The life and work of American director John G. Avildsen is thoroughly examined in this detailed filmography and critical study. Each of the most significant films made by the Oscar-winning Avildsen is given a separate chapter, including such critical successes as Joe and Save the Tiger, and box-office blockbusters Rocky and its sequels and the Karate Kid series. The authors' observations on these and other titles—some well known, others less familiar—are enhanced by extensive production notes, and by commentary from John G. Avildsen himself. Cinema historian Jean Bodon of Sam Houston State University provides a foreword.