Jack Burton: You know what ol' Jack Burton says at a time like this? Thunder: Who? Jack Burton: Jack Burton... ME!
This movie is about a truck driver and his Chinese buddy taking on underground Chinese gangsters and dark magic.
Jack Burton: You know what Jack Burton always says... what the hell?
Kurt Russell delivers as many one-liners as possible amidst this ludicrous fantasy plot, that is fun only because no one really cares about what is going on.
Jack Burton: What is that stuff? Egg Shen: It is black blood of earth. Jack Burton: You mean oil? Egg Shen: No, I mean black blood of earth.
John Carpenter and Kurt Russel have made another film together that is completely the opposite of The Thing, or Escape From New York. It is goofy fun that puts Russel in a hero role, despite the fact that he is the sidekick by the way the story works.
The movie moves extremely fast through a ridiculous amount of plot points in favor of keeping everything moving and full of action, special effects, and goofy moments.
[On phone to insurance company] Jack Burton: I'm gonna tell you about my truck, and I DON'T wanna hear "act of God"!
It's a fun cult movie, that gets better every time I watch it. It's filled with camp, special effects, and Kurt Russel coolness.
Jack Burton: I feel pretty good. I'm not... I'm not scared at all. I feel kind of... feel kind of invincible. Wang Chi: Me, too. I've got a very positive attitude about this. Jack Burton: Good, me too. [pause] Jack Burton: Is it getting hot in here, or is it just me?
chinese black magic topped with 80's cheese. it's alot of fun if u like kurt russell. thx for talkin me into this, doctor :P i still prefer escape from new york
This would easily be one of my desert island picks, and if I counted every time I've watched this film on my fingers, I'd have a freakishly huge hand to make room for all those digits.
First off, I'm a John Carpenter fan, who is known primarily for his horror/sci fi films. Big Trouble In Little China was a step in a different direction. It was a tribute to Hong Kong films that was way ahead of its time in the eighties when Americans generally weren't tuned into what was going on in that industry in the way of martial arts fantasy movies. We were still thinking of the classic 70s Shaw Brothers pictures, and by the time we tuned into the wuxia work of Tsui Hark, the entire decade had passed. So this movie was really speaking to a very small cult audience.
Second, I've always felt this movie failed at the box office because audiences weren't quite sure what to make of the hero Jack Burton.....who wasn't the main hero, really. Jack was more of a sidekick and the outsider to a strange world. Great fight sequences, and the actors all seemed to really enjoy the roles they were in, along with Carpenter's classic style and music score. Phrases involving 'Black blood of the Earth', a 'six demon bag', or simply the word 'Indeed!' will live on forever.
This movie is horrible! I didn't even get through the whole thing it was so bad. Bad acting, lame stunts...I should've known better, but I wanted to see Kim Cattrall pre-SATC days.
it comes across as if it was a video game to film adaption. i was expecting more from this john carpenter film. i realise it was meant to be cheesy but carpenter didn't manage to pull it off in an entertaining fashion. it just ended up like that mortal kombat series that was made or the street fighter movie. dear lord... this is bad. i think this is carpenters OTT movie much like the two films tarantino and rodriguez made for the grindhouse feature. just so over the top they don't work and turn out silly as this...
Jack Burton: "All I know is, this Lo Pan character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him with *light* coming out of his mouth!"
Truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) is a hard living, hard drinking, hard talking son-of-a-bitch who thinks he is not only God's gift to the female sex, but also a pretty tough hombre. As the man behind the wheel of the "Pork Chop Express," Burton has seen most of what this great country of ours has to offer, and he now finds himself in San Francisco dropping off his payload. Finding the time for an all-night game of dominoes on the wharfs of the City by the Bay, Burton ends up winning big. Unfortunately, the man who owes Jack his money can't pay right at that moment. Not being the kind of man who lets friendship stand in the way of money, Burton escorts Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) to the airport where he is to meet his beautiful, green eyed bride-to-be from China, and from there the plan is to go back to the city where Burton will be paid. Things are looking good for Jack when he also meets a tough talking girl named Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall). Gracie is also at the airport to pick up a girl from China, but this hardly stops Burton from turning on his special "charm." Needless to say, things do not go as planned. Chi's fiancée is kidnapped by a band of local hoodlums after they make a failed attempt to kidnap the girl Gracie had come to meet. Leaping into action, Burton and Chi make a mad rush into the streets of Chinatown where the doo-doo starts to hit the fan pretty quickly and in unbelievable ways. In a back alley, Burton witnesses the power of the walking ghost, Lo Pan, and his elemental minions. The number one thing the film had going for it was a quirky sense of humor that takes the conventions of the typical Hollywood action epic and twists them on their ear. The screenplay of Gary Goldman and David Z. Weinstein was originally conceived and written as a western, but it was in the adaptation of the script by writer/director W.D. Richter that the movie really took flight. Russell is the film's stone-jawed John Wayne type, then Dennis Dun has the earnest nature he needs down pat. To spice things up, Carpenter throws into the mix Kim Cattrall as Gracie Law. Cattrall gives a performance that appears as if it stepped off the soundstage of some 1940s screwball comedy. More Rosalind Russell then screaming damsel in distress, Cattrall delivers the goods. Her work adds zip and sexuality to the proceedings that the movie is not afraid to take advantage of. Veteran character actor James Hong turns up as David Lo Pan, the walking ghost who needs the bride with the green eyes to become human once more. If you are looking for a bright, funny, exciting and inventive movie stew, Big Trouble in Little China is just what the doctor ordered.
