Best Martial Arts Drama of All Time Is All the Rage on Netflix Now

If you think of the greatest martial arts flicks, you first recall Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan’s classic movies, or maybe Uma Thurman’s Kill Bill (2003) and Michelle Yeoh’s Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) that pay homage to Chinese traditions of combat.

However, there was a movie that elevated the genre to a completely different level, as it managed to balance fighting sequences and an exciting story. Back in the 80s, it obviously rekindled people’s interest in martial arts in mainstream cinematography and now it finally made its way right to Netflix.

The plot of this film revolves around Daniel, an Italian-American teenager who moves to L.A. and becomes the target of school bullies. In particular, he gets in a confrontation with the ex of his love interest, who studies karate at a local dojo.

Luckily, Daniel is quick to meet Mr. Miyagi, a handyman and a war veteran who starts teaching him how to defend himself before a karate tournament against his bullies.

This drama became a breakout martial arts movie that was received very positively. It was a huge box office success, as it grossed $130.8 million on a budget of $8 million and was praised by critics for its action sequences, memorable characters and writing.

However, the main key to this 90%-rated film’s success were none other than its leads, Ralph Macchio (Daniel) and Pat Morita (Mr. Miyagi). Their onscreen chemistry is captivating, and you start rooting for them from the very scene they’re meeting.

It may come as a great surprise, but this flick is based on a true story, as the screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen himself studied martial arts as a tool for confronting school bullies. Besides, he was also striving to write something epic like Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky (1976), one of the greatest sports dramas ever made.

Titled The Karate Kid, this movie set up the whole franchise that also includes 2010’s take on the same story starring Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan. You may have seen this box office hit, but it can’t even be compared to the 1984 original and its greatness.

“It's actually a much better film than I remember. Sure, it has some 80s teen-flick tropes, but it also has a lot of high quality film moments which, as a kid, I did not ever think about,” claims Redditor @I_Am_Robotic about the OG flick.

You can revise the original The Karate Kid, as it has just landed on Netflix.