Mr. Miyagi didn’t know Karate at all. Noriyuki ”Pat” Morita, who immortalized Mr. Miyagi into a cultural icon with his signature “wax on, wax off” lessons, had not studied the Japanese martial art prior to taking on the role. Neither did Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) or Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka). The Karate Kid is the most prominent Karate film of all time, and yet none of the lead actors had any Karate skills.
Karate is a martial art that is rooted in Okinawa, although it’s worth noting that half of the Karate that the Cobra Kai TV series demonstrates is Korean. The grandmaster of Cobra Kai’s Karate was Kim Sun-Yung, a Korean character portrayed by Cobra Kai’s fight choreographer Don Lee in season 5 and C.S. Lee in season 6. It was common for Korean martial arts to advertise their schools as “Korean Karate” during Kreese’s time, so it’s a historically accurate depiction. Nevertheless, Karate is a more familiar term globally, and is in fact one of the most commonly known names for a martial art, which is why Koreans defaulted to it instead of trying to teach the world a new Korean word. In contrast, Miyagi-Do descends from Okinawa within the world of the Karate Kid. And Okinawan Karate is a distinct martial art with a noble tradition that goes back centuries.
Strangely, despite Karate’s renown, there aren’t too many movies that are strictly about Karate. Most martial arts movies are based in the Chinese style of Kung Fu. And while there are plenty of Japanese martial arts movies, those are mostly Samurai and Ninja films. Many leading action stars have backgrounds in Karate, including Dolph Lundgren, Wesley Snipes, Michael Jai White, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, but their films are more general stylistically instead of being aligned specifically to Karate. What’s more, most of those actors are well versed in a variety of different martial arts, so the flavor of Karate isn’t so apparent in their films.
Only a small fraction of martial arts cinema spotlights Karate specifically. So in the wake of Cobra Kai’s return, we have cherry-picked the leading Karate movies that star real-life martial arts masters in hopes that it’ll help soothe any Cobra Kai withdrawal.
The Street Fighter (1974)
When it comes to Karate movies, it all starts with The Street Fighter. Released a year after Bruce Lee’s groundbreaking blockbuster Enter the Dragon, The Street Fighter was the first film to get an X-rating for violence. It was one of the first commercial successes for New Line Cinema, who distributed it to the U.S., becoming a launchpad for the production company which went on to greater heights with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Most notably, it was the breakthrough role for Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba (1939-2021), the most influential Karate master in cinema.
Chiba has well over 200 roles to his credit and will come up several times here. In real life, Chiba was a direct pupil of Masutatsu “Mas” Oyama (1923-1994), the founder of Kyokushin Karate, under whom he earned a fourth-degree black belt. Oyama’s might was legendary, a Korean by birth, who killed over 50 bulls with his bare hands to demonstrate his prowess, three of which he killed with one blow. Oyama studied under many of the leading Karate masters, including Nei-chu So, a senior student of Chojun Miyagi, the founder of Goju-ryu Karate, from whom Mr. Miyagi got his name.
The Street Fighter was a significant steppingstone for martial arts cinema immigrating West. Today it is a fascinating watch because while it was a blockbuster import back in wake of Bruce’s death, it’s dated grindhouse fare now. It was released when the world was hungry for more martial arts and the movie filled the void left by Lee with relentless ruthlessness.
Chiba plays Takuma Tsurugi (changed to Terry Sugary in some dubbed versions). Tsurugi is a reprehensible antihero who assaults most of the women characters by forcefully smooching them until they submit. Chiba’s Karate is weirdly overacted in some flailing attempt to mimic Bruce that doesn’t work at all anymore. By today’s standards, the choreography is crude and clunky.
But it’s the violence that stands out. It’s gratuitously sanguineous especially for the ‘70s, with bright red paint-like blood spilling in buckets. There’s a wicked dagger to the eye which when plucked, gushes way too prolifically. There’s also the first use of X-Ray vision for a skull crushing. And there’s two grabs that come back with bloody chunks of flesh, a larynx from one opponent, and the penis of a rapist. Perhaps that’s tame by today’s standards, but back then, it was shocking enough to earn that X-rating. The Street Fighter spawned two sequels, Return of the Street Fighter (1974) and Street Fighter’s Last Revenge (1974) and a spinoff trilogy about a Sister Street Fighter. It also made Chiba into one of Asia’s most renowned action stars, so much so that Quentin Tarantino paid his respects by casting him as Hattori Hanzo in Kill Bill (2003).
