The Challenge

[Ron Tisdale]

Hi,

Is anyone aware of the movie the challenge? An american boxer is used to bring a recovered sword into japan where two brothers fight to possess it.

The movie shows a *lot* of jujutsu (some of it very aikido like) and sword stuff. Can anyone tell what style the sword work is from? Or what style the character "kubo" trained in? Just currious...

Ron Tisdale

[George Kohler]

The choreography was done by Steven Seagal. I would think that the unarmed stuff would be Aikido. Don't know the Sword stuff, though.

[Neil Hawkins]

We discussed this once before here, though I can't find the thread now, maybe it was Pre-Crash.

It is a good movie, I liked the scenes in the training area, good sword, archery, stick, the lot. We did come up with a name for the guy who did the weapons choreography (Seagal only did unarmed from memory) but I can't remember now.

Neil

[Ron Tisdale]

Thanks guys. I just watched it again recently. Still find it an impressive movie, from the MA point of view.

Ron Tisdale

[Steve Delaney]

If I remember correctly, the hero of the movie was Scott Glen and his Sensei in was Mifune Toshiro. I haven't seen this movie for 11/12 years. Sorry if it's inaccurate.

I think it was all about a powerful gang of Yakuza paying Scott Glen to infiltrate a secret sect of "Koryu" practicioners headed by Mifune Toshiro (Complete with long white hair and beard) and steal an enchanted sword. The Yakuza boss was an old student of Mifune's who betrayed him. Scott Glenn is somehow accepted into the sect and is taught KenJutsu, ShurikenJutsu and JuJutsu and a few other arts along the way. He also falls in love with Mifune's daughter and befriends his grandson.

He is approached by the Yakuza and is reminded of his job.
He sneaks the sword away in the middle of the night, but his conscience gets the better of him. He returns it and is caught in the act by Mifune and his colleagues. He is punished by being buried in the ground up to the neck and left without water.

After Scott Glenn learns his lesson, he recovers and continues his training after apologizing to Mifune on hands and knees. The gang steals the sword and kills the grandson (I think!)

Mifune and Glen infiltrates the gangs building and hack, chop and Kote Gaeshi their way until they get to the boss (Mifune's old student) Mifune and the boss fight, but Mifune is defeated. Glenn takes the boss on and wins.
The good guys win, the sword is replaced, Mifune either dies or gets better and Glenn gets the girl. Huzzah!

That's how I remember it, but it was a long time ago.
I remember the choreography being good for an American MA movie. I may have muffed up the plotline a little since it was such a long time ago.

Thanks for making me remember.

Steve

[Ron Tisdale]

Yeah, the name change thing threw me too. Especially when I tried to find it in the video catalogues. Its usually listed under the challenge...now that I have my own copy, I can call it anything I want... :)

I'm just glad I have it.

Ron Tisdale

[George Kohler]

Originally posted by Neil Hawkins
We did come up with a name for the guy who did the weapons choreography (Seagal only did unarmed from memory) but I can't remember now.


Was it Obata Sensei (Shinkendo Fed.)?

[Harold James]

I just gotta say though... the movie does not represent how a classic budo dojo is opperated, as far as the parts where they show the training, well that really looks like how gendai (modern) dojo are run... everyone in a line doing the same thing. It's a movie, good for entertainment, but I wouldn't reccomend it as a source of what a classical dojo is like.

Remember the part where they cut the lobster in half and it crawls away off the plate, and drinking the little eels (dojou - with the long "o" sound) in cups of sake?

Hmm... before the "No crustaceans were harmed in the making of this movie" signs started to show up.

Just my opinion on it...