The Karate Kid, Part III Information

The Karate Kid, Part III is a 1989 martial arts film, and the second sequel to the hit motion picture The Karate Kid (1984). The film stars Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki "Pat" Morita and Robyn Lively. As was the case with the first two films, it was directed by John G. Avildsen, written by Robert Mark Kamen, its stunts were choreographed by Pat E. Johnson, and the music was composed by Bill Conti.

Plot

The story picks up almost a year after the first film, and following the events of the second film. Having lost the Cobra Kai dojo and all of his students, Sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) visits his Vietnam War comrade Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), who is also a fellow Cobra Kai karate expert and owed his life to Kreese who saved him "more times than I can remember" in Vietnam; indeed, Silver is later indicated to be the majority owner of the Cobra Kai dojo, telling Kreese he had not bought it for the money, he had bought it for him. Silver and Kreese scheme to take revenge on Daniel and his teacher, Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), and make Cobra Kai successful once again. Terry sends Kreese to Tahiti to get rested up and get his life back in order. Unseen by each other, as Silver drives off and Kreese walks into the airport terminal, Daniel and Mr Miyagi are leaving the terminal on their return to Los Angeles.

Upon returning home to Los Angeles, Daniel and Miyagi discover that the South Seas apartment building has been demolished, which puts Miyagi out of work. Daniel's mother has moved back to New Jersey to care for her elderly uncle, who has emphysema. Daniel wants to use his college funds to realize Miyagi's dream of opening a bonsai tree store, but Miyagi insists that he use the money to go to college; going against Miyagi's wishes, Daniel uses the money to purchase a building. When Daniel visits a pottery store across the street, he meets Jessica Andrews (Robyn Lively), and they instantly become friends.

Silver recruits "Karate's Bad Boy" Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) and promises him 25% of potential Cobra Kai profits if he succeeds in claiming Daniel's title at the upcoming All-Valley Karate Tournament, but Barnes demands 50% and Silver gives it to him. After breaking into Miyagi's home, Silver overhears Daniel tell Miyagi that he will not be participating in the tournament, as Miyagi felt that defense of the title would merely be fighting for personal reward.

That evening at the bonsai store, Daniel and Jessica are confronted by Mike and Snake (Jonathan Avildsen), one of Silver's goons. They threaten to harm Daniel if he does not enter the tournament. Daniel declines, and Mike departs in a heated rage. At a later date, Daniel and Jessica are once again confronted by Mike and Snake, who are now joined by Mike's personal trainer Dennis (Christopher Paul Ford). When Daniel again refuses to enter the tournament, a small skirmish breaks out before Miyagi shows up to fend off the three men. Later, Miyagi and Daniel arrive home to find that their stock of bonsai plants has been stolen, with a tournament application hanging in their place.

After reporting the harassment and theft to the local police, Daniel and Jessica decide to dig up a bonsai tree which Miyagi had planted halfway down the cliffs surrounding the Devil's Cauldron. Daniel thinks they can use the tree, which is the one true bonsai Miyagi brought from Okinawa, as a new source of capital, although Jessica doubts Miyagi will condone this sale of a valuable family heirloom. After Jessica slips off a cliff, Daniel accidentally drops the tree at the bottom. Whilst Daniel and Jessica are at the bottom of the Cauldron, Silver's goons arrive and retract their climbing ropes, leaving Daniel no choice but to finally sign up for the tournament. After pulling both Daniel and Jessica to safety, Barnes maliciously breaks the valuable tree. Daniel returns to the shop with Miyagi's damaged bonsai, which Miyagi immediately attempts to mend. Miyagi has sold his truck in order to buy a new stock of trees, and refuses to train Daniel for the tournament.

Silver, who has befriended Daniel numerous times under the fraudulent guise of a humble friend of Kreese, sent to apologize on behalf of their Korean master for Kreese's previous actions and tells him that Kreese died from a heart attack, offers to "train" Daniel at the Cobra Kai dojo. Daniel accepts, and during the training sessions, Silver instructs Daniel in many cheap and corrupt ways of fighting, consistently discouraging Daniel from using his kata. Silver repeatedly invites Daniel to attack a wooden dummy, making his knuckles bleed; revenge for the similar injury Kreese sustained when attacking Miyagi. Miyagi tends to Daniel's wounds with a special balm, but after subsequently asking Daniel about his erratic behavior, Daniel reproaches Miyagi angrily, saying that he is merely attempting to resolve his own problems, and that Miyagi should not concern himself with his problems if he will not help him.