Roaring Fire (1981)
Roaring Fire is another grindhouse Karate film with all the kicks and chops of the era—a prized diamond, a blind master, gratuitous toplessness, absurd chase scenes, a trapdoor, a Black big-time wrestler, a mischievous monkey that steals bikini tops, a whip-wielding Nazi chick in a halter top, and bananas stuffed with heroin. What makes it interesting is that the lead is none other than Hiroyuki Sanada, the Emmy and Golden Globe winning star of Shōgun.
Sanada is a black belt in Kyokushin Karate and a protégé of Chiba. Chiba was the fight choreographer for Roaring Fire and also appears in the film as Mr. Magic, a cheesy stage magician who turns out to be an undercover Karate expert. Another Chiba protégé and Karateka, Etsuko Shihomi, plays the blind master. Both Sanada’s and Shihomi’s fight scenes are good. Sanada was quite the kicker in his day and manages some long single shot takes that are clearly him fighting and doing stunts.
Sanada’s character is an awkward Jackie Chan knockoff, however, complete with the long hair, wide collar with plunging neckline, and hip vest. There are moments that border on humor, like when he’s being accused of being a pervert by a harem of bikini clad gals because his monkey stole a bikini top (the slow-mo of the bikini-less gal running towards the camera is an attention grabber early in the film). While Sanada might be a revelation to Western audiences now, Roaring Fire is a reminder that he’s paid his dues with over a hundred roles going back to the mid-1960s, and some, like any martial star, were pretty cheesy.
Black Belt Jones (1974)
The epitome of Blaxploitation, Black Belt Jones is the bastard child of Enter the Dragon (1973) and Live and Let Die (1973). Jones is played by Jim Kelly (1946-2013), who was Williams in Enter the Dragon, and a highly decorated Karate champion in real life. The film was directed by Robert Clouse, whose previous directorial effort was Enter the Dragon, and whose next film was Golden Needles (1974), also starring Kelly. Black Belt Jones liberally lifts from Enter the Dragon with Kelly’s Bruce Lee-esque fighting vocalizations, the whipcrack striking sounds and some choreographic techniques like the overuse of back fists.
The other standout actor is Gloria Hendry, a student of Shorinryu Karate and many other martial arts. A groundbreaking actress and stuntwoman, Hendry also played Rosie Carver, the first Black Bond girl to kiss James in Live and Let Die. Earl Jolly Brown is also in the film playing another henchman, like when he was Whisper in Live and Let Die. And just for laughs, Scatman Crothers plays the character he always does, who is completely unconvincing as a Karate master.
Black Belt Jones is packed with N words and set to a funky groovy soundtrack. Kelly can’t keep his shirt on, but with his chiseled physique, can you blame him? He moves well, and both he and Hendry exhibit solid Karate foundations. They each manage some impressive long fight takes. The film would’ve been so much better if it was written as a prequel to Enter the Dragon. Kelly’s Jones is essentially the same cat as Williams, right down his hip ‘70s attire. Kelly reprised Jones for Hot Potato (1976).
Karate Bullfighter (1975)
Everyone cites The Street Fighter as Chiba’s main film, but this was his masterpiece. Also known as Champion of Death, the film is based on a manga, Karate Baka Ichidai by Ikki Kajiwara, which was inspired by the life of Chiba’s master, Mas Oyama.
Chiba really shows his Kyokushin Karate mastery here. Oyama is portrayed as another reprehensible character with a psychotic quest to be the best Karate man in Japan. He rapes an innocent woman, Chiako (Yumi Takigawa), who becomes his love interest later. It’s a complicated tale of many acts, and beyond his exemplary fight scenes, Chiba gives a decent emotional performance, albeit a heavy-handed one. And not to spoil it, but Oyama does kill his first bull.
Karate Bullfighter is the first installment of Chiba’s Oyama Trilogy, all based on that manga. In Karate Bear Fighter (1975), Oyama continues his campaign to kick Karate ass as Chiako pines for him. His dueling quest and unrequited lover echo themes from Toshiro Mifune’s Samurai trilogy (1954-1956) about Miyamoto Musashi. And again, not to spoil it, Oyama fights a bear. It’s a dude in a bear suit which totally fails to be convincing. However, during the opening credits, the real Mas Oyama appears in a cameo, demonstrating his Kyokushin Karate.
In Karate for Life (1977), Oyama enters the world of big-time wrestling, complete with masked wrestlers and fixed fights. The Chiako story is abandoned, and the final fight is in a hall of mirrors, directly ripping off Enter the Dragon. Chiba delivers some decent fight scenes, including the opening fight where he takes on a hundred students of a dojo at once, but the rest of the film is so cheesy that it makes it a hard watch.
