The Karate Kid (1984): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1984, The Karate Kid is an action, drama and family film directed by John G. Avildsen, running about 126 minutes. “He taught him the secret to karate lies in the mind and heart. Not in the hands.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Daniel moves to Los Angeles with his mother, Lucille, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of high school students, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei, John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.

Who’s in it. The Karate Kid stars Ralph Macchio as Daniel LaRusso, Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, Elisabeth Shue as Ali Mills and Martin Kove as John Kreese, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 7.2/10, The Karate Kid has been warmly received by audiences. It went on to earn $130.4M at the box office.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Netflix, Philo and YouTube TV and rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Karate Kid page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Karate Kid tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.