Big Trouble in Little China

Plot synopsis:
Visalia, California Truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) wins a bet with his restaurant owner friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun), and accompanies him to the airport to pick up Wang's Chinese fiancée Miao Yin (Suzee Pai) to make sure he honours the payment. A Chinese street gang, the Lords of Death, tries to kidnap another Chinese girl at the airport who is being met by her friend Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall), intending to sell her as a sex slave. After Jack intervenes, they take Miao Yin instead. In Jack's big-rig truck, he and Wang track the Lords of Death to the back alleys of Chinatown, where they find a funeral procession that quickly erupts into a tong war between the Chang Sing and Wing Kong, two ancient Chinese societies. When "The Three Storms" - Thunder, Rain, and Lightning, mighty warriors with weather-themed powers - appear, slaughtering the Chang Sing, Jack tries to escape but runs over Lo Pan (James Hong), a powerful and legendary sorcerer and the leader of the Wing Kong. Horrified, Jack exits his truck, but finds Lo Pan entirely unfazed and glowing with malicious power. Wang hurriedly guides Jack through the alleys; the two escape the carnage and mayhem, but Jack's truck is stolen.
Wang takes Jack to his restaurant, where they meet up with Gracie, Wang's friend Eddie Lee (Donald Li), and magician Egg Shen (Victor Wong), a local authority on Lo Pan. They try to explain to an incredulous Jack some of the ancient knowledge and sorcery the Chinese brought with them to America, eventually devising a plan to infiltrate a brothel, where they think Miao Yin is being held. The infiltration effort is moderately successful, but the Storms interrupt the operation and make off with Miao Yin, taking her to their master Lo Pan. Jack and Wang track down the front business used by Lo Pan and impersonate electricians to gain access, but are quickly subdued by Rain. After being tied up and beaten by Thunder, the two meet Lo Pan - however, he now appears as a crippled old man. Wang tells Jack that Lo Pan needs a special green-eyed girl to break an ancient curse, and he intends to sacrifice Miao Yin. Centuries ago, Lo Pan, a great warrior and even greater wizard, was defeated in battle by the first sovereign emperor Qin Shi Huang. The Emperor placed upon Lo Pan the curse of No Flesh. Although Lo Pan can be temporarily granted a decrepit body by supplication to the gods, in order for him to permanently break the curse and regain his human form, he must marry a woman with green eyes. This simple act will appease Ching Dai, the God of the East. But to satisfy the Emperor, he must sacrifice her. When Jack and Wang's friends attempt to save them, they are also captured, and Lo Pan notes that Gracie has green eyes, too. Lo Pan decides to sacrifice Gracie, while making Miao Yin his unwilling wife. After getting the drop on Thunder, Jack and Wang escape, and free many women kept in holding cells in the process; a horrible orangutan-like monster recaptures Gracie before she leaves.
Wang and Jack regroup with the Chang Sing and Egg Shen, and as a group they enter an underground cavern to return to Lo Pan's headquarters. Egg pours each of the group a potent potion that Jack says makes him feel "kind of invincible." During the wedding ceremony, a huge fight ensues. Jack is largely incapacitated during the battle, first knocking himself out and then getting trapped under an automaton suit of armour. Wang kills Rain in a sword duel, while Jack and Gracie pair up and chase the newly-alive Lo Pan. Wang joins them, and just when all seems lost, Jack kills Lo Pan with a skillful knife throw. Thunder, too distracted by Wang to prevent his master's death, inflates to an enormous size from dishonoured fury, finally exploding and killing himself. Jack, Wang, Gracie, and Miao Yin are cornered by Lightning in a corridor, who triggers a collapse with his powers. Egg rescues them with a rope and kills Lightning by dropping a stone Buddha statue on him when he tries to follow. After finding Jack's truck, the group busts out and escapes back to Wang's restaurant.
The group celebrates their victory in the restaurant with the rescued women; Wang and Miao prepare to marry, while Eddie is pairing up with Gracie's journalist friend Margo. Egg sets off on a long-due vacation - Jack suggests his homeland, but Egg says that China is in the heart. Jack, presented with a new life with Gracie, instead bids farewell to the group and hits the open road, not wanting to be tied down. Unbeknownst to him, the orangutan-like monster survived the battle in the labyrinth and has stowed away on his truck.

Tags: paranormal, cult, psychedelic, humor, romantic, suspenseful

Review:
Loud mouthed truck driver Jack Burton (played by Carpenter's long time collaborator Kurt Russell) arrives in San Francisco's Chinatown where he agrees to help out old friend Wang (played by Denis Dun) by driving him to the airport to pick up his green eyed fiancé.
Is actually my fourth best John Carpenter/Kurt Russell film and I just love those four movies so much!
"Gosh" Big Trouble in Little China is a 1986 American action comedy film directed by John Carpenter.
