Movie "The Challenge" choreographed by Steven.

[Serena]

This was from an article regarding director John Frankenheimer. Did any of you know that Steven choreographed this movie? Ever even heard of it? I haven't.

THE CHALLENGE (1982) is one of several “stranger in a strange land” films made about lone Americans involved in the crime world of modern Japan. Of that group, Ridley’s Scott’s BLACK RAIN is the most financially successful, and Sydney Pollack’s THE YAKUZA perhaps the most critically respected. Standing shoulder to shoulder with these films is Frankenheimer’s THE CHALLENGE. Scott Glenn, whose face was weathered even then, plays an American boxer who studies the way of the Samurai and gets caught up in a long running conflict, which leads to several stunning martial arts battles, all choreographed by a then unknown Steven Seagal. A much underrated film.

Here's the link to the article, in case anyone's interested. http://www.cinescape.com/0/Editorial.asp?this_cat=Movies&obj_id=35439&aff_id=0

 

[tora]

I'm too young to forget it and you're too old to remember
Now I can feel that slap on my cheek...Should I offer you another one too?At least that's what the Bible says

 

[yudansha]

Heard, never seen, would like to ...

Yes, I've heard about this start into Hollywood for Steven Seagal, but I haven't seen the movie, nor have I seen it for sale or for rent.

 

[steve]

The Challenge

I've got it, it's not too bad a movie and has a decent final fight. Seagal's touch shows, especially in the high amount of sword-play. It's also pretty violent stuff, the final villain has his head stapled with a staple gun and then Scott slices his head in half with his sword at the end.

 

[yudansha]

And I wanted to get it ... LOL j/k

LOL Steve, thanks for giving it away ... sounds great, but the movie is nowhere to be found here (just like Belly of the Beast never will be).

 

[Lotussan]

hehehe, he's the swordmaster!
Maybe he should do more choreography, huh?
I had heard that he did this, never seen it though....

 

[Lotussan]

Thanks, Serena, very cool, that's Steven...

 

[Amos Stevens]

Thanks Serena-yes I do recall that he did the choreography for this movie,but I haven't ever seen it myself.

Full Cast and Crew for
Challenge, The (1982)


Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Richard Maxwell
John Sayles

Cast (in credits order)
Scott Glenn .... Rick
Toshirô Mifune .... Toru Yoshida
Donna Kei Benz .... Akiko
Atsuo Nakamura .... Hideo
Calvin Jung .... Ando
Clyde Kusatsu .... Go
Sab Shimono .... Toshio
Kiyoako Nagai .... Kubo
Kenta Fukasaku .... Jiro
Shogo Shimada .... Yoshida's Father (as Shoga Shimada)
Yoshio Inaba .... Instructor
Seiji Miyaguchi .... Old Man
Miiko Taka .... Yoshida's Wife
Akio Kameda .... Boxer
Hisashi Osaka .... Knifeman
Yûko Okamoto .... T.V. Moniter Girl #1
Tae Matsuda .... T.V. Monitor Girl #2
Pat McNamara .... Fight Promoter
Pamela Bowman .... Girl in Gym
Roy Andrews .... Hanger-on
Henry Celis .... Jorge
Kazanuga Tsuji .... Hashimoto
Kusuo Kita .... Thug
Naoto Fujita .... Tanaka
Masao Hisanori .... Oshima
Ryuji Yama****a .... Toshio Yoshida (childhood)
Toshio Chiba .... Customs Officer
Minoru Sanada .... Porter
Shigehiro Kino .... Van's Driver
Katsutoshi Nakayama .... Taxi Driver
Masatoshi Ishikawa .... Thug's Driver
Eriko Sugita .... Con Person No.1 in bar
Munehisa Fujita .... Con Person No.2 in bar
Sanae Nakahara .... Cashier
Kanata Uyeno .... Waitress

Produced by
Ron Beckman .... producer
Lyle Poncher .... executive producer
Robert L. Rosen .... producer

Original Music by
Jerry Goldsmith

Cinematography by
Kozo Okazaki

Film Editing by
John W. Wheeler

Production Design by
Yoshiyuki Ishida

Art Direction by
Yoshiyuki Ishida

Set Decoration by
Koichi Hamamura

Costume Design by
Etsuko Yagyu

Makeup Department
Masato Abe .... hair stylist
Robert Dawn .... makeup artist
Yukio Ueda .... makeup artist

Production Management
Alan Levine .... unit production manager: USA
Kijuro Ota .... unit production manager: Japan

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mike Abe .... first assistant director
Toshinori Hirayanagi .... second assistant director
Hisao Nabeshima .... first assistant director
Lindsley Parsons III .... first assistant director: second unit
Masaichi Shirao .... second assistant director
Etsu Totoku .... second assistant director

Art Department
Kyoji Sasaki .... property master

Sound Department
David E. Campbell .... sound re-recording mixer
Joseph D. Citarella .... sound re-recording mixer
Jack A. Finlay .... looping editor
John Glascock .... sound mixer
Alan Robert Murray .... supervising sound editor (as Alan Murray)
John T. Reitz .... sound re-recording mixer
Robert Takagi .... music editor

