The Karate Kid (1984) - Family
It's cheesy as hell, but what is the 80s without Mr Miyagi, the crane kick, and Daniel-san. It's just a perfect feel-good family film, which I watched countless time with my Dad and siblings, yet still enjoy immensely. On the surface it's your classic formulaic main character down in life later overcoming the odds story that's been told a thousand times over. But there's a reason this film is remembered while others aren't and that's the complexity of the Miyagi character. He could have so easily just been a mystical sensei, but we get a scene where we see a sadness in his character when Daniel walks in on him drunk and he candidly shares his stories about the war and losing his wife. It's very smartly played partially for laughs, but has a heartbreaking undertone to it. Interestingly, the film studio wanted to take this whole section out. Ultimately, it turns Miyagi into a real person and elevates the whole film IMO. The wisdom he shares with Daniel and us the audience gains far greater meaning knowing what he has lost himself. Especially his insistence that fighting is a last resort (whilst simultaneously being a total badass). It's a better movie then it's sometimes given credit for being.
The scene in question -
<![CDATA[<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/njj7wgVmz_Y&t=56s" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/njj7wgVmz_Y&t=56s</a>]]>Now a whole new generation gets to enjoy this world through Cobra Kai, which was only possible because of the world building in this first film. And if anything this show has proved that William Zabka was the real star of the show all along. If you've not seen this ridiculous tongue-in-cheek explainer on Daniel being the real bully, then go watch it now -
<![CDATA[<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/C_Gz_iTuRMM" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/C_Gz_iTuRMM</a>]]>
