The Challenge

1982 · Japan, United States · 108 min

Director: John Frankenheimer
Screenplay: John Sayles
Music: Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography: Kōzō Okazaki
Production company: CBS Theatrical Films

What the critics say

53 % Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews

Cast

Miiko Taka

Atsuo Nakamura

Donna Kei Benz

Calvin Jung

What it is about

Rick Murphy, a boxer whose career has faded, agrees to smuggle a valuable katana into Japan. The blade is one of a pair known as "The Equals", a Yoshida family heirloom lost during the Second World War. Once he arrives, he is pulled into a bloody feud between two brothers who are masters of martial arts, and his job becomes a test of discipline and tradition.

How it was made

Richard Maxwell wrote an original screenplay set in Hong Kong, but John Sayles reworked it in only a few days for Scott Glenn after John Frankenheimer decided to cast Toshirō Mifune and move the story to Japan. Filming took place almost entirely in Osaka and Kyoto, and the Kyoto International Conference Center served as the villain's headquarters. Glenn later said that the character-driven scenes were trimmed in favour of action. The sword fights were staged by veteran kenjutsu master Ryū Kuze.

Reception and legacy

Critics were divided. Janet Maslin regretted the film's vicious streak and its unused potential, though she praised Mifune's presence, while Dennis Schwartz dismissed it as a minor genre effort. Gene Siskel found it acceptable, with memorable characters. Over time it has remained a curious action title, notable for mixing Japanese and American talent.