It stars Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun and James Hong.The basic plot about this film is about Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) a simple man who doesn't believe in ghosts or magic until he's swept into a mind-boggling adventure deep within Chinatown's mysterious underworld.
From the nonsense mystical Chinese sorcery that is taken so reverently, to the American hero "Jack Burton" (Kurt Russell) who displays the fearless macho man, to combatants flying through the air (this was 15 years before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was filmed), to one exotic character and situation after another - it's all absurd fun.Russell plays his role to the hilt, playing his favorite kind of role when he was younger: brash, bold and an ignoramus who fears absolutely nothing.
Out of 20th Century Fox, Big Trouble in Little China is directed by John Carpenter and stars Kurt Russell, Kim Catrall, Dennis Dun, James Hong & Victor Wong.
Little does he know that he is about to get involved in a supernatural battle between good and evil beneath San Francisco's Chinatown district.A box office failure upon its release, and known to be the moment when John Carpenter gave up on Hollywood, Big Trouble in Little China has gathered "cult" momentum over the years and shows up rather well these days.
Carpenter had always wanted to tackle a martial arts movie, and here he gets to do it whilst laying on the comedy and playing with effects work as his movie mostly comes alive in a magical underworld of monsters, magicians and sexy green eyed women.It's evident now that the film was ahead of its time, not from a technical viewpoint, but from the point it tried to Americanise chopsocky.
If you`ve ever heard of the director John Carpenter, you`ll be familiar with his works (of art), like Hallowe`en, Escape From New York, Assault On Precient 13, The Thing, They Live, and this movie, a mid 80`s classic starring none other than Carpenter`s favourite front man, Kurt Russell.
Sandwiched  in-between these movie greats is the 1986 production of `Big Trouble on Little China', where eastern martial arts mysticism meets John Wayne bravado with zany and often absurdly hilarious results.
Its blend of Chinese black magic with American style and humour that only Kurt Russel and Dennis Dun could pull off makes it an unforgettable adventure comedy.The big problem with Big Trouble in Little China is that no one went to see it in theaters.
Big Trouble in Little China is one of the few films that generally impressed me and didn't give off a "fake" feeling like a lot of movies that are coming out today.
If you are a fan of John Carpenter, Kurt Russell, action movies, the 80's, or a fan of great films, definitely check this one out.
Even if youve never heard of Carpenter - if you like high flying (pre matrix CGI) kicking and karate chops, you HAVE to see this one just for the fight scenes, again wonderful.The cast is amazing, each character played way over the top, leaving stereotypes spinning in the dust.Costumes and sets are great and the storyline, though done a million times has a fresh take here because of Carpenters twisted sense of humor and excellent direction taking the film trhough genre mixes so often youre not sure if youre watching a scifi, fantasy, kung fu, comedy or action thriller...the truth is, youre watching all of the above done so campy-ily well that youre not sure what hit you.
From beginning to end, Big Trouble is filled with non-stop quotable lines, great effects, beautiful martial arts, fine acting, gorgeous sets and costumes, it really lacks for nothing you could want in a Hong Kong style movie...
Plot Summary: Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) has to tag along as his friend Wang (Dennis Dun) tries to rescue his fiancée (Suzee Pai) from 2000 year old sorcerer Lo Pan. But Jack just wants his truck back.A box office disaster, 'Big Trouble in Little China' has rightfully gained a cult following as Eastern cinema grew more popular in the West during the nineties.
Big Trouble could easily have been the standard of subsequent trashy US martial arts films, but it is turned into an all out comedy with the roles of hero and sidekick (Wang and Burton) reversed so Burton is the lead, and therefore you see the entire film through his eyes, hence you don't know what is going on during a lot of the early scenes.It looks and feels like a lot went into the production design and style of the film.
Dennis Dun, in what is really the hero role, says his fortune cookie wisdom with his tongue firmly in cheek and delivers his lines with as much enthusiasm as Russell; Victor Wong and James Hong are both suitably OTT playing the wise old magician and evil villain respectively, and both look like they are enjoying themselves.
The truck driver Jack Burton (Kurt Russel) arrives in Chinatown, San Francisco, and goes to the airport with his Chinese friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) to welcome his green-eyed fiancée Miao Yin (Suzee Pai) that is arriving from China.
Jack and Wang team-up with the lawyer Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall), the bus driver and sorcerer apprentice Egg Shen (Victor Wong) and their friends and embark in a great adventure in the underground of Chinatown, where they face a world of magicians and magic, monsters and martial arts fighters."Big Trouble in Little China" is one of the best action movies of the 80's.
My Take: A fun and funny mess of wildly, outlandish proportions.What do you get when you put sorcery, martial arts, evil wizards, old Chinese folk legends, butt-ugly monsters, over-the-top martial artists with really big hats, a stolen 18-wheeler truck and a wisecracking anti-hero named Jack Burton in a blender, with John Carpenter as your chef?
