The Challenge (1982)

I love this movie so much

The Worst Film Ever

Best movie ever!

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Saw movie nearly 30 years ago, actually forgot title, and had to search for it based on what I remembered. Based on what I remember, Glen was hired by agents of the Traditional brother to transport (smuggle) a sword into Japan, a sword which was one of two of a matching pair originally owned by their father prior to WWII. The Businessman brother already had control of one of the swords and wants it's twin. The Tradionalist Samari brother wants to unite both swords but only in the context of what they stand for. The action begins with the arrival of Glen in Japan and the blood feud between brothers opens into all out conflict. I think one of the best action scenes is when Mifune declares his acceptance of Glen when he utters,"...5 days!" What's unique is that the evil brother, the businessman, will stop at nothing to get the sword. However, he kills one of his own assassins for interfering in a one-on-one fight between he and his brother.

Rick, a down-and-out boxer, is hired to transport a sword to Japan, unaware that the whole thing is a set up in a bitter feud between two brothers, one who follows the traditional path of the samurai and the other a businessman. Rick undertakes samurai training from the other brother, and joins his cause. He also becomes romantically involved with the samurai's daughter.When you watch this, for some reason you cannot help but think about The Last Samurai. A 'foreigner' joins a group, shut out from the world, and learns and gradually respects their ways.Other than that, its a fairly brutal movie, but unfortunately, due to Glenn being miscast, the film fails on many levels. Glenn is a great actor, but an action star he is not, and when you see him running during set pieces, its laughable.Mifune is their because he adds a little gravitas, and the other brother wears a suit because hey! It's a sign of the times.Many have stated that this is a fantastic movie, and it appears to have a cult following, it a decapitation cannot justify this status.And the supposedly powerful death with the chap in the wheelchair, is sadly hilarious.Watch Enter The Ninja instead, at least its a little tongue in cheek.

The Challenge is one of those genre movies that is so good that it not only breaks the genre mold but gets lost in the shuffle, hidden by lots of other movies not nearly as good.Scott Glenn and Toshiro Mifune give excellent and their usual intense performances as a budding samurai cum boxer and his instructor, bonding as the instructor is caught up in a clan feud with his brother.This movie is good for three reasons. One reason is the normal steadfast performances of its stars. The second is the keen, insightful direction of John Frankenheimer, a grossly underrated director who helmed such classics as The Train, Ronin, and The Manchurian Candidate. And the third is the able kenjutsu (swordfighting)and aikido of a then unknown American martial arts instructor based in Japan who at the time was going by Steve Seagal. I guess I don't have to tell you who he grew up to be.

This action film from 1982 is pretty long in running time but the film is interesting and it is skillfully directed. (Sword)fighting scenes are great but not as great as in Hong Kong or Japan films.Scott Glenn plays an American boxer who is thrown in the middle of a fight for two old swords. Two men who are enemies want the swords and Glenn has to decide on whose side he is..This is not a classic but definitely not a bad film especially for fans of this kind of films. Action scenes and training scenes are great and Glenn is okay with his strong presence. He is great in Michael Mann's masterpiece The Keep, too.6 out of ten and recommended to action fans only.