The Karate Kid 3 -
Unbeknownst to them, John Kreese (Martin Kove), the former sensei of the Cobra Kai dojo, has been left financially and spiritually broken after his humiliating defeat at the end of the first film. He is about to close his dojo for good when he is visited by his wealthy, ruthless Vietnam War comrade and fellow Cobra Kai co-founder, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith).
A cheesy, violent, “so bad it’s good” martial arts movie with a killer villain performance. Skip if you want: The wholesome, inspirational tone of the original Karate Kid . the karate kid 3
Silver hires the vicious, hulking karate champion Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan) – nicknamed “Karate’s Bad Boy” – to terrorize Daniel and force him to compete. When Daniel refuses, Barnes and his goons trash Mr. Miyagi’s beloved bonsai tree shop. Miyagi refuses to help Daniel train for the tournament, believing tournaments breed ego and violence. Unbeknownst to them, John Kreese (Martin Kove), the
Desperate and isolated, Daniel falls for Silver’s trap, training with “Sensei” Silver and Kreese (hidden in the shadows) in a brutal, fear-based Cobra Kai style that teaches him to strike first and show no mercy. The training is sadistic (e.g., breaking blocks of ice with bare hands, fighting multiple opponents at once). Daniel becomes angry, paranoid, and starts losing his honor. Skip if you want: The wholesome, inspirational tone
The Karate Kid Part III is the weakest entry in the original trilogy. It lacks the heart of the first film and the adventure of the second. However, it is not without merit. It is an aggressively 80s, melodramatic, and often unintentionally hilarious movie. For fans of the franchise, especially after Cobra Kai , it is – not because it is good, but because it provides the backstory for two of the best villains in the entire saga (Silver and Barnes).
Silver is a psychopathic, manipulative magnate who vows to destroy Daniel and Miyagi to restore Kreese’s honor. He concocts an elaborate scheme: he will pose as a benevolent new sensei, open a rival dojo (“Cobra Kai” under a different name), befriend Daniel, and manipulate him into a tournament fight that he cannot win.
