It is said that martial arts have their roots in eastern philosophy, and according to Mr. Miyagi, unless karate is used to defend life or to defend honour, it has no meaning.  That philisophy must have bypassed Mike Barnes, the character portrayed by Sean in this magnificent film, for he was a swaggering bully who used his karate skills for all the wrong reasons.

Brought to LA by Terry Silver, Mike was desperate to win the All Valley Karate Tournament, a title held by the “kid” of the film’s title, Daniel LaRusso (terrific portrayal by Ralph Macchio).  Mike brought with him a reputation as the “bad boy of karate” and was seen by Terry as the perfect way to exact revenge upon Daniel and his honourable Japanese teacher, Mr. Miyagi (delightfully played by the evergreen Noriyuki “Pat” Morita), for having humiliated his friend John Kreese in the previous year’s tournament.

Mike set about terrorising Daniel as soon as he arrived in LA.  He wanted Daniel, who showed no interest in defending his title, to enter the competition and when Daniel refused Mike’s campaign of terror intensified.  In danger of losing his life, Daniel eventually capitulated and he agreed to enter the tournament.  He met Mike in the final and, predictably, the bad boy got his comeuppance and Daniel was successful in defending his title. 

Watching Sean in the movie was an amazing experience.  His performance was pure, raw energy and totally convincing from beginning to end.  This visually stunning film was a joy to watch and I was particularly taken with the music and the stunning cinematography.  The fight scenes were truly spectacular - hats off the martial arts expert who choreographed them.  For Sean’s fans, this film is without doubt something to treasure.

Please go to the Multimedia page to see videoclips of Sean in this film.

Designs, images and writing (C) “Sean Kanan - A Unique and Very Special Actor” 2000.