The Karate Kid Part III ** (1989, Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Robyn Lively, Thomas Ian Griffith) – Classic Movie Review 9720

They pushed their luck making a third one when the material was already starting to wear thin in The Karate Kid Part II and the ‘Kid’ Ralph Macchio was nearly 30 (though he does look about 12). Yet the same series writer Robert Mark Kamen still manages to pull off an entertaining enough third story.

Anyway, for the many fans, Macchio is welcome back again in director John G Avildsen’s The Karate Kid Part III (1989) as wide-eyed teenager Daniel LaRusso to defend his karate title with training from Vietnam vet Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), who naturally is involved with the Kid’s old enemy, John Kreese (Martin L Kove).

Terry Silver vows to help Kreese avenge himself on Daniel and Mr Miyagi (Pat Morita), and to re-establish Cobra Kai. What’s Daniel (Macchio) going to do now that Mr Miyagi has refused to coach him?

Also in the cast are Robyn Lively, Sean Kanan, Jonathan Avildsen, William Christopher Ford [Christopher Paul Ford], Randee Heller, Pat E Johnson and Diana Webster.

Thomas Ian Griffith is still best known as ruthless businessman and martial arts expert Terry Silver, the film’s main villain.

There was a TV series in 1989 and The Next Karate Kid followed in 1994 without Macchio. The Karate Kid was rebooted in 2010.

Ralph George Macchio was born on 4 November 1961. So the ‘Kid’ was 27 by the time Part III was done in 1989. He played Daniel LaRusso again in the TV series Cobra Kai (2017).

Thomas Ian Griffith is also known for Excessive Force (1993). After his successful acting career ended in 2007, he started writing and producing for TV, including the NBC hit show Grimm. He is married to actress Mary Page Keller and they have two sons.

 © Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9720

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