How do you not like this movie. I mean really. It has Kurt Russell in it. And really bad eighties special effects. I put this one right up there with Gremlins. Perfect for a Friday morning with some McDonald's pancake platter.
Amazing from start to finish. Im not sure who came first, Jack Burton or Snake Pliskin but they are very similar. You really can't go wrong with this classic title. Kung Fu, flying eyeball monsters, Chinese Black Magic, potions, guns, Chinese girls with green eyes, broken bones, gambling, explosions of green fire, it's the best.
I loved this movie as a kid and now I watched it again after a long while and enjoyed it one more time.
It has awesome action scenes for its time, consisting of martial arts and dark magic.
Kurt Russell's character is really cool in this. Also the villains are great, especially the 3 Storms. It's an action movie that has some good laughs chipped into it.
This is a over the top fantasy film. But I like it. My favorite Kurt Russell film. His character Jack Burton is funny and a great tough guy. The movie has a good story and great special effects. This is just a fun film and I always enjoying watching it.
wow just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a pretty kewl movie...its not a classic movie but its pretty good 2 watch..this has got a really good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie...i think that the director of this Action & Adventure movie had done a really good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie...its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie its really enjoyable as well its got good fight scenes throughout this movie as well its a good Action & Adventure movie 2 watch
"What does that mean, huh? 'China is here'? I don't even know what the HELL that means!"
Lots of action, confusion, and plenty of one-liners make this movie fairly entertaining to watch. It's one of those movies that'll come on late at night and you'll either be dead tired or on drugs and wondering what the hell you're watching... but you won't change the channel.
"Son of a bitch must pay!"
This movie has a decent budget for special effects with lots of cool costumes and monster designs (almost as disgusting as John Carpenter's "The Thing"). This movie does NOT take itself seriously, so deal with it.
"Yeah, I know. There's something wrong with your face."
John Carpenter heading quickly for "The Crap Years". Still, he managed to knock out this noisy, day-glo coloured romp which has endured as a classic lads movie. Carpenter perennial Kurt Russell has a right laugh as the boorish trucker hero, Jack Burton, all swagger and growls as he hurtles from one outlandish action set-piece to another. Sample quote: "Ready, Jack?" "I was born ready!"
Kurt Russell plays the loud mouthed, hopelessly inept, reluctant 'hero', Jack Burton. This comedic character demands the money owed to him by his friend, Wang. Before you can even say the title of this film, Wang's fioncee gets kidnapped, Jack's truck gets stolen and they're both up to their necks in mysticism, wizardry, monsters and Kung Fu experts
Yea Kurt F*cking Russel kicks some major ass. Not since Road House has he been this cool, except this is a verry good movie also. Classic John Carpenter. I wish they still made films like this.
A truck driver gives his friend a lift to the airport and gets caught in the middle of an Asian gang war full of magic, monsters and mayhem.
I had tried to watch this one years ago as the second half of a double-feature with Desperately Seeking Susan. Apparently Madonna had already maxed out my crap-o-meter because I gave up on "Big Trouble" in the first 10 minutes, opting instead for a night of beer drinking with my old Navy buddies. Twenty-two years later, at the prompting of my friend Dr. Benway, I decided to give the Carpenter/Russell collaboration another chance. Now, as my wife will surely attest to, I never would have matured into the model of supreme human character that I am today were it not for the fact that I am man enough to admit when I'm wrong.
As I see it, there are three keys to understanding Big Trouble in Little China. First, you have to give it a chance. Getting past the first five or ten minutes is a little like overcoming a gag reflex (or so I'm told). Your gut reaction might be telling you to bolt but if you stick around the reward is more than worth the wait. Second, don't take this too seriously. The right time to pop this one in the DVD player is when you're kicking back in the recliner with a cold one, NOT when you have a couple of hours to kill before your tax audit. Lastly, and most importantly, just have fun. Not every film is intended to teach you important life lessons or make you question your political affiliations. Some movies, a select few, are simply (gloriously) entertainment. Enjoy!
MCT:November 6, 2008
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MCT:December 26, 2008
