The Karate Kid Part III Distributor: Sony Pictures Format: 4-Disc Box Set, Region 2 (PAL) Length: 112 min. Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Audio: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian Subtitles: English for the hard of hearing, Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish Extras: Multi-level Interactive DVD Rom Games: Catch The Fly, Find The Village, & Capture The Bonsai Tree; Filmographies.

Year of Release: 1989; Origin: United States; Studio: Columbia Pictures/Weintraub International Group

Director: John G. Avildsen; Producer: Jerry Weintraub; Script: Robert Mark Kamen; Action Director: Pat Johnson; Cast: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, Thomas Ian Griffith, Martin Kove.

Alternative Titles: N/A

The once sprightly Daniel-san, now 24, looks somewhat less sprightly as these sequels wear on, and by this stage Macchio seems comfortable in letting the 'kid' plough on through yet another concoction of life affirming situations and adolescent turmoil.

Part 3 sees Daniel and his adopted shaman Mr. Miyagi set up a bonsai tree store while ruthless ex-army scum bucket John Kreese (the bad guy from the first film) returns to his disused dojo in a bankrupted mess following defeat at last year’s All Valley Karate Tournament.

He wants Daniel and Miyagi to “feel pain,” so he enlists the help of an old buddy – the equally volatile Vietnam vet and criminal millionaire Silver (Griffith) – who decides to teach Daniel the more violent side of Karate as preparation for another tournament.

Aside from further detail on the tender relationship between master/pupil, it all seems quite rudimentary and the film quickly follows the same pattern as before. But Griffith’s bad guy makes it almost as spirited as the first, while the familiar messages of honesty, discipline and respect are still as much an integral part of the story as they are in keeping with the true spirit of Karate.

Macchio would hang up his gi after this sequel and enjoy a career of relative anonymity outside of his legendary Daniel-san persona. Miyagi, however, returns in The Next Karate Kid.