The Karate Kid Part II (1986) * * *

 

Directed by:  John G. Avildsen

Starring:  Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Martin Kove, Yuji Okumoto, Tamlyn Tomita, Danny Kamekona, Nobu McCarthy

The Karate Kid Part II takes Daniel (Macchio) and Mr. Miyagi (Morita) to Miyagi's native Japan.  We learn more about Miyagi's past and why he left Japan as a teenager and never returned.  News of his father's imminent death dredges up past conflicts which now must be resolved.   Many years ago in Okinawa, Miyagi fell in love with Yukie (McCarthy), who was arranged to marry Miyagi's best friend Sato (Kamekona).  Sato challenged Miyagi to a fight to the death, but Miyagi, unwilling to fight his friend, instead flees the country.  He returns to find Sato is still angry and itching for their postponed battle.  "In Okinawa, honor has no time limit," Miyagi tells Daniel.  

While Miyagi feuds with Sato, Daniel faces his own trouble in the form of Chozen (Okumoto), Sato's sadistic nephew who terrorizes Daniel at every turn.   Meanwhile, Sato consistently challenges the still-reluctant Miyagi to fisticuffs, but mindful that Miyagi's dying father was once his karate teacher as well, which comes with a certain respect.   When Miyagi's father passes, Sato gives Miyagi three days to mourn and then the fight's on again.   What I liked about Kamekona's performance is the internal conflict present in him which is all over his face.   He is hurt and still bitter over Miyagi's supposed betrayal years before, but while his honor tells him he must fight Miyagi, his heart may feel otherwise.  

This gives Okumoto the duty of being the movie's main villain, and he is sufficiently hateful enough for us to root for Daniel to pound the snot out of him.  He calls Miyagi a coward throughout the film, even when Miyagi kicks his butt, and Daniel is guilty by association.   Daniel, having explained he and Allie from the first Karate Kid had broken up in the beginning of the film, finds a new love interest in the sweet Kumiko (Tomita), who aspires to be a ballet dancer.   Their romance is the weakest part of The Karate Kid, Part II, with not a lot of chemistry between Macchio and Tomita.  Their scenes seem obligatory and we want them to end so we can get to the main event.  

It's difficult to watch Karate Kid Part II without thinking of how these plots were resolved in Cobra Kai, with Chozen becoming Daniel's loyal ally vs. John Kreese's Cobra Kai dojo.  But the Chozen here is a cocky movie villain with his years of reflection and redemption still ahead of him.  So Daniel satisfactorily thrashes him in the film's climactic scene with Peter Cetera's Oscar-nominated Glory of Love playing over the credits.  It's a good song for a good movie which gets the job done.  And it's refreshing to see Daniel's relationship with Miyagi build instead of simply being recycled from the first movie.