Star: Pat Morita

The Next Karate Kid (1994) – Pat Morita and Hilary Swank

By the time this movie came round, Ralph Macchio was in his early 30s and deemed too old to continue to role of Daniel-san, the naive student of Mr Miyaji. Enter Julie-san, played by Hilary Swank. I guess she did her best, but it didn’t appeal much to my taste. Hilary Swank looks like a cross between Denise Richards and Arnold Schwarzenegger. And her character’s attitude (although it improved towards the end) was purposely the opposite of a respectable, cautious, conservative young lady, and this unfortunate feature co-incides with other sacrilegious vibes throughout, such as disciplined monks dancing to pop music and drooling at the idea of prancing around town.

Pat Morita did alright, reprising his role as Mr Miyagi, although the script seems incredibly lacking – he didn’t have much to work with.

This movie seems like it may have been made on a shoestring budget because it honestly seems like a mockery of those that came before it. But it actually cost only slightly less than the one before it, so I would have to say the leadership team is to blame, specifically the writer Mark Lee and the director Christopher Cain – they did an absolutely abysmal job compared to the team behind the first three movies: writer Robert Mark Kamen and director John G. Avildsen.

Chris Conrad almost stole the show – he did a great job as Julie’s boyfriend.

Michael Ironside and Michael Cavalieri also gave strong performances as the chief bullies in this movie.

It’s an inferior movie to Karate Kid 2, so I can’t give it the same 7/10 rating. It’s about equal to the others rated 6/10 so that’s the score I’ve given it for now.

The Karate Kid Part II (1986) – Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita

Very similar style to the first movie, and with a decent new plot, except there’s no longer the initial build up of Mr Miyagi being discovered, and Daniel-san learning from scratch. Now there’s a little bit more training, with more creative methods, and new convincing rivalries in a new setting – Okinawa. Pat Morita does an excellent job as always, and Ralph Macchio does a decent job too. Supporting cast are fair enough, ranging from mediocre to pretty good. Minimal extended boring bits, although it is a bit slow at times, this is generally an entertaining movie with many exciting bits and a decent ending much like the first one.

The Karate Kid (1984) – Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita

The Karate Kid is a classic martial arts movie – along with its sequels it was responsible for making karate and martial arts in general a lot more popular around the world – building on top of all the Bruce Lee led Kung Fu hype from the decade prior.

It probably deserves an 8/10 for first time viewing, but I give it 7.5/10 to account for rewatchings from an action hero movie fan’s perspective. Pat Morita does a fantastic job as the old man (Mr Miyagi) who teaches karate to the lead actor; and Ralph Machio does a decent job as the lead actor playing Daniel LaRusso (‘Daniel san’), a boy who’s not very strong and can’t fight well but has a determined attitude and a sensitive mind capable of learning fast, especially under the tutelage of a great teacher like Mr Miyagi. Martin Kove also does a pretty good job as the aggressive karate teacher (Sensei John Kreese) who instructs the bullies, and William Zabka does a fair job as the leader within their crew and the main antagonist in this movie (Johnny Lawrence) who has a history with Daniel’s newfound girlfriend.

Pat’s character was based on Chōjun Miyagi, who is credited as the founder of the Goju-ryu, one of the most popular styles of karate, as well as Fumio Demura, a more accessible modern karate man who Pat spent a lot of time with in order to nail the attitude of this character.

The script writer Robert Mark Kamen really went to town with the creativity involved in teaching Daniel-san how to block punches by having him wax cars, paint fences, etc. This makes for a great scene where a frustrated Daniel-san learns what skills he’s unwittingly acquired, as Mr Miyagi also raises his voice for the first and only time in this movie. There are some brilliant scenes & clips throughout the movie, but there’s also a bit of drama that makes it a bit boring if you rewatch it too often.

Techniques

On a side note, the Wax On and Wax Off techniques are similar to Shuto Uki (knifehand block) in Karate; or Biu Sau (darting hand) in Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Paint Fence up and down would be the Cheung Kiu (long bridge) version of Tai Sau (lifting hand) and Gam Sau (pinning hand) in Wing Chun Kung Fu.

Sand Floor would be Gedan Barai (lowline sweep) in Karate; or Gaang Sau (ploughing hand) in Wing Chun Kung Fu.

The Crane Kick (Crane Technique) is based on a popular Karate move called Mae Tobi Geri 前飛蹴 (Front Jumping Kick) which itself, like all major forms of Japanese & Okinawan Karate as well as Wing Chun Kung Fu, stems from Fujian White Crane Kung Fu.

