In this eighties flick a teenage boy, Daniel, moves from the east coast to the palm fringed
roads and blue skies of Los Angeles when his mother gets a new job. They go in their
station wagon and arrive at the block of flats they're to stay at. It doesn't seem too bad and
fate has a plan for Daniel, as he meets Miyagi, the handyman at the complex. He soon
learns that Miyagi is a patient and kind man, who teaches him how to trim bonsai trees.
But at school life isn't so easy for Daniel, especially when he begins to like Ali, the nice
and attractive popular girl of the school. Soon her jealous boyfriend is out to get poor
Daniel with his gang, who train at the local karate studio, and call themselves The Cobras. Eager to prove himself courageous and not be scared off by the bullies, but
at the same time isn't keen to blindly be punched up by the gang, he is unsure what to
do.
When The Cobras go too far and attack Daniel, hurting him very badly, Miyagi fights
them off while Daniel is unconscious. He helps Daniel recover from his injuries and
reluctantly agrees to teach Daniel the true form of Karate, not the violent and sadistic
approach that the coach of The Cobras uses. Through a series of chores that Miyagi sets out for Daniel, like polishing his cars and cleaning the wooden deck, the teenager learns discipline and earns Miyagi's trust and
affection. It isn't long before Daniel is training karate with Miyagi and becoming
exceptionally good.
But how can he deal with the constant taunting of The Cobras
and the obvious shunning of Ali's rich stuck up parents? But Miyagi becomes like a father
figure to him, and uses the beach for training too, showing Daniel the importance of balance
in both life and in karate.
On Daniel's 16th birthday, Miyagi rewards him with one of the
cars he has been having Daniel clean. He shows Ali and they go for ride, but are unaware of the fact that Ali's ex boyfriend looks on jealously. But he isn't the only one
who is jealous of Daniel, the coach of The Cobras wants to destroy Daniel and Miyagi
anyway he can, no one embarreses him or his students! He's a champ and champs
always win, no matter what it takes, fighting clean or dirty. And he wants to crush
Daniel at the annual karate tournament that Miyagi has entered his new student in. Can
Daniel do it? Will he win?
He succeeds through all the levels with skill and grace, excercising all the control that Miyagi has taught him. But then it's the final round and
he's up against the annual champions, his foes The Cobras. He injures one of the fighters,
Ali's ex boyfriend, by busting up his nose. But The Cobra coach won't give up, and tells
his student to cheat. The boy reluctantly does this and sprains Daniel's leg badly. In the
changing room Miyagi tells Daniel it is okay if he doesn't fight. But now it's personal for
Daniel, he's tired of the way in which The Cobras gain victory, the dirty way. He wants
to show them that he can win and he'll win fairly.
Miyagi hones in all of his energy and somehow heals Daniel's leg enough for him to fight in the final round. Now the blazing
heat it is both appoinants bloodstreams, pumping adrenaline charged to their hearts
and minds. Who will win? Daniel "The Bonsai"? Or the venom of The Cobras? It seems
unlikely that Daniel will win, he is hobbling, but he blocks out the pain and also blocks
the kicks and jabs of his appoinant. In a dramatic finish he does a skillful hand move
and beats his appoinant! He has won the championship and he has also beat The Cobras,
much to the horror of their coach. But the tournament isn't all he's won, he's also won the
trust and everlasting friendship of Miyagi and the love of Ali. For now he is the skilled
and discaplined teenager, that will be known as The Karate Kid.
