Film
The Karate Kid
- Director
- John G. Avildsen
- Certificate
- PG
- Running Time
- 126 mins
Bullied wimpy schoolkid (Ralph Macchio, who was actually 22 at the time of filming) gets revenge on his tormentors when elderly gardener and karate master Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) tutors him in the noble art of whupass.
Wholly predictable but disarmingly warm-hearted, this original $8 million-budgeted Karate Kid proved to be the biggest sleeper hit of 1984, taking $100m at the box office. If the plot seems to bear more than a slight resemblance to that of Rocky, that’s probably because John G. Avildsen directed both films. Oh, and members of the offence-taking community may wish to know that the late Pat Morita spoke perfect, unaccented English. He was originally rejected for the role of Mr. Miyagi and only reconsidered when he grew a beard and put on an exaggerated Japanese accent.
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