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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