Around the World in 80s Movies

Set in 1930s Chicago, Jackie stars as Jerry Kwan, the son of a struggling grocer who has been feeling the squeeze from the local mob to pay "protection" money.  Although Jerry's first inclination is to fight back, his father disapproves of these tactics, so the pressure only continues.  During a scuffle with some mob henchmen, Jerry catches the eye of the mob boss, Domenici (Jose Ferrer), who has a plan to win the "last man standing" brawl that means so much to him (and his betting prowess), by recruiting Jerry to his side with his amazing fighting technique.

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Cobra Kai's sinister karate master, John Kreese (Martin Kove), is seething with vengeance after the humiliating defeat dealt to him by Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and the legendary Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita). Determined to make them pay, Kreese teams up with his treacherous partner, Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith), to orchestrate a diabolical scheme that will crush Daniel's spirit—and his championship dreams. Enter the ruthless ringer, Mike Barnes (Sean Kanan), hired to strip Daniel of his title in the cruelest way possible. But when Mr. Miyagi refuses to train Daniel, even under threat, the desperate teen makes a dangerous and costly mistake—seeking guidance from the venomous Terry Silver himself. The stage is set for an epic showdown, and the stakes have never been higher!

Daniel (Ralph Macchio) travels with Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita) to his childhood home in Okinawa when he discovers his father is on his deathbed. Miyagi's presence rekindles a feud with his former best friend Sato (Danny Kamekona), whose arranged marriage was ruined by Miyagi's love for his betrothed, Yukie (Nobu McCarthy). Daniel also finds new love in Yukie's niece, Kumiko (Tanlyn Tomita), though his presence stirs up trouble among Sato's Gang.

Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and his mother (Randee Heller) move from New Jersey to Reseda, CA , to start a new life.  It seems promising at first, but soon Daniel hates his new environs, thanks to a few run-ins at school with a group of karate-trained bullies.  He does manage to irk the leader of the bullies, Johnny (William Zabka), when he starts seeing his ex-girlfriend, Ali (Elisabeth Shue).  Johnny and gang belong to a no-holds-barred karate school in town that has a slogan of "no mercy", run by ex-Vietnam vet John Kreese (Martin Kove).  After the landlord of Daniel's apartment complex, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita), saves him from the gang one day, he decides to teach the young man some karate, except in the ways of the honored Japanese tradition.  Miyagi and Kreese form a pact that Daniel is to be "off limits" until the day of the big karate tournament in town, where the different styles of karate come to clash, but Daniel is far from ready for the match.  With help from Miyagi, he prepares every day for the event, but he finds the teaching methods unorthodox, monotonous, and strenuous.

Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) is the latest Russian creation -- a tall, strong, crushing bruiser that packs more strength in one of his punches than any three regular boxers combined.  Although his handlers insist that Drago is the product of extensive genetics testing and advanced training techniques, they do deny the use of strength-enhancing steroids even though their fighter boasts unheard-of levels in terms of strength, stamina, and physical prowess.  They openly challenge Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stalone) to a fight, but Balboa's current manager and former heavyweight champ, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), takes them up on the offer.  Creed takes the pummeling of his life at Drago's hands, leaving Rocky feeling responsible enough to be next in line.  He accepts the challenge to take place in Drago's native country, the Soviet Union, where he must fight for revenge, honor, glory, and national pride in front of thousands of sneering spectators, including the Soviet leader himself.

With Rocky III, director-screenwriter-star Stallone takes the film series into a new direction, although the underdog formula still stays intact.  Stallone realizes that it's hard to be the underdog when you're the champion, so to knock Rocky down a few notches, he creates the most terrifying challenger he never faced, the bruising #1 contender, Clubber Lang (Mr. T).   Lang has been stalking the ready-to-retire Balboa, showing up at every match and public appearance, egging the champ on to stop dodging him and fight him in the ring.  Rocky is ready to take him up on the challenge, but his manager Mickey (Burgess Meredith) reveals that he has been protecting him since he's gotten the title belt, only challenging chumps Rocky could easily beat.  Undeterred, Rocky still goes ahead with the match, losing the title and his manager in the process.  Can Rocky face retiring as a loser, or will he rise to the most difficult challenge he's faced yet with a rematch?

After a replay of the climax of Rocky, Rocky II picks up exactly where the first film leaves off, with Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) and Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) taken to a nearby hospital after suffering serious injuries caused by the pummeling each fighter took in their 15-round contest.  Creed won the bout by a split decision, but the victory isn't so sweet, as many fans accuse him of helping Balboa along, while some even think Balboa should have been declared champion.  Contrary to what he said after the fight was over, Creed wants a rematch, but Balboa, at the urging of his girlfriend (turned wife in this film) Adrian (Talia Shire), wants to retire from the ring, suffering from limited vision in one of his eyes as a result of the repeated blows he took from Creed's fist.  Between Creed's constant taunts in the media, the inability to find a steady job, and a new house and baby to pay for, Rocky has to face a decision of whether he should risk his life and wife for the money and glory a rematch would provide.

The film tells the tale of Rocky Balboa (Sylverster Stallone), a washed-up Philadelphia boxer who just barely scrapes by, fighting in small clubs for meager pay, while supplementing his income as a thuggish debt collector for a local loan shark.  He doesn't have many ambitions; his only real goal is to get to go out with the shy, mousy pet store clerk named Adrian (Talia Shire), sister to his friend Paulie (Burt Young),  Opportunity comes knocking in a big way for Balboa when the world heavyweight champ, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers), wants to fight a "snow white" nobody for the nation's bicentennial.  Rocky agrees and becomes a local celebrity, but with less than five weeks to train, this washed-up fighter has to have the strength, agility, and most of all, heart to have a chance with Creed without embarrassing himself in front of millions.

Sylvester Stallone plays Ray Tango, a flashy narco cop in the LAPD who is all business and efficient. Kurt Russell plays Gabriel Cash, more of a devil-may-care type who just so happens to get the big bust whenever he needs it. Drug kingpin Yves Perret (Jack Palance) wants the two biggest obstacles out of his way, and hatches a plan that will do it: have Tango and Cash brought up on a bogus murder charge. The cops are initially sentenced to a short stint in a minimum security prison, only to find themselves railroaded (thanks to Perret's influence) to a seedy penitentiary, where their lives are in danger at every turn. They have no choice but to try to escape and clear their names, taking down Perret in the process.