IMDb > The Karate Kid (1984)
The Karate Kid
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The Karate Kid (1984) More at IMDbPro »

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The Karate Kid (1984) -- A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting.
The Karate Kid (1984) -- A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting.
The Karate Kid (1984) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   31,964 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 54% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Robert Mark Kamen (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Karate Kid on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
22 June 1984 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Only the 'Old One' could teach him the secrets of the masters. more
Plot:
A handyman/martial arts master agrees to teach a bullied boy karate and shows him that there is more to the martial art than fighting. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(97 articles)
Today's Short: "Turbo"
 (From JustPressPlay. 16 November 2009, 5:56 AM, PST)

Veteran's Day, 'Precious' And 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' In Today's Twitter-Wood
 (From MTV Movies Blog. 11 November 2009, 3:00 PM, PST)

User Comments:
Certainly one of the top movies of the '80s, if not all-time. more (164 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Besuto kiddo (Japan) [ja]
Het uur van de waarheid (Netherlands) [nl]
Karaté Kid - Le moment de vérité (Canada: French title) [fr]
Karatê Kid - A Hora da Verdade (Brazil) [pt]
Karate Kid (Finland) [fi]
Karate Kid (Greece) [el]
Karate Kid (Denmark) [da]
Karate Kid (West Germany) [de]
Karate kid - sannhetens øyeblikk (Norway) [no]
Karate kid, el momento de la verdad (Spain) [es]
Karate kid, le moment de vérité (France) (video title) [fr]
Le moment de vérité (France) [fr]
Momento da Verdade (Portugal) [pt]
Per vincere domani (Italy) [it]
more
Runtime:
126 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The long, continuous shot from the moment Daniel exits the locker room at the tournament until the panoramic view of the entire gymnasium took over 35 takes to get right, according to Ralph Macchio. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When Daniel is being chased through a field by Johnny and the other boys (from the costume party), puffs of smoke being generated, from behind a tree on the right, to look like evening fog can clearly be seen. more
Quotes:
Tommy: Get him a body bag! Yeah! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Dancing with the Stars: (#5.5)" (2006) more
Soundtrack:
THE MOMENT OF TRUTH more

FAQ

Is "The Karate Kid" based on a book?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
When Daniel was teaching Ali how to knee-juggle the soccer ball, why did Ally suddenly kick the ball away?
more
38 out of 48 people found the following comment useful.
Certainly one of the top movies of the '80s, if not all-time., 5 January 2004
Author: (lging34)

"The Karate Kid" is the tale of Daniel Laruso (Ralph Macchio), a young man who, on the heels of his mother's finding a new job, is uprooted from Newark, New Jersey, to the sunny shores of California. Daniel's mother has visions of a new start, a new life with the sky as the limit. Daniel, however, quickly finds that, for him, the West Coast holds nothing but hard times.

With the comforts of his rough, middle-class neighborhood thousands of miles away, Daniel tries to make friends and blend with the well-to-do, upper-class kids in his new home. At first, Daniel seems to do alright but, before long, he crosses paths with Johnny (William Zabka), the tough, rich leader of a group of karate students who attends Daniel's new school. To make matters worse, Johnny is the ex-boyfriend of Ali (Elisabeth Shue), a girl Daniel is pursuing.

Enter Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), an aging handy-man who works at Daniel's apartment building. Struggling for friends and failing to fit in, Daniel finds support in Miyagi. After enduring several beatings at the hands of Johnny and his gang, Daniel comes to learn that Miyagi, in fact, knows karate. Following a vain attempt to speak with Johnny's karate teacher (Martin Kove) about being left alone, Daniel is suddenly entered into the All-Valley Karate Tournament, where he will attempt to win the respect that Johnny and his gang have taken.

As he trains for the karate tournament with Miyagi, Daniel learns invaluable lessons about life and love. And brought to the foreground of this karate story is Daniel's pursuit of Ali, who truly is the single person who gave the new kid a chance.

On many levels, "The Karate Kid" is an uplifting movie. It illustrates how a lonely, out-of-place kid triumphs against the odds, and the movie doesn't need computer-animation or special effects to get its story across. But, for me and anyone who loves '80s movies, the "The Karate Kid" has to be appreciated for its nostalgia trip back to "better times." For that reason alone, this movie is a classic.

I've enjoyed few movies, if any, more than "The Karate Kid." I highly recommend this flick to anyone who loves a touching, uplifting story, or to anyone who simply can't get out of the '80s!!!

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more (164 total)

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Realistic ending theoutsidersgirl
Get-him-a-body-bag guy. Overacting? gbromberg
i think its funny how... darth_gary
major plot hole? shotimek
Delete your post Karate Kid style! xerocliche
Haing S. Ngor vs. Pat Morita vs. John Malkovich impossibledreamer
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