One of the columns I’ve always enjoyed writing here at JoBlo is The Best Movie You Never Saw. In it, I’ve always tried to turn our audience on to kick-ass movies they might not have seen, with titles ranging from films that flopped to movies that unfairly became obscure. Of all the movies I’ve covered, I don’t think I’ve ever written about a film as obscure as 1982’s The Challenge, a great movie that performed so badly in theaters it was later repackaged as a TV movie under another title. Ouch. But seriously—how cool does this sound: Scott Glenn trains as a ninja, teams up with Toshiro Mifune, and seeks vengeance. And it’s directed by John Frankenheimer. Hardly anyone has seen this movie, but that’s exactly why it deserves attention.

The Plot: Scott Glenn, a Katana, and a Family at War

The Challenge stars Scott Glenn as Rick, a down-on-his-luck boxer hired to transport a valuable katana to Japan. It’s immediately stolen—although it turns out to be a fake, with Rick used as a decoy. The sword is part of a priceless pair called The Equals, heirlooms of the warring Yoshida clan. The two surviving members, each of whom has a claim on The Equals, both want the sword. Toshiro Mifune plays Toru Yoshida, the rightful owner and head of a martial arts school. His brother Hideo, a Yakuza member, also wants the blade and blackmails Rick into infiltrating Toru’s school to steal it. Rick initially goes along with the plan, but eventually finds purpose in the bushido code taught by Toru—not to mention falling for Toru’s daughter, Akiko. He switches sides, begins martial arts training, and that training comes in handy when Hideo and his thugs come calling.

A Strange Moment for Scott Glenn, John Frankenheimer, and ’80s Action

The film arrived during a transitional moment for both its star and director. Scott Glenn was coming off a breakout in Urban Cowboy and was being positioned as a new leading man. A Japan-set martial arts film likely seemed like a smart career move, but the action genre hadn’t yet evolved into the mainstream martial arts boom of the mid-’80s. John Frankenheimer, meanwhile, had made some of the greatest films of the 1960s—Birdman of Alcatraz, Seconds, Seven Days in May, The Manchurian Candidate, The Train. But his career stumbled in the ’70s. Black Sunday underperformed after political controversy, and Prophecy failed to break through. To many, The Challenge looked like another misfire.

Box Office Failure and Its Strange TV Afterlife

The Challenge flopped hard, earning only $3.6 million. Then the ninja craze hit—ironically just after the movie’s failure. Hoping to cash in, the studio retitled it Sword of the Ninja, cut ten minutes out, and sold it to TV, where it frequently aired on TBS. This edited version became the one most people saw, even though the original film features no ninjas whatsoever. For decades, the uncut version was nearly impossible to find except on VHS. Many fans (including myself) first saw it through fuzzy VHS rips.

The Kino Lorber Restoration

Kino Lorber has now reissued The Challenge with a gorgeous restoration (BUY IT HERE), finally allowing its strengths to shine. Frankenheimer shoots the film like a noir, leaning into Glenn’s weary boxer persona. His ability to immerse audiences in foreign cultures is on full display, and Rick’s transformation feels earned. One smart creative choice: Toru Yoshida has no English dialogue. Mifune struggled with English and was often dubbed in American films; avoiding that prevents the movie from feeling cheap. Akiko’s presence as interpreter—and Glenn’s love interest—feels natural. The film also boasts a great Jerry Goldsmith score and a memorable henchman turn from Calvin Jung, who later appeared in The Day After and RoboCop.

The Finale: A Masterclass in Improvised Action

What truly elevates The Challenge is its phenomenal final act. A young Steven Seagal helped choreograph the action alongside Mifune’s longtime collaborator Ryû Kuze. The climax blends gunplay, swordplay, and improvisational fighting that feels ahead of its time. When Akiko is kidnapped by Hideo, Glenn and Mifune infiltrate his stronghold. Their unlikely pairing works despite the language barrier—Toru fights with swords and archery, while Rick brings fists and firearms. Glenn racks up sixteen kills; Mifune gets seventeen. The final duel is the real highlight: Glenn’s amateur swordsman faces the masterful Hideo and fights dirty, using office supplies, improvised weapons, and anything he can get his hands on. It’s a clear precursor to the prop-driven fighting Jackie Chan would later become famous for.

Why The Challenge Deserves a Revival

The Challenge is a unique, stylish, and underrated piece of early ’80s action filmmaking that finally has a chance to be rediscovered. With the Kino Lorber edition now available, action fans can experience one of the decade’s most overlooked gems the way it was meant to be seen. If you’re into ’80s action, martial-arts-infused thrillers, or forgotten Scott Glenn deep cuts, this one’s a no-brainer.

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