Big Trouble in Little China succeeds in doing two things: firstly, it was one of the very first films that attempted to highlight and address the existence of Chinese diaspora and the Chinese American community in Western society and secondly, John Carpenter manages to assemble and infuse elements of different types of movie genres all into one film: likewise there is horror, martial arts, comedy, action-adventure and romance.
Yet for an action-packed type of film, this one is actually a lot of fun to sit through.It does have a very B-movie feel to it,- given Carpenter's previous, yet timeless film efforts in 'The Thing', 'Escape From New York'- and the directorial style, look and feel of Big Trouble in Little China is one that conveys an almost authentic oriental and Far Eastern exoticism, which was rarely seen in most Western based, kung-fu (comedy) 80s flicks.
If anything and as I said earlier, it did introduce western audiences to a certain type of niche and camp brand of high-kicking martial arts action that wasn't present in the Hong Kong based kung fu flicks of Jackie Chan and Jet Li.Whilst Russell is on top form as Jack, Kim Catrell is virtually good as the damsel in distress, Gracie and Denis Dun is just as impressive as the all-fighting- yet light hearted, Wang.
Victor Wong, Kate Burton and Donald Li also fair well in their respective roles as Egg Shen, Margo and Eddie Lee. James Hong makes a good baddie as Lo-Pan. In spite of the fact that the film has aged 21 years- my God I cannot believe it has been that long (!),- Big Trouble in Little China still retains a certain panache, cult-ness and instinctiveness that not many so-called cult Hollywood movies intend to possess.
Overall, I would say the film is equal parts fantasy adventure, martial arts, action, and just a smidgen of romance, all held together by the comedy.Kurt Russel's character is ultimately cheesy, but in a beautifully entertaining way, so too is the main villain.
A similar movie would be "The Golden Child", though also a comedy-adventure-martial arts-fantasy film; "The Golden Child" takes itself far more seriously, only getting it's humor from Eddie Murphy's sarcasm.Big Trouble In Little China's greatest strength is in it's pure entertainment value.
It's got a loaded cast, great sci-fi action, martial art action, and just tons of excitement going on in the movie.Kurt Russell as Jack Burton is a one name you'll never forget, loves the long haul, and making the bets.
I think that no one film is better than big trouble in little china...As Carpenter says, this is his best movie, because I think that it contains action, martial arts, fantasy and really funny scenes, and in this film there is a great actor called Kurt Russell, that is Jack Burton, my favorite Hero!!I think that Carpenter, making this movie, has really created a genial masterpiece!!.
The commentary with kurt Russell and his longtime friend director John Carpenter was great Fun. John and kurt talk about the experience of making the film and the fun they had.Whenever john and kurt get together they have alot of laughs and they have quite a fond affection for this film.Jack Burton played wonderfully by kurt russell and is one of my fave actors playing a larger than life guy who sometimes sees himself as the hero but he's actually quite useless.Wang is truly the hero in the film he is absolutely amazing in the fighting sequences.Kurt and Dennis Dunn worked so well together and it was so hilarious whenever they got on each others nerves.Kurt Russell provides us with plenty of comic relief and classic one-liners and i still think it's the funniest lines I've heard in any movie I've ever seen before.When i see this  film now i love watching it again and again.Big trouble in little china has lots of thrills a good cast who look like their having fun it's a very crazy film.seeing Kurt as Jack Burton is a blast he is the reason i love the film so much.This is Overall an enjoyable film.classic line from Jack Burton:"Ok you people!sit tight hold the fort and keep the home fires burning.And if we're not back by dawn...Call the president,".
Leaving his usual flair for horror behind him, he directed the family friendly sci-fi, Starman (1984) and followed its success with Big Trouble in Little China; definately a movie like no other...Kurt Russell plays the loud mouthed, hopelessly inept, reluctant 'hero', Jack Burton.
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.As has been the problem with previous Carpenter and Russell vehicles (The Thing & Escape from New York), Big Trouble in Little China was a film way ahead of its time.
In terms of pure entertainment, "Big Trouble in Little China" may be one of director John Carpenters' all-time best films.
Jack gets into the messiest of situations when he follows up a gambling debt and becomes embroiled in female trafficking, smuggling and dark Chinese magic.What starts as a "mere" Chinese gang war becomes something far bigger, including huge battles, explosions, shape changers, monsters, sorcerers and big hats galore.It turns out that a centuries old Chinese sorcerer named Lo Pan needs a woman with green eyes to ensure his continued immortality - so his gang steals one from the airport, lo and behold though when another falls into his clutches in the form of a young lawyer played by Kim Cattrall - who seeing this film was made in the early 80s must have been about 50 at the time.Jack wants Kim, his gambling buddy Wang wants his own green eyed missus back , Lo Pan wants one or both chicks (one for the ritual / one for the after-party!) and it seems every Asian-American bit part actor ever just wanted to get paid.The action runs non-stop from start to finish and while it is never especially violent it is always entertaining.
