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A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

This film doesn't pull any punches when it comes to calling its characters out on their prejudices. It's title applies to many concepts beyond the simple idea of a martial art mentor as in Karate Kid. The cast is strong and clearly committed to this project that had its challenges in getting completed because if its tenacious story. I have seen this movie at film festivals in New York and Dallas and saw many men and women be entertained, amused and deeply moved to tears as I was. It is sometimes hard to watch the truth on screen and I wouldn't bring a youngster to see it though teenagers are exactly the age that does need to be exposed to this subject. I also really enjoyed the extra features on the DVD because the cast speaks so honestly about why they did this project, about what it meant to them. Their feelings about the subject seem to have inspired their acting which required many of them to play ugly characters, when the interviews reveal they are the opposite in real life.

I am a martial arts instructor in Boston, MA. I just watched this movie with a group of my adult students. I was very pleased with the film, it's ambition, and Ms. Innosanto's vision to make a martial arts movie that represented the best the martial arts have to offer. The film gracefully takes on some very tough subjects: racism, social phobias, bullying, the challenges of family dynamics, and more. Well written and beautifully shot, this is a great film for anyone looking for a martial-arts-themed movie that goes beyond its genre of "punching and kicking" to get at the "battles" of real life. I loved this movie, and strongly recommend it to anyone interested in martial arts, community activism, and social change. Remarkable effort -- I would strongly recommend this film be used as a tool for teaching respect and tolerance in martial arts clubs, religious organizations, social groups, and even schools!

This was a great movie, it really depicted the way things were in the 80's. The story was a amazing it is so easy to get lost in the script. The ending really does bring the movie together. It movie gets better every minute, you spend the whole time wanting to know the characters and what is going to happen to them. It is an amazing movie, I can't wait until the movie is out on DVD so I can have my own copy that I can watch whenever I want. It is truly an amazing film, it is defiantly one of the bet movies that I have seen in a long time. I would love for this movie to be show in the theaters in a wide release or at least in a limited release.

Both my husband and I saw "The Sensei" in Seattle, WA on 10/24/08. We were touched by the emotion in the film and think the casting was excellent. We appreciated that there were parts of the story that were NOT shown and left to the viewers imagination - that doesn't happen very often anymore. We are bombarded with gore and detail - not in this film. The ending was beautifully done and could have even been a bit longer.We also enjoyed the art in the film - especially "Karen's" art. The only downside to this film was that there were several parts that were just too dark to be able to really see what was going on. Some of the outdoor night scenes were especially tough to decipher.Congratulations for a job well done. We will watch for it on DVD.