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Podcast: Around the World in 80s Movies
Episode: The Karate Kid (1984) | John Avildsen
Description: Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and his mother (Randee Heller) move from New Jersey to Reseda, CA , to start a new life. It seems promising at first, but soon Daniel hates his new environs, thanks to a few run-ins at school with a group of karate-trained bullies. He does manage to irk the leader of the bullies, Johnny (William Zabka), when he starts seeing his ex-girlfriend, Ali (Elisabeth Shue). Johnny and gang belong to a no-holds-barred karate school in town that has a slogan of “no mercy”, run by ex-Vietnam vet John Kreese (Martin Kove). After the landlord of Daniel’s apartmen...