- Before John Carpenter lost his way he and Kurt Russell shared a dream run for a while, Big Trouble in Little China might not be a classic in the truest sense but it sure is a good time..
Just this: This movie has such a HUGE amount of charm, awesomely witty banter and tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, great actors (Kurt Russell as hilariously-cocky & self-assured Jack Burton, Kim Cattrall as charming & determined Gracie Law, Dennis Dun as Jack's "sidekick" Wang, Victor Wong as hilariously-quirky Egg Chen, & James Hong as sinister Lo Pan), all of whom totally own their roles and mesh so well together to really pull the viewer into their universe.
With writer W.D. Richter (director of "TThe Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai") making the adaptation and director John Carpenter leading the project "Big Trouble in Little China" was born as we know it: a modern day Western about a trucker facing the mysteries of ancient Chinese mythology.Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) is a trucker who enjoys the simple things of life, so he never expected that the day he took his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) to pick up his fiancée Miao Yin (Suzee Pai) at the airport, he would find himself without his beloved truck, and in the middle of a battle between good and evil where ancient Chinese magic and martial collide will decide the future of Earth.
So now Jack and Wang will have to go on a rescue mission, to try to save Miao Yin from the hands of immortal sorcerer Lo Pan (James Hong) and his Chinatown street gangs before Lo Pan achieves his evil purposes.As written above, "Big Trouble in Little China" was conceived as an action packed Western with touches of comedy, and it shows, as thankfully W.D. Richter kept that angle while adding his own very personal touches to the script.
In "Big Trouble in Little China" once again he reunited with long-time collaborators including Kurt Russell, and gave life to the magical Chinatown balancing the action with the comedy in a perfect yet natural way that makes the film flow smoothly.
Victor Wong and Suzee Pai complete an excellent cast that deserves a lot of credit for the film's success."Big Trouble in Little China" was a box office failure when it was released, and it was Carpenter's biggest flop in his career and the film that prompted him to return to low-budget b-movies (he would do "Prince of Darkness" the following year).
The way it criticizes action films with a very tongue in cheek humor is quite remarkable today, but probably went over the head of the audiences in its initial release.While it meant a failure for Carpenter on its day, "Big Trouble in Little China" is definitely one of his best films, and one of the best action/comedy movies ever made.
I Suggjest this movie to fans of martial arts adventures, people who like gun scenes,gang fights, fans of John Carpenter, Kurt Russel fans, and people that like magic and monsters.
Carpenter and the cast and crew must have had a blast on this film because I can't think of a single movie that combines some of my favorite things about movies: Action, comedy, violence, martial arts, and a small tour bus driver named Egg who also knows a little magic.
Carpenter and the cast and crew must have had a blast on this film because I can't think of a single movie that combines some of my favorite things about movies: Action, comedy, violence, martial arts, and a small tour bus driver named Egg who also knows a little magic.
John Carpenter's 'Big Trouble In Little China' is one of the most amusing movies I have seen to date.
This 1980's cult classic, is weird, lively, entertaining & amusing.Kurt Russell stars as Truck Driver, Jack Burton, who helps his friend Wang Chi, played by Dennis Dun, rescue his green-eyed fiancée from bandits in San Francisco's Chinatown.
There are some mistakes that can be seen in the film and the monster looks fake but still only john carpenter can pull it off and the music is excellent especially the big trouble in little china end credits theme....all i can say give it a viewing!.
Needless to say, Big Trouble's thunder was taken.Whether its your love of the Three Storms, the yummy Kim Cattral, Kurt Russell in his greatest role, the kung fu, or a main character that is so cool he DOESN'T kiss the girl at the end, this movie is great.
Big Fun. Directed by John Carpenter ("Halloween," "The Thing") and starring frequent collaborator, Kurt Russell, "Big Trouble in Little China" tells the tale of Jack Burton, a trucker who leads a normal and somewhat uneventful life.
This is one of the great movies of the 80s in My collection that I think about all the time.Big Trouble in Little China is a true classic and there is very few films like it.
Kurt Russell takes on the roll of a very macho, yet slightly bumbling action hero in John Carpenters 'Big Trouble in Little China' and he plays it brilliantly.
In fact all of the cast play their roles as tongue in cheek, which is exactly what is required to make the film deliver.Crammed with action, comedy, kung fu fighting, magic, monsters and loads more; it is hard to beat the adventure and entertainment in this movie, and surprisingly it also has a good story too.If you've never seen 'Big Trouble in Little China' then you have missed a real treat - Watch it and just enjoy the ride, i reckon you'll be glad you did.8/10.