The Karate Dog
The Karate Dog is a 2004 television comedy film directed by Bob Clark, in which a talking dog named Cho Cho (voiced by Chevy Chase) who knows martial arts helps a Los Angeles police detective solve his master's murder. It was produced as a co-production of the United States and Germany by Crystal Sky, with a screenplay by Gregory Poppen and Steven Paul and music by Paul Zaza.1 • 2
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Television movie; action comedy with crime and family elements1 • 2 |
| Director / writers | Bob Clark; screenplay by Gregory Poppen and Steven Paul1 |
| Lead cast | Chevy Chase (voice of Cho Cho), Simon Rex (Peter Fowler), Jon Voight (Hamilton Cage), Jaime Pressly, Pat Morita (Chin Li), Thomas Kretschmann (Gerber)1 |
| Production | US–Germany co-production by Crystal Sky; music by Paul Zaza1 • 2 |
| Runtime / rating | 84 minutes (some listings give 90 or 96 minutes); rated PG for martial arts action/violence and some suggestive content2 • 3 • 4 |
| Reception | Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 28% from 2 reviews; IMDb rating 2.73 • 2 |
| Home media | DVD release August 22, 20061 |
Spoilers
Plot
When LAPD computer expert Peter Fowler (Simon Rex) investigates the killing of an old man in Chinatown, the only witness is the victim's dog, Cho Cho. Fowler discovers that Cho Cho can speak to humans and is an expert in martial arts, having learned karate techniques from his late master. Together the two track down the mastermind behind the death and uncover a dangerous conspiracy that puts both of their lives in danger.1 • 5
The victim is Chin Li (played by Pat Morita), and the conspiracy's villain is Hamilton Cage (played by Jon Voight), who is described in promotional copy as a "biochemical maniac" who takes a formula that makes him younger, stronger, and faster.6 • 7 The supporting cast includes Jaime Pressly as Ashley Wilkenson, Pat Morita as Chin Li, Thomas Kretschmann as Gerber, Ron Lester as Edward Cage, and voice roles for Nicollette Sheridan as the White Cat and Lori Petty as COLAR.1
Production and release
Bob Clark directed the film, which was produced by Crystal Sky (listed by Crew United as Cristal Sky Communications) as a German-American project, with Brian Pearson and Maher Maleh as directors of photography.1 • 8 • 9 Sources disagree on the year: Crew United catalogs it as a 2001 feature, several European databases list 2004 or 2005, and the Turkish release date is given as May 5, 2004.8 • 5 • 2 Runtime listings also differ, with 84 minutes the most common figure, Rotten Tomatoes listing 1h 30m, and the Spanish database Qpelicula listing 96 minutes.2 • 3 • 4
The film reached DVD on August 22, 2006, and later appeared on digital rental and purchase platforms such as Google Play Movies and YouTube.1 In Brazil, Rede Globo broadcast it in 2010 in its afternoon film slot Sessão da Tarde under the title "Karatê Dog".10
Reception
Critical response was negative. Rotten Tomatoes records a Tomatometer score of 28% based on 2 reviews, with both sampled critics, Scott Weinberg of DVDTalk.com and David Cornelius of eFilmCritic.com, rating the film 1 out of 5; the site's Popcornmeter aggregates more than 500 audience ratings.3 The Turkish database Sinemalar lists an IMDb rating of 2.7 out of 10.2 MUBI users gave it 4.0 out of 10 from 15 ratings, while Google Play users rated it 4.6 out of 5 from 27 reviews.11 • 6
For families, Common Sense Media rated the film suitable for ages 8 and up, cautioning that it contains scenes of people-on-people violence, including the opening murder by masked assassins and a rough scene in which the dog is taken to the pound, and noting there is far less karate than viewers might expect.7
References
- The Karate Dog (2004) Movie, Moviefone
- Karateci Köpek (The Karate Dog), Sinemalar.com
- Karate Dog, Rotten Tomatoes
- Karate Dog, Qpelicula.com
- Karate Dog, FILMSTARTS.de
- Karate Dog, Movies on Google Play
- Karate Dog, Parents' Guide & Movie Review, Common Sense Media
- The Karate Dog, Feature Film, Crew United
- The Karate Dog (2005) Technical Specifications, ShotOnWhat?
- Karatê Dog é o filme da Sessão da Tarde, Rede Globo
- The Karate Dog (2004), MUBI
Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 2003 to 2004 › Titles 1 to L
Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026
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