Japan Synopsis
“He has trained every thought, every muscle, every nerve, for the moment of truth!”
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.
Titles With Overlapping Themes
Films and series that share thematic tags with The Challenge. Number on each card indicates how many keywords overlap.
Action + Drama in Japan
444 Japan titles in our catalog blend the Action and Drama genres. Below: the top-rated of them (excluding The Challenge itself).
The 1981–1983 Japan Window
In the crowded 1981-1983 Japan release window, The Challenge sits at #51 of 68. The leaderboard below contextualises its neighbours.
The 1980s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1980s in Japan, 280 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when The Challenge premiered alongside 20 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 20 other Japan films in 1982.
The 582nd Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
34 audience reviews — more than 54% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 49th percentile among Japan films.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #3,922 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (14th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Rating is -1.0 points below the Japan average of 6.9/10.
Among Japan Action productions specifically: #1,516 of 1,714 (top 88%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| All Production Countries | Japan, United States of America |
| Original Language | En |
| Spoken Languages | English, Japanese |
| Production Companies | Poncher-Rosen-Beckman Productions, CBS Theatrical Films |
| Runtime | 1h 49m |
| Release Date | July 23, 1982 |
| IMDb | tt0083726 |