Fighter in the Wind (2004)
This is a Korean Karate movie, also based on the book Karate Baka Ichidai about Mas Oyama. It’s like a prequel to Chiba’s Oyama Trilogy. Oyama is portrayed by Yang Dong-geun, an actor, rapper, and breakdancer who recently played Park Yong-sik, player 007 in season 2 of Squid Games. Oyama’s primary adversary is Kato, played by Masaya Kato, an actor known for his real-life boxing and sword skills as well as doing his own stunts. Oyama’s mentor Bum-soo is played by Jung Doo-hong, a genuine Taekwondo master who works as a director, stunt coordinator and fight choreographer. Yang’s breakdancing talent allows him to move well, and the fights are artfully shot, which hides any weaknesses. Plus, the rest of the cast carries the action when needed.
Being based on the manga, the film is largely historical fiction, imagining Oyama struggling poverty-stricken post-war refugee life. It’s beautifully shot, and the tragic story has a romance angle that works well. It’s an underdog tale, depicting Oyama’s downtrodden roots and how he was inspired by Musashi’s Book of Five Rings to challenge every master as part of his quest for martial excellence. And in the outro scene, Oyama faces a bull.
Karate Girl (2011)
Karate Girl is the second “girl” film starring Rina Takeda. Her first was High Kick Girl! (2009) and later in 2011, she starred in Ninja Girl. Takeda is a black belt in Shorin-ryu Karate who took up the practice at age 10 after seeing her father lose a Karate match. She was bent on revenge. Playing her father in Karate Girl is Tatsuya Naka, a 7th Dan master from the Japan Karate Association specializing in Shotokan Karate. Naka also stars in High Kick Girl!
Karate Girl is a wholesome film, not bloody or gratuitous. There’s an underlying theme of traditional Karate being obsolete in the face of modern street fighting, with several digs at Karate kata, the solo practice routines. It’s ironic because Takeda’s kata is where she really shines. She has beautiful traditional form, powerful and precise. She manages some decent single-shot fight sequences and leans heavily into acrobatics when fighting, which is a bit disappointing because it lessens her impact. Nevertheless, Takeda has continued to deliver some noteworthy action films over the years, including portraying Lil in the live-action Attack on Titan (2015).
The Sensei (2008)
Diana Lee Inosanto, the daughter of Danny Inosanto and goddaughter of Bruce Lee, wrote, directed, and starred in this outstanding indie film. Given her upbringing, she’s a brilliant martial artist who has been exposed to so many different styles over her life. She’s been doing stuntwork since the mid-’80s and transitioned to acting over a quarter century ago, with her most notable recent role being Morgan Elsbeth in The Mandalorian and Ashoka.
In a genre filled with grindhouse and B films, The Sensei is surprisingly heartfelt martial arts tale with a profound message. Set in a small Colorado town at the height of the AIDS epidemic, Inosanto plays Karen O’Neil, an estranged member of a martial clan that runs a small Karate dojo there. She returns and begins teaching an ostracized gay teenager in private because the community scorns him, as does her family dojo. The MacGuffin is a solid twist and takes the film in a deeply meaningful direction. It’s acutely sensitive to the issues of homophobia and AIDS paranoia, and Inosanto is an astonishingly good actress, delivering her scenes with an authenticity that’s a cut above anyone else in the cast.
Kuro-obi (2007)
We’ve saved the best for last. Also known as Black Belt, which is the literal translation of Kuro-Obi, this movie captures some of the finest Karate choreography ever filmed. The three leading roles of Taikan, Choei, and Giryu are played by Tatsuya Naka (from Karate Girl), Yuji Suzuki (1st Dan Kyokushin Karate) and Akihito Yagi (7th Dan Goju-ryu Karate). The crisp precision of the fight choreography is an unmatched display of Karate dynamics, and the final fight gets dirty with a messy mud wrestle that’s a compellingly long one-er shot.
Beyond the exemplary fight scenes, Kuro-obi has a lot of soul. It ponders the eternal martial question of fighting for peace while training to kill. The three classmates grapple with preserving their art while the Japanese army is taking over their dojo and struggle to decide which of them will inherit their master’s black belt. The film has artful touches too, like a reoccurring thematic red balloon and a dramatic shift to black and white for the final fight. It’s a timeless story, one that speaks to the heart of any martial artist, and a beautiful story, martial arts notwithstanding.
The final season of Cobra Kai, Season 6 Part 3, is now available on Netflix.
The post The Best Karate Movies with Actual Karate (Sorry Cobra Kai) appeared first on Den of Geek.
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