Even as a kid, I was constantly replaying my parents’ VHS copy of “The Karate Kid” and never quite found it to be a masterpiece. Not that it’s a bad movie, in fact “The Karate Kid” is a very good under dog action drama with director Roger Avildsen taming the tale of “Rocky” for a younger more diverse audience. It’s a film for an audience that can identify with the slim Daniel who has to learn how to defend himself, or suffer endless torment by the violent Cobra Kai dojo and their ring leader Johnny.
Ralph Macchio plays Daniel LaRusso, a New Jersey native forced to move to California with his newly single mom who pursues a job opportunity. Pushed in to a new apartment complex with a slew of odd neighbors, Daniel attempts to integrate himself in to his new surroundings by taking up karate and falling for the local high school girl Ali (Elizabeth Shue). Unfortunately, Daniel is rejected from his ideal dojo “Cobra Kai,” which happens to have as a student Johnny, Ali’s former boyfriend with a penchant for violence and sadism. Despite Daniel’s best efforts to stand up to him, Johnny and his friends begin tormenting Daniel to the point where he begins to fear for his life. Daniel only finds solace in his friendship with neighbor Mr. Miyagi, a repairman with an enigmatic past that includes war, and a mastering of martial arts.
Miyagi soon recognizes Daniel’s turmoil and takes him as a protégé, as Daniel forms an affection for Ali over the course of the narrative. Much of the film is absolutely compelling, and Macchio is successful in portraying an average almost meek teenager forced in to a violent situation with no other resolve but with equal force. Even without the virtue of nostalgia, “The Karate Kid” is still a very memorable and entertaining drama about two lost men finding friendship and purpose in one another. Pat Morita is fantastic as the defeated and embittered Miyagi, who is forced out of his isolation to help a genuinely good hearted young man conquer his unfortunate enemies. You also have to appreciate the great turns from William Zabka and Martin Kove, as the sadistic martial artists that live by the code of “no mercy.”
Zabka is especially vicious, giving Daniel no end of injury. There are some truly excellent moments of character drama, from the Halloween party confrontation, right down to Daniel’s fateful bout with Johnny in the martial arts competition. What keeps “The Karate Kid” down, though, is the uneven tone that often times trades fantasy for the more realistic implications that arise within the story. One minute the evil Johnny and friends are running Daniel off the road in his bike, and the next Daniel is a karate master in a long montage. And I was never a big fan of the notion that the only way to snuff out violence was with more violence. That said, “The Karate Kid” is a breezy and very entertaining coming of age action drama with strong performances, and an energy that’s difficult to resist.