Special Effects by
Roger Hanson .... special effects

Stunts
Shigeji Aoki .... stunts
Kazuo Arai .... stunts
Akiyoshi Arima .... stunts
Kazunori Asano .... stunts
Masuji Fujiwara .... stunts
Michio Harada .... stunts
Kan´ichi Hayashi .... stunts
Noboru Ishihara .... stunts
Tsuneo Ito .... stunts
Akira Kato .... stunts
Ryu Kuze .... stunt coordinator
Haruo Matsuoka .... stunts
Toshio Matsushima .... stunts
Seiji Nishino .... stunts
Hiroshi Oike .... stunts
Takashi Okamura .... stunts
Kenji Ono .... stunts
Mitsuyuki Oshima .... stunts
Yoshio Otake .... stunts
Masaru Sakurai .... stunts
Katsumi Shirono .... stunts
Takafumi Tanaka .... stunts
Takashi Totsuka .... stunts
Yoshifumi Tsuboike .... stunts
Hiroyoshi Yamaguchi .... assistant stunt coordinator
Yuichi Yoneda .... stunts
Yoshikazu Yoshimoto .... stunts
Roku Yoshinaka .... stunts
Hiroyuki Yuasa .... stunts

Other crew
Mike Benson .... camera operator (as Michael A. Benson)
Lou Dyer .... unit publicist
Hiroshi Hamazaki .... wardrobe: men
Koichi Haruta .... key grip
Wai Hung .... production advisor
Ryu Kuze .... sword coordinator
Richard Meinardas .... assistant camera
Robert Monosmith .... location auditor
Patrick Mook .... casting: USA
Arthur Morton .... orchestrator
Hisao Nabeshima .... casting: Japan
Steven Polivka .... assistant editor
June Samson .... script supervisor
Steven Seagal .... martial arts coordinator
Kazuo Shimomura .... gaffer
Don Smetzer .... still photographer
Toshiro Suzuki .... location manager
Masatoshi Utsumi .... wardrobe: women
Max Whitehouse .... assistant to director

Rick, a down-and-out American boxer, is hired to transport a sword to Japan, unaware that the whole thing is a set up in a bitter blood-feud between two brothers, one who follows the traditional path of the samurai and the other a businessman. At the behest of the businessman, Rick undertakes samurai training from the other brother, but joins his cause. He also becomes romantically involved with the samurai's daughter.

 

[Jalu]

Yeah....I've seen it many times.
I find similarities in the fighting scenes in this movie and Hard to Kill.

This was from an article regarding director John Frankenheimer. Did any of you know that Steven choreographed this movie? Ever even heard of it? I haven't.

THE CHALLENGE (1982) is one of several “stranger in a strange land” films made about lone Americans involved in the crime world of modern Japan. Of that group, Ridley’s Scott’s BLACK RAIN is the most financially successful, and Sydney Pollack’s THE YAKUZA perhaps the most critically respected. Standing shoulder to shoulder with these films is Frankenheimer’s THE CHALLENGE. Scott Glenn, whose face was weathered even then, plays an American boxer who studies the way of the Samurai and gets caught up in a long running conflict, which leads to several stunning martial arts battles, all choreographed by a then unknown Steven Seagal. A much underrated film.

Here's the link to the article, in case anyone's interested. http://www.cinescape.com/0/Editorial.asp?this_cat=Movies&obj_id=35439&aff_id=0

 

[Lotussan]

cool...

 

[Littledragon]

This was from an article regarding director John Frankenheimer. Did any of you know that Steven choreographed this movie? Ever even heard of it? I haven't.

THE CHALLENGE (1982) is one of several “stranger in a strange land” films made about lone Americans involved in the crime world of modern Japan. Of that group, Ridley’s Scott’s BLACK RAIN is the most financially successful, and Sydney Pollack’s THE YAKUZA perhaps the most critically respected. Standing shoulder to shoulder with these films is Frankenheimer’s THE CHALLENGE. Scott Glenn, whose face was weathered even then, plays an American boxer who studies the way of the Samurai and gets caught up in a long running conflict, which leads to several stunning martial arts battles, all choreographed by a then unknown Steven Seagal. A much underrated film.

Here's the link to the article, in case anyone's interested. http://www.cinescape.com/0/Editorial.asp?this_cat=Movies&obj_id=35439&aff_id=0

Never knew that, thanks for the information! ;-)

 

[suziwong]

Yes I have seen by John Lucas. Thanks Serena and Amos !!
"unknown Steven Seagal"

in onenesss

 

[ORANGATUANG]

NO i havent seen it but i shall see if i can find it out at video store..Buggar it..

 

[J.Lucas]

The movie is still around....however it was never released on DVD and only exists in VHS-NTSC format....it's currently 'out of print' but if you go to Amazon and search under 'VHS"..you'll find used ones ranging from $23-$85.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...=sr_1_10/104-5669054-9087151?v=glance&s=video

Seems it's drifted into the 'rare' catagory...which explains the wide price range.
John
PS: There's also an interesting tid-bit about when Seagal was recommended to choreograph the sword fights.....when he showed up on the set the director didn't want anything to do with him....he didn't want an "American' to chor. the Japanese sword scenes...
but the sword-master(can't remeber his name...it's in an article..I'll look for) that recommended Seagal said that Seagal was one of the best swordsman in Japan at the time.

 

[Lotussan]

I bet he was....He's the master!
Thanks, John...How've you been?

 

[Serena]

Well, at least I'm not the only one who never heard this.
But, knowing me, I probably heard it and then forgot!

Thanks, Amos, and thank you, John, for your input.

 

[suziwong]

Thank you very much John !!
in onenesss

 

[tora]

But, knowing me, I probably heard it and then forgot!

Ages,Serena,ages...

 

[J.Lucas]

I bet he was....He's the master!
Thanks, John...How've you been?

Hello;
I'm Ok.....
Oh to correct things...it was Toshirô Mifune (not the director as I posted earliar) who had a problem with Seagal on the set...saying 'who's this white guy'.....just looked it up in the Matrials Arts Legends Seagal issue#2...I've seen the story in other mags as well tho'.
John

 

[cookie]

Hey John, nice to see you..