The Karate Kid Part III (1989) – Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita

This movie has plenty of the same creativity that made the previous two a success. Pat Morita does an outstanding job as Mr Miyagi, and Ralph Macchio does a decent job as Daniel-san too. This time the movie is set back in the States, but new rivals emerge in the form of an old student (Terry Silver) of the nasty Cobra Kai sensei (John Kreese), plus a new recruit (Mike Barnes) hired specifically to beat Daniel in the tournament and beat him up in the process.

Thomas Ian Griffith almost steals the show – he does an outstanding job as Terry Silver who makes it his mission to deceive and torment Daniel-san and Mr Miyagi. Sean Kanan does a decent job as Mike Barnes who bullies Daniel-san throughout the movie (as he’s hired to do by Terry Silver), and Martin Kove does a decent job reprising his role as John Kreese too.

Other cast members include Daniel’s new girlfriend Jessica Andrews, the lady from the pottery store across the road (played by Robyn Lively, who does a fair job), and Snake, a student of Terry Silver who is tasked with organising & assisting the bullying (played by Jonathan Avildsen, who does an excellent job, he is very convincing, albeit in a relatively minor role).

Due to creativity maintained, as set by prior movies in this saga, and considering the introduction of great new cast members, plus a strong ending as per usual, this movie deserves a 7.5/10 in my view.

This movie did well to develop the characters the way it did; but if it had a bit less bonsai tree drama, a bit more interesting action, a bit more meaningful philosophy, and a stronger leader female, plus dare I say a stronger lead male playing Daniel-san, this could be a more exciting movie worthy of an 8 or higher. It’s got so many strong ingredients that other movies don’t have. It’s fun to watch the whole series of Karate Kid movies back to back every few years, and these days we have the luxury of topping that off with the new Cobra Kai show which has six seasons out already and is still going strong. I recommend you finish every season of this show before moving on to Jackie Chan’s 2010 remake of The Karate Kid which has none of the same actors and is all about Chinese kung fu really, not Japanese karate.

See also: Cobra Kai – the new satirical action comedy drama TV show

The new Cobra Kai show sees many of the old Karate Kid actors return after several decades away, including: Ralph Macchio who plays a middle aged Daniel-san; William Zabka who plays a middle-aged Johnny Lawrence, Daniel’s nemesis from the original movie; and elderly versions of John Kreese (played by Martin Kove) and Terry Silver (played by Thomas Ian Griffith).

But that’s more for nostalgia than anything. The best thing about this series is the introduction of a new generation of outstanding cast members including Xolo Maridueña (from Blue Beetle) and Tanner Buchanan.

Note though, this show is a bit satirical, not so serious as the movies were. That doesn’t mean the acting is bad, it’s just a different vibe, a different genre now.

Desert Heat / Inferno (1999) – Jean-Claude Van Damme

Inferno (also released as Desert Heat) is a simple story exhibiting classic Van Damme, as plays Eddie Lomax, a man ready to die, who rolls into a town called Inferno, somewhere in the Old West, to visit an old friend, an Native American Indian man called Johnny Six Toes, played by Danny Trejo, to deliver him a gift – an Indian motorcycle – and to ask for his blessing in ending his life. Unfortunately, before the gift could be delivered, the bike got stolen and Eddie nearly killed in the process. So Eddie stays in town for a bit longer, to deal with the thieves, and in the process, deals with two large gangs of thugs, while making some good friends and finding a woman he loves.

Van Damme is his usual self, convincing and entertaining in his role as Eddie Lomax, and he’s blessed with a decent script here – it’s no stunner but it’s sufficient for his essence to come out quite well on screen. Van Damme looks consistently cool, and there’s a nice injection of humour from time to time.

Danny Trejo does a decent job as Johnny Six Toes, the Indian man who is Eddie’s old friend. Since Eddie saved Johnny’s life a long time ago, the two have become spiritually joined at the hip.

The lead female role, Rhonda Reynolds, the local diner’s chef who becomes Eddie’s girlfriend by the end, is played by Gabrielle Fitzpatrick – she does a decent job – quite convincing.

We’re also blessed with a strong supporting role played by Pat Morita (better known as Mr Miyagi from The Karate Kid). In this movie he’s getting on a bit, but still does well in the character of a patient, positive & helpful old man.

I would say this movie is slightly above average in Van Damme’s overall filmography. It’s not on the level of Bloodsport or The Quest but is not far behind. He’s in his prime here, and is backed by a decent cast. It’s better than a lot of the cheaper straight-to-video movies he’s made throughout his busy career – most of which are still classics nevertheless.