The Karate

1974 1h 26m JA

🤯

9.0

MASTERPIECE

★9.0TMDB · 2

ActionDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Bronson Lee, a Japanese-American raised by his grandma in the harsh, poverty-stricken desert Southwest, returns to Japan to demonstrate his mastery of karate by entering the tournament that will determine the first World Karate Champion.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Tadashi Yamashita
Bronson Lee
Yoko Horikoshi
Shinobu Suzuki
Shingo Yamashiro
Mihira
Masafumi Suzuki
Masafumi Suzuki
Shunji Sasaki
Keima Tadashi
Steve Fisher
Joe Gonzales
Dale Ferguson
Willy Zhang
Hiroshi Ebie
Tiger Blue

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yukio Noda
Writers: Kōji Takada, Masakazu Shimura
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

86 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "The Karate Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yukio Noda, shot by Toshio Masuda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Tadao Kanda shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Tadashi Yamashita and Yoko Horikoshi and Shingo Yamashiro carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0188744 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yukio Noda directs. Toshio Masuda behind the camera. Tadao Kanda cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

186 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
252 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Part of the "The Karate Trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Yukio Noda, shot by Toshio Masuda. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Editor Tadao Kanda shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Tadashi Yamashita and Yoko Horikoshi and Shingo Yamashiro carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt0188744 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 2 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.