After several sessions, Daniel eventually destroys the entire dummy, at which point Silver proclaims that he is ready to win the tournament. That night, Silver bribes a man into provoking a fight with Daniel while on a date with Jessica. In response, Daniel punches the man, breaking his nose. Shocked by his own aggressive behavior, he apologizes for his recent actions and makes amends with Miyagi and Jessica.

Daniel visits Silver at the dojo to inform him that he no longer wishes to train with him, and that he will not be competing in the tournament. Silver reveals his true agenda to Daniel, and both Mike and Kreese enter the room. After Mike pummels and chases Daniel out of the dojo, Miyagi arrives and quickly fends off all three opponents. Afterwards, Miyagi, having realized that he might have been rash to abandon his student, finally decides to train Daniel for the upcoming tournament. They train by Devil's Cauldron, where they replant the now-healed bonsai.

At the tournament, Mike makes his way up to the final round to face Daniel. Silver orders Mike to alternately score points and then intentionally lose them by incurring penalties under the new tournament rules with illegal moves designed to hurt Daniel and break his spirit. Mike is to continue this for the duration of the three-minute regulation period, and then score a quick point in sudden death. By the end of the match, Daniel is nearly beaten, but Miyagi tells him to focus, and remember his training that it is okay to lose, but not to fear. In the sudden death round, Daniel finds his resolve, and again begins the kata that Miyagi taught him. A hesitant and confused Mike finally comes in to attack, and Daniel quickly counters by throwing him to the ground and scoring a point with palm strike to Mike's ribs. A disgusted Silver walks away as the crowd throws back the Cobra Kai shirts that were given to them while Kreese turns to the crowd with anger. An excited Daniel then breaks tradition and instead of bowing to him, hugs Mr. Miyagi.

What happens to John Kreese and the Cobra Kai Dojo's accreditation is not revealed, but presumably, Kreese is stripped of his black belt in karate, and the Cobra Kai Dojo forfeits its accreditation and is ordered closed.

Cast

• Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso
• Pat Morita as Keisuke Miyagi (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita)
• Robyn Lively as Jessica Andrews
• Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver
• Martin Kove as John Kreese
• Sean Kanan as Mike Barnes
• Jonathan Avildsen as Snake
• Randee Heller as Lucille
• William Christopher Ford as Dennis (as Christopher Paul Ford)
• Pat E. Johnson as Referee
• Rick Hurst as Announcer
• Frances Bay as Mrs. Milo
• Joseph V. Perry as Uncle Louie
• Jan T?íska as Milos
• Diana Webster as Margaret
• Patrick R. Posada as Man #1
• C. Darnell Rose as Delivery Man
• Glenn Medeiros as Himself
• Gabriel Jarret as Rudy (as Gabe Jarret)
• Maximillian Theseira as Secondary Mr. Kesuke Miyagi (as Noriyuki 'Pat' Morita)

Reception

The film received mostly negative reviews from critics. It did significantly less business than the first two films, grossing $39 million at the box-office. It was dismissed by critics, including Roger Ebert. Criticism often mentioned the rehashing of elements in the former two movies: a tournament against Cobra Kai, a romance side-story, etc.

At the 1989 Golden Raspberry Awards, this entry received five nominations but did not win any of them. They are for Worst Picture (Jerry Weintraub; lost to Star Trek V: The Final Frontier), Worst Screenplay (Robert Mark Kamen; lost to Harlem Nights by Eddie Murphy), Worst Director (John G. Avildsen; lost to William Shatner for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier), Worst Actor (Ralph Macchio; lost to William Shatner in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier), and Worst Supporting Actor (Pat Morita; lost to Christopher Atkins in Listen to Me).

Kamen was so disgusted with the way Daniel LaRusso (Macchio's character) was altered for the script that he refused to involve himself in The Next Karate Kid, the only film in the original franchise in which Macchio did not appear.

See also

• The Karate Kid (1984 film)
• The Karate Kid, Part II
• The Next Karate Kid
• The Karate Kid (2010 film)