The Challenge
The Challenge is a 1982 American action film directed by John Frankenheimer and written by John Sayles, Richard Maxwell, and Marc Norman. The film stars Scott Glenn and Toshirō Mifune, and features several aikido-based action scenes choreographed by Steven Seagal, prior to the start of his own film career.
Plot
A katana, one of a pair known as "The Equals", was an heirloom of the Yoshida family, passed down through the generations before being lost during World War II. It was finally tracked down and recovered in California by siblings Toshio and Akiko. Hoping to return the katana to its rightful owner, their father Toru, Toshio hires down-on-his luck prize fighter Rick Murphy to smuggle the sword back to Japan.
More details
| author | John Sayles |
|---|---|
| contentLocation | Los Angeles |
| director | John Frankenheimer |
| editor | Jack Wheeler John W. Wheeler |
| genre | action |
| keywords | arts school behead behind the scenes bushido california capture estranged brother family home fixer katana kill kyoto martial arts school murder prize fighter sensei shinto sibling survive world war ii wound |
| musicBy | Jerry Goldsmith |
| producer | Robert L. Rosen Ron Beckman |
| productionCompany | CBS Theatrical Films |
| publisher | Embassy Pictures |
| recordedAt | Los Angeles |
| theme | japanese yakuza |