchio landed the role of a lifetime when cast as Daniel LaRusso, and did a great job in portraying a scared and naïve teenager who is forced into a new place and situation he has no experience in, and even less control. He was the student looking for the right teacher, and the teacher appeared. Mr. Miyagi would not just teach Daniel about Karate, but he would teach him about honour. Valuing the martial art as a means of defence and learned only so it wouldn’t have to be used, Daniel will only use it defend his honour. He was the poster boy for every kid who ever got bullied, ganged up on and chased through the school yard. There wasn’t much of him, but what he lacked in size and stature he made up for in courage and cause. It wasn’t just about getting back at the bullies who tormented him; it was about learning what karate truly meant. He gets his strength and confidence from his teacher, and Miyagi gets his chance to become the teacher and pass on his legacy to the next generation. It was a chance encounter that brought Daniel and Miyagi together, and even with cultural and generational misunderstanding’s they worked together and helped each other out.
The Karate Kid continues to hold up as a classic kid’s film, ever now over thirty years since its first release. It made kids believe they could learn karate and find the skills and guts to fight back on those who made them feel small. It’s a film that treats its audience with respect and delivers a true-to-life and motivating story that brings us back every time, to see how a young guy can rise above his limitations and be a hero for everyone.
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