🎬 The Karate Kid (2010)
The Karate Kid is a 2010 martial arts drama film directed by Harald Zwart and produced by Jerry Weintraub, Will Smith, Jada Pinkett Smith, James Lassiter, and Ken Stovitz. The film follows 12-year-old Dre Parker, who moves to Beijing, China with his widowed mother Sherry, and runs away from neighborhood bully Cheng. Dre makes an unlikely ally in the form of an ageing maintenance man, Mr. Han, a kung fu master who teaches him the secrets of self-defense.
Dre Parker and his mother Sherry move to Beijing after a job transfer at a car factory. They meet Meiying, a young violinist, who reciprocates his attention. Cheng, a rebellious 15-year-old kung fu prodigy, keeps them apart by constantly attacking and teasing Dre. Dre throws a bucket of dirty water over Cheng and his gang, leading to a brutal beating at an alley.
Mr. Han, a maintenance man, intervenes and heals Dre’s injuries using ancient Chinese medicine methods of fire cupping. He explains that Cheng and his friends are not inherently bad but are taught to be merciless to their enemies by their teacher, Master Li. Dre asks if Han could teach him kung fu, and he eventually accompanies him to Li’s Fighting Dragons studio to make peace. Li rebuffs the peace offer and challenges Dre to a fight with Cheng. Han counters that Dre competes against all of Li’s students at the upcoming kung fu tournament, and he requests that his students leave Dre alone to train until then.
Han teaches Dre Kung Fu, emphasizing movements that apply to life in general and emphasizes serenity and maturity over punches and power. Dre develops muscle memory through repetition and visits a Taoist temple in the Wudang Mountains. After weeks of training, Han gives Dre a day off and persuades Meiying to cut school for a day of fun. Meiying’s parents find out about this and forbid her from seeing him again.
Dre finds Han drunk and depressed, smashing a car he was working on. Han explains that he crashed the same car years ago, killing his wife Zhang and 10-year-old son Gong Gong. Dre decides to train harder and help his teacher overcome his trauma. Han assists Dre in writing and reciting a note of apology in Mandarin to Meiying and her father. Meiying’s father accepts the apology and promises to support Dre at the tournament.
At the tournament, Dre defeats all opponents, but Liang, one of his sympathetic students, is ordered to injure him in the semifinals. Dre advances to the finals against Cheng, who uses the fire cupping method to heal his leg. Dre pleads with Han to heal his leg, and Han complies.
In the final match, Cheng attacks Dre’s injured leg, causing Dre to lose balance. Dre uses the snake stance he saw at the temple, and Cheng defeats him with a kick to the head. Dre wins the tournament, earning the respect of Cheng and his classmates. Cheng, instead of the presenter, gives Dre the trophy, and all Fighting Dragon students bow down to Han, accepting him as their new master.