Vito Papuan - The Summary of The Film "The Karate Kid"

             Dre Parker, 12, and his mother Sherry Parker moved from Detroit to Beijing because she gets a job transfer. Dre having a crush on a young violinist, Mei Ying, who attracts his attention by playing violin. They met at park in front of his flat. But there was a boy with skilful of kung fu, Cheng, attempted to avoid them together, because Cheng’s family is close to Mei Ying’s. At school, Cheng bullies him with his gang. So, Dre tried to avoid them. After a field trip to the Forbidden City, Dre saw Cheng and his friends hanging out close to his flat. Dre tried to pass by without them seeing him. When he finds a bucket of water, filled with black, polluted vent water. Dre pay back by splashing the polluted water over Cheng and his gang. Cheng and the others chase Dre along alley and beat him when cornering him. During the fight, the engineer of Dre's flat, Mr. Han, comes to Dre's aid, revealing himself as a kung fu master who fights for Dre.

             After Han mends Dre's injuries using traditional Chinese healing technique, Chauva, Dre asks if Mr. Han could teach him kung fu. Han refuses it, but meets Cheng's merciless and abusive teacher, Master Li, to make peace. Master Li, who teaches his students to show no mercy to their enemies, challenges Dre to a fight with Cheng in the Kung Fu Tournament. When Han rejects it, Li says they’ll not be allowed to leave his school unless Dre or Han fights. And then Han accepts it, but with the upcoming tournament, Li’s boys must leave Dre alone. Li agrees, but tells Han that if Dre doesn’t show himself up during the tournament he will personally bring pain to both Han and Dre.

             Dre is shocked and depressed when Han tells him that he will fight in a kung fu tournament. Han promises to teach Dre "real" kung fu. Han begins to train Dre, but Dre is frustrated that Han just let him spend hours taking off his jacket, hanging it up, dropping it and putting it on again repeatedly. After days of this, Dre refuses to continue because that strange movement wasted his time. Until Han demonstrates that the strange movements were the repetitive movement, Han's method of teaching Dre martial arts techniques, which Dre displays instinctively when prompted by Han's mock attacks. Han emphasizes that the movements Dre is learning apply to life in general, peace, and that serenity and maturity, not punches and power, are the true keys to mastering the martial arts.

             As Dre's friendship with Mei Ying continues, Dre persuades Mei Ying to cut school for a day for having fun. But when she is late for her violin, her parents scold him, considered being a bad influence for her and forbid her from spending more time with him. When Dre finds Han intoxicated, despondent with tears and anger, breaking the car he had in his living room, Dre learns that it is the anniversary of Han's wife and son's deaths, which occurred that was an argument with his wife which cause he lost control of the car cause an accident that kill them, in which he can barely remember. Dre reminds him that one of his lessons was in perseverance, and that Han needs to heal from his loss. And then Dre trains harder than ever to master kung fu. Han persuades Dre to apologize to Mei Ying's father in Chinese; he gets it and promises that Mei Ying will come to the tournament to support Dre.

             At the tournament, the under-confident Dre doesn’t get the rules yet about the fight, but soon begins to understand, begins beating his opponents and advances to the semifinals, as does Cheng, who violently finishes off his opponents with merciless. Dre faces another Li’s boy, Liang, who is instructed by Li to fight against Dre. When Liang claims that he can beat Dre, Li sternly tells him that he doesn’t want him beaten, but injured. Although Liang is disqualified for his illegal foul and strikes, Dre is seriously injured.

             Despite Han's insistence that he has earned respect for his performance, Dre wants Han to heal his leg by using Chauva in order to continue. Dre returns to the arena, now facing Cheng. Dre gives impressive blows, but Cheng counters to Dre's injured leg. Dre struggles to get up, and trying the reflection technique to manipulate Cheng into changing his attack stance that he learn from a woman at the temple on Wudang Mountains. Cheng charges Dre, but Dre flips on air and kicking Cheng’s head, winning the tournament along with the respect of Cheng and his classmates. Cheng instead of the presenter awards Dre the trophy, and the Fighting Dragon students bow to respect Mr. Han.

What can you learn from the film?

-       > Live peacefully, don’t bother anyone.

-       > Fighting for peace and to protect yourself or someone, not for anger and revenge.

-       > If we tend to reach something, do it with full of passion and never give up.

-       > Don’t underestimate anyone.

-       > Everyone should have mercies, because Allah who’s the merciful and the almighty.

-       > We should learn from loss and failure.