7. Skeleton Jocks Kicking The Crap Out Of Daniel LaRusso - The Karate Kid
Columbia PicturesThe Karate Kid has transcended culture by delivering lines still widely recognized thirty years after its release and warranting itself a remake with Jackie Chan and Jayden Smith. Most people attribute its popularity to being a story about an underdog in high school who is picked on by several bullies only to come back and kick their butts in a karate tournament, and of course the amazing mentor character Mr. Miyagi who inspired the turnaround. Inherent moments of violence seem kind of implied in a movie called The Karate Kid, but there is one scene which stands out amongst the rest. At the school dance, Daniel LaRusso - who by this time is scared to show his bruised face in school - decides to get even with a karate gang of jock thugs by playing a prank. The prank doesnt go over well. Dressed like skeletons, the jocks chase down Daniel (not hard since he's dressed as a shower curtain for the Halloween dance) and proceed to pummel the stuffing out of him. Up until this moment weve seen them beat up on Daniel, but the action is quick and the violence is not really shown. The next time we see Daniel he has a new black eye. This time, the leader, Johnny, kicks Daniel repeatedly in the stomach, throwing him, gasping for breath, against a chain link fence while the rest of his gang pleads, "Stop, he's had enough." For a terrifying moment the movie seems bent on convincing us if Mr. Miyagi hadn't intervened when he did, turning the tables on the high school bullies with his own karate techniques, Johnny would have beaten Daniel to death right there. Leave it to a classic from the 80s to take something a little over-the-top.